Purple Noon
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, 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).
Plot
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.