It’s likely a bit bizarre to be writing critically about a Netflix series and not that easy to concentrate either with an antihistamine doped, snoring chihuahua for background noise. But Ripley has things I need to write about.
Firstly I absolutely love the filming of Italy in black and white. The huge wooden doors, echoing buildings and statues. The bells ringing, dogs barking, the loud Italian conversations. Alleyways and courtyards and Mary everywhere. Venice my favourite place on earth.
I adore Patricia Highsmith for her stories of normal life interspersed with sudden random catastrophe. I go back to them often for their soothing rendition of a more naïve time of life. For the monied anyway. Sometimes not a lot happens until events stir irrevocable actions. I think she meant Ripley to be more than a Psychopath.
All the little details were superb but I wish they’d started the film with sparkling seas and sand and vast quantities of cocktails in bold cinematic colour. I didn’t care for Dickie in this version. He was flat and one dimensional. Jude Law was not only beautiful to behold he was so full of life and energy as Dickie that everyone he met fell in love with him, including the audience. When Tom killed him we were mortified. So was Tom. He laid on the boat with the dead Dickie for hours because he had loved him too.
I love Dakota but this Marge was bled of all her personality down to her androgynous and scruffy trousers. Like she had no sexual appeal or held any interest for Dickie but yet it took this no further?.
Freddie as I remember was a big, ginger bloke in the book but they chose Sting’s Non-binary child to play him. Irritating from the first two minute appearance I thought that’s a woman, is this what Patricia meant him to be? Nope I don’t think so. Anyway he/she/it was another I was glad to see get gone down the Swanee and the dead head banging down the stairs and in the car were superb.
Recently I bought a reconditioned laptop just for writing in bed and put off plugging it in for a few days. It worked for about half an hour and got sent back to Amazon. I was sort of anticipating that to happen.
The same with Ripley. Beautiful imagery can’t carry a story alone. This doesn’t do justice to Patricia only the film maker.
PS: Not once did anyone blot their pens either after all that attention to detail.