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selenak: (Ben by Idrilelendil)
Background: It's been decades, but I actually did read the Ripley novels. I am also familiar with the two previous adaptations of the first one (i.e. Purple Noon/En Plain Soleil, the 1960s French one, starring Alain Delon as Ripley, and the 1990s The Talented Mr. Ripley directed by Anthony Minghella and with Matt Damon as Ripley, and with the two film versions of the third novel, Ripley's Game, one of which was retitled The American Friend, directed by Wim Wenders, starring Dennis Hopper as Ripley and Bruno Ganz as that story's object of Ripley's attentions, and the other one. directed by Liliana Cavani, had John Malkovich as Ripley and Dougray Scott in the Bruno Ganz role. Now that Andrew Scott has thrown his hat in the ring, I think we're soon having as many Ripleys as there are James Bonds? There are basis for comparisons, is what I'm saying.

So, the new miniseries, based on the first novel. Without beating around the bush: acting wise, Andrew Scott is superb, but he's also too old. His age would not matter in any of the other Ripley stories, but the first one is the story of a young man in his 20s. Not least because he and Dickie Greenleaf need to be at least roughly of the same age for the later part of the plot to work, and even American millionaires would presumably not send someone after their wayward expat son if the guy is already in his 40s. Now the miniseries doesn't name the exact age of either Tom or Dickie, but at one point they're described as "maybe 30", and sorry, but no. All this being said, I can see why the production people and the director went with Andrew Scott anyway, since he is very very good in the part. (Self and Andrew Scott: I thought his Moriarty in Sherlock was like chalk on a drawing board, and then I saw him in a completely different role as one of the characters in the movie Pride and thought, wow, I take it all back, you're a superb actor, Scott.) You can see his version of Ripley turn into the one from the later novels in a way which isn't true for either Delon or Damon. ( In fact, I do wish the miniseries had adapted one of the later novels, then I wouldn't have been jolted out of my suspension of disbelief every now and then due to the age factor.)

Looks-wise, this is a very stylish adaptation, shot in black and white, and completely in love iwth stairs. You could subtitle it "Tom Ripley vs Italian Stairs" and be correct. It's something of a running gag on the one hand that there are so many (and no or no working elevators), but the cinematogrpahy also milks the resulting shadows for all they're worth. It's very consciously film noir as a tv miniseries. With the coldest depiction of Italy you've seen in a long while as a result, not just because it's black and white but because the streets and squares and buldings are so empty that I wondered whether they shot this under Covid lockdown conditions. I mean, it works with other people being not quite real to Ripley - in one episode we hear a lot of chatter in the background, but we don't see anyone, so I do suspect this was an intentional effect.

Now, while the miniseries sticks closer to Highsmith's novel than the previous two aadaptations, not least because it has far more screen time to do so, it does what the others did and adds something als well. Purple Noon had all the heavy homoerotic subtext from the book but presumably because it was still of its time felt the need to let Ripley be sexually interested in Marge and vice versa, which, no, really not, from neither side. Also, of course, the changed ending. The Talented Mr. Ripley added the entire Peter subplot and also a changed ending. Both serving the same need. Which is spoilery. ) In addition to offering a slightly changed ending of its own, the miniseries also offers us scenes not in Ripley's pov - which the entire novel is - involving Inspector Carvini trying to solve the murders, developing the Inspector into a worthy antagonist, and some more fleshing out Marge, so much so that I thought in the last episode she'd do something spoilery ), but no. The other thing it adds is Ripley developing not just a fascination with Dickie Greenleaf's life but with Caravaggio, so much so that he visits Caravaggio paintings in the various Italian cities the series offers as locations, and that the last episode offers actual in costume Caravaggio flashbacks as the culmination of its Ripley/Caravaggio parallels. Given Tom Ripley's main source of income in the later novels is connected to the art forgery business, good choice. It also means John Malkovich (that was him, right?) can cameo as a character from the later novels for the finale. (Since Malkovich was the most recent screen Ripley - the adaptation of Ripley's Game starring him is from 2002 - it's a nice nod.)

