A near perfect psychological thriller, Purple Noon features a tight plot with plenty of twists and turns along the way. An adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, the fabulous 1955 novel by the late Patricia Highsmith, Purple Noon was the film that made Alain Delon a star. Delon plays Tom Ripley, commissioned by a San Francisco industrialist to travel to Europe, find his prodigal son and bring him home. Ripley tracks down Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) in the Italian port town of Mongibello, near Naples. Ripley loves the Italian lifestyle and is quickly fascinated by Greenleaf. Instead of convincing Greenleaf to return home, Ripley ignores the pleas of his boss and decides to settle in to life on the Mediterranean.
The newfound friendship takes a decidedly chilling turn when the father decides to cut off Ripley’s funds and Ripley decides he must maintain his luxurious lifestyle, no matter the cost. His admiration of Greenleaf’s seemingly perfect life—he’s engaged to the beautiful Marge (Marie Laforet)—evolves into a bitter jealousy with things finally coming to a head on a sailing trip.
It doesn’t take long to figure out that it’s not really the money that drives Tom. He just a man who will do whatever it takes to get whatever he wants. And, while there is a reward for each crime he commits, the money is secondary. Tom’s real pleasure comes from toying with his victims and the police; seeing just how far he can go without getting caught. As the story progresses, his schemes get more complex, involving forged signatures, multiple identities, etc.
As Tom’s plan is set into motion, you wonder just how long the deception can last. Tom is cool, calculating and unencumbered by emotions. Delon’s Tom can smile convincingly, even as he is planning to kill someone. The tension in Purple Noon is almost unbearable at times, with Nino Rota’s eerie score only serving to underscore Alain Delon’s spine tingling performance. Cinematographer Henri Decae did a masterful job, capturing several close-ups of Delon’s eyes that reveal the ominous intelligence behind the apparently guileless exterior. And, though director Rene Clement went with a different ending than appears in Patricia Highsmith’s novel, Purple Noon is still one of the finest psychological thrillers ever made.
Presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Criterion’s transfer 1080p transfer of Purple Noon is beautiful. Image detail is superb throughout, the Italian water literally sparkles and the lengthy sailing sequences are breathtaking. There are no digital anomalies to speak of.
The French LPCM 1.0 (with portions of Italian and English) is a solid one. The range is good and depth impressive. The overall balance of the track is quite impressive. The dialogue is crisp and clean, with no hisses or pops in evidence.
Criterion has provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The following special features are included:
- An Interview with Denitza Bantcheva on Rene Clement (HD, 26:43) Conducted by Criterion in August of 2012, film historian and writer Denitza Bantcheva discusses director Rene Clement’s body of work, the director’s relationship with the Cahiers du Cinema critics/directors, the production of Purple Noon and more.
- Alain Delon (HD, 9:22) In this archival interview, first aired on the French television program Cinepanorama on November 24, 1962, actor Alain Delon explains how he got into acting, discusses the film he is working on (Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard) and discusses his working relationship with Rene Clement.
- Patricia Highsmith (HD, 19:01) In this archival interview conducted on French television in 1971, author Patricia Highsmith discusses the characters in her novels. She talks with particular interest about Tom Ripley and her three novels (at the time) that had been made into films.
- Trailer (HD, 4:04) The original English language trailer.
- Booklet: Criterion’s 40-page illustrated booklet features an essay by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien and excerpts from a 1981 interview with director Rene Clement.
