Review XCV - Purple Noon

Review XCV
Plein soleil (1960)

This review will be a bit different. Instead of the usual written format, I thought I'd post some pictures of why this film should be watched. Warning - your heart may explode.

This alone should tell you you're in for a ride.

Alain Delon's character, Tom Ripley (with a France French accent), inspecting a watch. All right, I can handle this.

After delivering O'Brian to the studio, everyone has their eyes on Delon, as expected.

The portrait of this man is just... Sigh.

The mirror play in this scene... Alain Delon in this scene.

See? What did I tell you about the mirror play and Alain Delon? Shit, man.

Tom Ripley can't steer this ship, but I'm sure he's good on other ones, if you get my innuendo, hehe.

This scene with Marge as they discuss him leaving is particularly titillating. But yeah, Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) is a pretty big romantic too!

Honestly, I was very impressed with the mirror play in this film. Here is a great example!

Now that Greenleaf is dead, Ripley will prey on his love, Marge. Check the look in his eyes.

The portrait! The portrait!

Italy really is beautiful. The film captures it well!

Speaking of things this film captures well...

Here is another example of the preying. Note the eyes again.

Because those fish were on camera a long time. They look very happy!

It's blurry, but this portrait. Oh my goodness. That smile. That face.

Handling three heads in one shot. And Delon's face.

The mirror play of this scene. The Alain Delon of this scene.

The way Delon- I mean, Ripley grabs a woman.

THE PORTRAIT. THE PORTRAIT. ABORT. ABORT.

Marie Laforêt has beautiful eyes. Great portrait. But seriously, how can she be calm when she's looking at THIS:

I'm out. The sensuality is too much. Ripley has Marge.

And how the film ends. A beautiful view and Delon handcuffed away.

The end.

But seriously, the film was interesting. It's adapted from The Talented Mr. Ripley written by Patricia Highsmith (I never read it, unfortunately, and never saw the 1999 film). It was interesting and the shots were beautiful (see above). René Clément did a good job! I didn't like the ending, and neither did Patricia Highsmith apparently. However, she did praise Alain Delon's performance. I can't agree more. In Le samouraï, Le cercle rouge, Un flic, and even L'eclisse, you don't really see Alain Delon act. This was the first time I saw him actually going about on screen, and I enjoyed it. Granted, I did watch this film for eye candy alone, but hey, I got a good film out of it too. So heterosexual men and homosexual women, don't push this film away - it really is great. And for the rest of you, see above.