The series has some neat dark humor - I already mentioned the stairs, but there's also the cat of Ripley's Roman land lady, and lots of unimpressed people working in the bank -, and while moving slowly and leisurely really brings the suspense all those times Ripley is in danger of being found out. Other than Scott, the most impressive actor for me was Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Ravini. Both Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf and Eliot Summer as Freddie Miles had the misfortune of being overshadowed by peak performances from previous actors in my mind. In fairness to Johnny Flynn, it's also that Dickie in this tv series is made nicer and blander. The trick to pull off with Dickie Greenleaf is that on the one hand, he's the embodiment of arrogant privilege, and on the other hand, it needs to be plausible his friends are crazy about him beyond his money, and that young Tom Ripley is torn between wanting to be him and wanting him. Late 1990s Jude Law was that. (In fact, since I loathed Dickie when first reading the book and in his incarnation as Philippe in the French movie, he was the first to make me realize what everyone saw in Dickie.) And Freddie Miles was played by Philip Seymour Hoffmann. Enough said. Woe to thee, oh actor, if you have to follow up PSH. Dakota Fanning as Marge is good, as was Gwynneth Paltrow, but while her Marge had more screen time, Marge still is something of a frustrating part because of spoilery things. )

All in all: I liked but didn't love it. (And could have done with a few less stairs, but then, so could Tom Ripley.)
selenak: (Abigail Brand by Handyhunter)
I have the feeling I did this once before, but no time to check, plus what the hell, it's always fun to rave about the women. Qualification: I'm choosing to interpret as referring to females who can do the kicking of the aforementioned backside both literally and figuratively. So ladies who could rule the universe by force of personality, cleverness and manipulative skills like Laura Roslin or Livia Drusilla won't show up; they're in a class of their own.

1) Abigail Brand (originally Astonishing X-Men, now Marvelverse at large). See icon. Green-haired, tough, abrasive, willing to put her life on the line along with everyone else's, with a gift for sarcasm and (so far) great taste in men. Has even mastered the art of admitting of having been wrong and drawing consequences, which is rare in ruthless types. I love her quite a lot.

2) River Song (Doctor Who). Was interesting in her first outing which due to timey-wimeyness was also her end, and became downright fascinating in the last season when we got to know her better; can wear space suits, uniform and evening wardrobe with the same aplomb and is played by the vibrant Alex Kingston. "Hello, Sweetie" will never sound the same again. :)

3.) Sarah Connor (The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the first two Terminator films). Transforming herself from hunted teenage waitress to warrior woman, Sarah picked up a lot of intimacy issues on the way, not to mention poetic if disturbing dreams. I love that she loves stories, which is rare in an action heroine, that she bonds with strangers but has difficulties with her nearest and dearest, and that she tries not just to win a fight but to do so without losing sight of what she fights for. Oh, Sarah.

4.) Ellen Ripley (Alien and subsequent sequels). Like Sarah, Ripley didn't start out as a warrior. She was the space equivalent of a trucker, and one of several reasons why I'm in the minority who prefers Alien over Aliens is that the crew of the Nostromo strikes me as much more real - they aren't marines who banter in movie speak, they are people doing their jobs who have been together far too long. (Also, more British actors.) And it's far from obvious or signaled that Ripley will be the one to survive. But survive she does, and while her life becomes one out of time nightmare in which she keeps being reborn, she never loses her humanity. I ♥ Ripley.

5.) Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess). Actually, most of the women of that show, but Xena is in a class of her own. Cheerfully anachronistic as her show was, she did the dark-haired brooding former villain seeking redemption stick before Angel and various imitations of same, and she did it (more often than not) better. Lucy Lawless gave her a fierce joy in fighting that ex-villains not often get to display, a deadpan sense of humour and a confident sexuality.

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