In 1960, Rene Clement adapted The Talented Mr. Ripley into a "French thriller" titled Purple Noon, or Plein Soleil. In relation to the novel, this film begins in media res, for Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) and Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) are in Rome, and no intimation of Mr. Greenleaf's proposition to Tom is given until it is revealed in later discussions. The film's premise, in its totality, is the same: Tom desires Philippe's life, and murders him to get it. Significant differences occur, though, in the formation of the plot.

As the film opens, Tom and Philippe appear as close friends, but the homosexual undertones (and overtones) are absent. To iterate this distinction, the film places Tom and Philippe in a carriage with a woman whom they dupe into believing Philippe is blind. Both begin to kiss the woman, illustrating a triadic relationship that is only posited in the...