The Talented Mr. Ripley

Well, Netflix's quite good Ripley is a good occasion for a mini tribute to Patricia Highsmith's character's big screen past.

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The most famous metaphor, of course, is that of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Anthony Minghella in 1999 with Matt Damon and Jude Law, but also the one that followed caps after the success of the film, namely Liliana Cavani's Ripley's Game with John Malkovich from 2002.

The beginning of course takes place much earlier, namely in 1960 with Rene Clement's Purple Noon with an unsurpassed Alain Delon as Tom Ripley. For the record, it was Highsmith's second film adaptation after Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 masterpiece Strangers on a Train, and it was an adaptation that the author herself loved.

What Highsmith initially disliked was Wim Wenders' 1977 adaptation of Ripley's Game, The American Friend, because she was disappointed by cult icon Dennis Hopper's performance as Ripley - although she later changed her mind and reassessed both the film and the performance.

Finally, what's worth mentioning is a very indirect but highly paranoid "metaphor" (in multiple quotes) of Ripley that goes by the name The Room, if you've heard. Yes, we're talking about Tommy Wiseau's masterpiece, a veritable pinnacle of bad taste (and perhaps the quintessential cult film of the 21st century in the authentic, non-market sense of the term).

The film's director, writer and producer, then, has stated many times that he based The Room on himself, and he based himself on Dickie Greenleaf from The Talented Mr. Ripley. The special thing about the movie is, of course, that Wiseau's Johnny is simultaneously both Dickie and Ripley, which is why he is the Citizen Kane of cult cinema.

P.S : I am a huge fan of this franchise. I can still vividly recall the first time I rented the movie to watch back in 2000. Since then, I've watched it countless times, along with all the previous movies in the series.

I will soon make a review about the new series.

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