Mar. 4 movie: The Talented Mr. Ripley. Just saw Purple Noon a few days ago, but even though they're based on the same book and have the same basic plot, the details and how it all plays out were different enough to really engage me and yes, keep up the suspense even though I knew the ending.
Due to my loathing for The English Patient I previously regarded Anthony Minghella as a director to be avoided at all costs. But now, having seen two good movies by him in the past month (this and Cold Mountain) I guess I have to cut him a break. There was something a little English Patient-y in the grand sweeping visuals all over the place, but they didn't overwhelm the story. What I really hated about The English Patient was the bloated "I'm an EPIC! I'm GRAND! And so IMPORTANT!" tone that crushed the life out of the movie. There was a touch of that in Cold Mountain but I didn't notice it here.
[major spoilers] Tom Ripley is a fairly different character in this movie. In Purple Noon he's pretty much a cold psychopath from the get go, calmly telling Phillipe his plan to kill him and assume his identity just before doing so. He's even seen eating his roast chicken with Freddie's body still in the apartment (and I'm embarrassed to admit, my first reaction on seeing that scene was "Ew! That chicken fell on the floor when he killed Freddie!") In The Talented Mr. Ripley, he's more tragic: an ordinary guy, albeit a "have-not" with an extraordinary level of envy towards the "haves," who more or less stumbles into the crimes. I don't recall any indication that he seriously intended to steal Dickie's (same character as Phillipe in Purple Noon) identity before the fight between them set it all into motion, and he's clearly tortured by what he's done. [end spoilers]
I haven't read Highsmith's novel so I don't know which interpretation is more true to the source, but I must say I appreciated the Purple Noon version more. Minghella places the sympathy squarely with Ripley; there's really no question of who you're supposed to root for. I had much more complicated feelings while watching Purple Noon. Because he's so cold and amoral and self-assured, I wanted him to get caught -- and also wanted him to get away with it. Ironically, Jude Law (who played Dickie) would have been really good at the Clement version of Tom Ripley. He has that coldness in his eyes.
Last comment: Phillip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant as Freddie. I can't think of a single movie I've seen with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in which he was not brilliant. It's tragic that Matt Damon, around whom Hoffman can act circles with one hand tied behind his back, is a superstar while Hoffman is a character actor. I hate to think that it's just because of the way they look, but that's probably it. I actually find Hoffman better looking, because Damon's looks remind me of the asshole frat boys who populated Duke. Hoffman looks like a handsome normal guy.
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I've only seen 'The talented mr Ripley', so I can't really compare it with Purple Noon, but I think I would agree with your comments anyway.
I've read a couple of the Ripley books (including this first one), and the thing that makes them really creepy is that Ripley is a very cold, methodical, slightly fussy (although he's married later he seems like a stereotypical gay guy in a lot of ways) killer, lover of good food, fraudster, musicbuff, etc.
There is not one bit of judgement in the books, not a shade of doubt about him: it's all told from his point of view, and he has no qualms whatsoever.
Very, very chilling.
Yes, Jude Law would have been perfect for it!
I agree about Mr Hoffman, too.
The only thing I didn't really like was that movie with Robert de Niro, but that was more due to the script than his acting.
I'll stop rambling now! ;-)