In a miniseries that will be seen starting this Thursday, Andrew Scott will be the face of the character created by Patricia Highsmith, who has been played by everyone from Alain Delon to Dennis Hopper, Matt Damon and John Malkovich.
What charm does a scammer, bad friend and criminal have, so that everyone sympathizes with him? That’s Tom Ripley, star of the Netflix miniseries “Ripley,” with Andrew Scott, which starts this Thursday. They have played that same character Alain Delon, Dennis Hopper, Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Barry Pepper, among others. But before, much before, it was the main attraction of five novels that have just been republished in Spanish, now collected in a single volume.
Its creator was called Patricia Highsmith. Ingenious, talented, fruitful, but not at all beautiful or sociable. Maybe that’s why she imagined Ripley, a cute, charming, elegant young man, skilled at everything. Especially to be social, arouse admiration, take advantage of others and come out unscathed. At first he was a shy boy.
Perhaps the reader will be familiar with the name of Patricia Highsmith. His novels inspired the teacher Alfred Hitchcock (“Sinister Pact”also called “Strangers on a train” that of the exchanged murders), Todd Haynes (“Carol”a secret lesbian love), Claude Miller (“I love her madly”), Hans Geissendorfer (“The Glass Cell” and “Edith’s Diary”that one about the woman obsessive with cleanliness), Claude Autant-Lara, Claude Chabrol, Michel Deville and other good ones, and also to Catalan Pere Sagristawhich adapted the “Little misogynistic stories”, first for theatrical monologues, like “the story read but with surprise”, and then for television films, with success in half of Europe. Perhaps he was the one who best contacted the author’s sarcastic side.
Highsmith wrote “The Talented Mr. Ripley” in 1954. The next year he was already doing the television version in the program “Studio One” (by the way, there it shone Felicia Montealegrethe talented and tolerant woman of Leonard Bernstein represented by Carey Mulligan in “Teacher”, another Netflix movie). But Ripley’s worldwide consecration came from two French demons: the sex-symbol of the moment. Alain Delonand the director Rene Clement, who filmed a still fascinating version on the island of Ischia, then at the top of fashion for the most refined. The version was called “Full sun”was a success that filled the author with money… and hatred, because they had changed the ending.
Over time, other actors have tried on Ripley’s costume. Difficult to compete with the evil and sensual beauty of Alain Delonwhich also had an impeccable hanger, but some are encouraged, like Matt Damon in another version of “The Talented Mr. Ripley”; Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich in separate versions of “Ripley’s Game”renamed as “The American Friend” (the rogue tricks a sick man into committing murder), Barry Pepper as “Ripley in danger” (more than just scams in the art market) and now Andrew Scottwhich comes from playing deep in melodrama “We are all strangers”.
Here he is accompanied by JOhnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning, Maurizio Lombardi (the police inspector) and, in special participation, “guest artists”, as they usually say. Adaptation, script and direction are the responsibility of Steven Zaillianrenowned co-writer of “Schindler’s List” (for which he won an Oscar), “Hannibal,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Irishman” and other larger pieces. Also older, the director of photography Robert Elswittwhich here, to give a period atmosphere, is played in black and white, something that it already did successfully in “Good night, good luck”with George Clooney.
Will Scott be the definitive Ripley? For now, the least elegant has been Dennis Hopper in “The American Friend”, by Wim Wendersbut the movie was remarkable (and the sick man was Bruno Ganz, who stole every scene).
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
