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Purple Noon

Purple Noon
Purple Noon Poster.jpg
Official US poster
Directed by René Clément
Produced by Raymond Hakim
Robert Hakim
Written by Patricia Highsmith
René Clément
Paul Gégauff
Based on The Talented Mr. Ripley
by Patricia Highsmith
Starring Alain Delon
Maurice Ronet
Marie Laforêt
Music by Nino Rota
Cinematography Henri Decaë
Distributed by Titanus
Miramax (Re-released in United States)
Release date
  • 10 March 1960 (1960-03-10)
Running time
115 minutes
Country France
Italy
Language French
Box office $618,090
2,437,874 admissions (France)

Purple Noon (Italian: Delitto in pieno sole, French: Plein Soleil, aka Full Sun, Blazing Sun, Lust for Evil and Talented Mr. Ripley) is a 1960 film directed by René Clément, loosely based on the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. The film stars Alain Delon in his first major film, along with Maurice Ronet (as Philippe Greenleaf) and Marie Laforêt (as Marge); Romy Schneider appears briefly in an uncredited role as Freddie Miles' companion, and Billy Kearns (an expatriate American actor well liked in France) plays Greenleaf's friend Freddy Miles. The film, principally in French, contains brief sequences in Italian.

The film's source novel was adapted again in 1999, under the original title, directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon (as Ripley), Jude Law (as Greenleaf) and Gwyneth Paltrow (as Marge).

The American Tom Ripley (Delon) has been sent to Italy to persuade his wealthy friend, Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet), to return to the United States and take over his father's business. Philippe intends to do no such thing and the impoverished Tom enjoys living a life of luxury, so the two men essentially spend money all day and carouse all night. Tom is fixated on Philippe and his girlfriend Marge (Marie Laforêt) and covets the other man's life. Philippe eventually grows bored with his friend's fawning and becomes cruel and abusive to him. The final straw is when, during a yachting trip, Philippe strands Tom in the dinghy and leaves him to lie in the sun for hours.

Back on board, Tom hatches a plan to kill Philippe and steal his identity. First, he leaves evidence of Philippe's philandering for an outraged Marge to find. After Marge goes ashore, Philippe confronts Tom, who admits his plan quite casually. Philippe, believing it to be a joke, plays along and asks Tom for the plan's details. Suddenly frightened, Philippe offers Tom a substantial sum to leave him and Marge alone but Tom states that he can obtain this sum anyway and far more. At last pretending to accept his offer, Tom stabs Philippe to death as the latter screams Marge's name. He casts the body overboard and returns to port.


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Wikipedia

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