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“Purple Noon” A picaresque romance about Tom Ripley, the man who rebelled against the sun, until his destruction.
2021.07.15
“The man who rebelled against the sun” meets a tragic end.
The original author, Patricia Highsmith, described the film as ``visually beautiful, intelligent, and entertaining.'' He was also satisfied with Alain Delon's performance as Ripley. However, she was a total loser at the end of the movie. Although in the original story Ripley had successfully committed the perfect crime, the ending of the movie hinted that she would be arrested by the police.
At first, René Clément was thinking of an ending that would allow him to escape. However, the producer was persuaded that the audience would not be satisfied with an ending that was too immoral and unethical, so they settled on the ending as it is now. Let me quote his interview article again.
“The Purple Noon” (c)Photofest / Getty Images
"I'll tell you the ending I dreamed of... Ripley becomes rich and continues to travel. Then she goes to Athens. When she gets off the ship at the port, two police officers are waiting for her at the end of the pedestrian bridge. He's afraid he's going to get killed, but he's not. The rule here is that every time a ship arrives, there are two police officers. What's the problem with Ripley? He passes by without a moment's notice. Everything is fine. He reaches the Parthenon and sits on the steps, asking himself whether he should turn himself in or find a place in society." (Excerpt from an interview with René Clément ) )
However, the author believes that another reason for his tragic end is that he is "a man who rebelled against the sun." The original title, ``Plein soleil,'' also means ``midday,'' but it was exactly 12:00 noon when he committed Philip's murder (as indicated by Ripley's pocket watch). (Pay attention to the time). Sinfully, he committed his crime in the bright sunlight, with God, the sun, clearly looking down on the world below.
At that moment, he was destined to be punished as a sinner. As a result of Philip's terrible prank, Ripley is left behind on the boat and suffers burns all over her body from the direct sunlight. Immediately after he bathes himself in the blazing sun and exclaims in ecstasy, ``There's so much Purple Noon. It's the best feeling I've ever had,'' the crime he committed is discovered. It's a bit of literary speculation, but ``Plenty of Purple Noon'' can also be interpreted as ``a story about a man who disobeyed the sun and is punished for his crimes.''
reference:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/purple-noon-1960
Text: Rui Takeshima
A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".
(c) Photofest / Getty Images
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