Purple Noon (1960) Queer Film B+

DIRECTOR: René Clément

Mr. Greenleaf hires Tom Ripley—an almost impossibly beautiful Alain Delon—to travel to Italy and persuade his son Philippe(Maurice Ronet) to return home to the United States. Once in Italy, Tom becomes inseparable from Philippe, basking in his luxurious lifestyle while quietly resenting his arrogance. Philippe’s fiancée, Marge (Marie Laforêt), is wary of Tom’s presence from the start. When Philippe mocks him one time too many, Tom kills him during a boating trip. He then forges documents, assumes Philippe’s identity, and begins siphoning off his wealth. Tom manipulates friends, lovers, and the authorities with astonishing finesse, maintaining his double life even as Marge’s suspicions deepen.
This first adaptation of queer author Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley covers the same narrative ground as Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film starring Matt Damon and the recent eight‑episode Netflix series written and directed by Steve Zaillian and starring Andrew Scott.
What it lacks in the emotional depth and superb supporting cast of Minghella’s version, it compensates for with a hypnotic style all its own, thanks to French two‑time Oscar winner René Clément (Forbidden Games) and his master cinematographer Henri Decaë (The 400 Blows). Italy has rarely looked so sun‑drenched, seductive, and treacherous. And Delon—icy, feline, breathtaking—is sensational. The world had no choice but to take notice. A superstar is born before our eyes.

Score by Nino Rota.

STREAMING: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, CRITERION COLLECTION(YOUTUBE) AND APPLE TV+

https://thebrownees.net/85-queer-films-made-under-the-hays-code-1934-1968/
https://thebrownees.net/85-queer-films-from-the-new-hollywood-1968-1980/
https://thebrownees.net/la-nouvelle-vague-the-french-new-wave/

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