I liked PLEIN SOLEIL but as with the recent THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY film, this early French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's book is still not right and the perfect Tom Ripley film has yet to be made. The biggest problem with this movie is the pacing. It's deadly slow. I don't mind slow movies (I love the original SOLARIS) but for a thriller, there were few thrills to be had during its entire 2 hours time. And casting Alain Delon as Tom Ripley is, even if Delon's acting is good, totally wrong. The Tom Ripley character is an average looking guy nobody cares about and who can't ever get a fair break. He fades in the background and because of this, he's capable of being a chameleon of sorts. It's hard to imagine someone like Delon in the part of a man whom no one notices or cares about. He's just too handsome for Tom Ripley. Another big problem with the film is Tom's relationship with Dickey (named Phil in this movie). In the book (and in TALENTED MR RIPLEY) there's a special love/hate relationship between the two men. In PLEIN SOLEIL, Tom's relationship with Dickey is strictly business. This oversight basically pulls the rug from under the whole meaning of the story.
But even with all these faults, PURPLE NOON is light years better than the Matt Damon/Minguella crappy production (see my IMDB review) and it is one of the best looking films I've ever seen. It looks like it was made yesterday. The cinematography is so eye-pleasing that it's often breath-taking. And the actress who played Marge is way better than Gwyneth Paltrow. So, in the end, the film is half successful. PLEIN SOLEIL is not as moronically simpleminded as the disastrous Minguella version but it's still not true to Highsmith's Ripley books. But it is worth checking out just for the cinematography and the film's "look".
But even with all these faults, PURPLE NOON is light years better than the Matt Damon/Minguella crappy production (see my IMDB review) and it is one of the best looking films I've ever seen. It looks like it was made yesterday. The cinematography is so eye-pleasing that it's often breath-taking. And the actress who played Marge is way better than Gwyneth Paltrow. So, in the end, the film is half successful. PLEIN SOLEIL is not as moronically simpleminded as the disastrous Minguella version but it's still not true to Highsmith's Ripley books. But it is worth checking out just for the cinematography and the film's "look".