Join us Thursday, May 19th at 4pm PDT / 7 PM EDT for a live viewing and taping of Anthony Minghella’s 1999 masterpiece, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Dukes and Bagg think of this as the BEST of the many excellent Tom Ripley films. It stars Matt Damon Tom Ripley, and the amazing cast includes Gwyneth… Continue reading Save the Date: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Live Taping, with Jeph Wilkinson.
Tag: Patricia Highsmith
Episode 83: “I Made a Friend, and Now He’s Dead” or Liliana Calvani’s Ripley’s Game
Chris and Jesse watched this movie together nearly 20 years ago, and it made an impression, due to John Malkovich’s memorable, creepy, and charming take on Tom Ripley. Director Calvani seems to enjoy making this Ripley seductive, so that the viewer realizes with horror that we kind of like him, and just like poor Jonathan… Continue reading Episode 83: “I Made a Friend, and Now He’s Dead” or Liliana Calvani’s Ripley’s Game
Episode 82: “Cocaine was Invented for Times Like These,” or Roger Spotiswoode’s Ripley, Underground
The lads get all aughty with Roger Spotiswoode’s charming and unthreatening Ripley, Underground, where Tom Ripley is a glib opportunist instead of the darker, unpredictable Ripleys. The result is an entertaining romp that feels a little like going to a Bare Naked Ladies show: you probably won’t go again but it was fun while it lasted. It’s a welcome addition to the Ripley Cinematic Universe, bringing back an air of fantasy to Highsmith’s invention.
Episode 80: “Frames, Trains, and Burning Automobiles” or Wim Wenders The American Friend
The American Friend is loosely based on Patricia Highsmith’s third Tom Ripley novel Ripley’s Game. But Wim Wenders plays fast and loose with the source material, borrowing elements of another novel Ripley Underground and referencing Easy Rider, Rebel Without a Cause, and other cinematic forebears. The visuals are beautiful, and even if the plot is a bit puzzling, the lads find the mood of the film compelling.
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Episode 79: “A Creeping Tom,” or René Clement’s Plein Soleil
Chris and Jesse charge into our next group of works, Ripley en Filmes, beginning with René Clement’s visually stunning 1960 film Plein Soleil, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Clement casts Alain Dumont as Tom Ripley, Maurice Ronet as Philippe (a renamed Dickie Greenleaf), and Marie Laforêt as Marge. Clement makes some major divergences from Highsmith’s plot in some places while hewing closely to it in others, leading to an interesting discussion about directors’ responsibility to their source material. The lads are both thirsty for Alain Dumont, but does the plot rise to the level of the film’s metaphorical weight?
Episode 3: Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Part One
Chris and Jesse talk salt pigs and the Queen Mary ocean liner before getting down to business, diving into Patricia Highsmith’s disturbing and keenly crafted 1955 novel. They discuss the difference between a hero and a protagonist, Highsmith’s ability to describe self-deception, and whether there is something at all likable about Tom Ripley.