Mesmerising to watch, saturated in light and colour, and topped by Delon at his iciest, Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) is a terrific treat. In this first adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Clément’s camera celebrates the dangerous beauty of Delon as charismatic sociopath Tom Ripley playing out a game of murder and double bluff against stunning Mediterranean landscapes.
The screening on 24 October will be preceded by a talk, 'Alain Delon: star, icon, homme fatal', by Professor Ginette Vincendeau (King’s College London), author of Stars and Stardom in French Cinema (Continuum, 2000).