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Movie of the Week #8 - The Talented Mr. Ripley
The next movie from the 1990s is The Talented Mr. Ripley from 1999 directed by Anthony Minghella with a 90s moviestar lineup of Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman and many others. Based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith from 1955.
Feel free to add any thoughts, opinions, reflections, analysis or whatever comments related to this film.
The rest of the schedule is:
- 25th of December: Home Alone
Offtopic, but I saw this posted the other day and saved it for the movie of the week topic, since I thought people here might appreciate it.
Vanity Fair - The Talented Mr. Ripley at 25—Frank, Queer, and Ahead of Its Time (Paywall Mirror)
Thanks for sharing that, really interesting read. Goes to show that while it is a perfectly great film to watch today, it is also very much a product of its time and likely had a different impact on the audience than it could today. With regards to up and coming starpower of most of the cast and it being from the time where queer- representation in movies were still mostly in its infancy.
Yeah... speaking of which, I remember being very very very uncomfortable watching Talented Mr. Ripley back when it first came out. Not only because of the awkward/tense/awful scenarios that play out in the story, and how horrible so many of the characters are as people, but also because I was mostly still closeted myself back then too. So seeing such a despicable queer character behaving so horribly put me even more on edge... especially since, despite not relating to that character's insane level of obsession, I could still relate to someone hiding a deep, dark secret to everyone around them. And TBH, that messy, tangled, bundle of emotions the memory of the movie stirs up in me is why I am so hesitant to rewatch it again, even all these years later. I'm still trying to build up the courage to download it and give it another watch. :P
When I watched this film for the first time, I didn't actually know what it was about. The first part got me thinking this would be a common rags-to-riches story.
And then he kills the damn guy. I was genuinely shocked! Great film.
If you like this, you might also like Purple Noon and also the full series of novels from Patricia Highsmith.
The other Ripley movies are not great, but worth suffering through if you want to complete the universe.
I think The American Friend is a masterpiece of a film. Dennis Hopper plays a very different Ripley, but it works for the film. The author is even quoted considering it her favorite on screen version.
yeah, they mention that in the commentary track --- at least I think that's where I heard it. Its such a bizarre take on the whole thing, which is better than trying to wrangle Hopper in to doing anything structured.
I’ve been meaning to watch this for several year now. I really should get around to watching it.
Well I'm glad you enjoyed a film I recommended compared to my last recommendation.
So I originally picked Point Break, and then went "wait a minute this one's better." And appropriate too as Saltburn has been hitting the GenZ zeitgeist, and that's essentially a more pop version of this.
I saw this for the first time about two years ago. Even before I had seen it I would associate it as a very 90s movie. Not necessarily essential, but a lot of people talk about it, at least the people that I listen to. It's got a very 90s studio look to it. It stars Matt Damon hot off Good Will Hunting. And other 90s actors that were in their 20s at the time, Gwenyth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett.
I actually think Matt Damon is underrated as an actor. And I think this really shows his capability as a performer. Also here he is talking about this performance and how he had to remain very lean because he had to look like Jude Law.
I love the technical aspects of this. The editing, the score. There's like a coziness to the cinematography that contrasts the tension of the film (same cinematographer as Mad Max: Fury Road).
It's just a really well made social thriller.
It has been a long time since I first watched this movie, so I was happy for the chance to re-watch it. Admittedly, the first time I saw it I wasn't really paying attention. It was too slow for my younger self's tastes. All I can say is, wow, did I miss a lot and now understand the attraction of this movie. Matt Damon has always been a favorite actor of mine and the way he blended into the role of Tom was incredible. Jude Law usually irks me, which is probably why I haven't re-watched this before, but his tendency to come across as pompous was just perfect for the role.
I really liked the almost mellow slow tempo of this film. It is long and only has a few very dramatic scenes, but there is a constant lingering tension sensation and feeling of anxiety underneath. Tom is rolling from one planned coincidence to the next and all his lies is just on the edge of exploding in his face, but he always manages to escape. But at terrible costs.
I always like films that explore identity in some fashion and this clearly deals with someone who tries to fake his whole identity by impersonating others. As is also said a couple times in the film, Tom remains a mystery. We never see his real self or really get to understand what drives him to do this. Is it just that he is attracted to the rich lifestyle? Or is it his homosexuality, which was likely problematic to be in the 50s, that leads him to try and create a fake identity and personality instead? That Tom remains a mystery seems to be the main of this movie, but maybe too much remains hidden. I really like the theme and atmosphere of this movie, but it is just shy of hitting the real high marks for me.