The Talented Mr. Ripley

A detailed Summary of The Talented Mr. Ripley

Directors often base their films on novels; however, directors many times will alter the characters, plots, and settings of their films to appeal to an audience more than the novel. Changing the overall image of a character and accentuating different elements of a setting for a film will alter an audience's perspective of the character. This new opinion of the character in the film usually portrays the director's feelings toward a particular character, whether the feelings are positive or negative. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a wonderful example of changing a character and setting so they will come across to an audience in the same way the character appeals to the creator. A good scene for comparison is when Marge finds Dickie's beloved rings among Tom Ripley's possessions. This scene shows how the drastic differences in Marge's character changes the relationship of Tom and Marge in the novel and film and also changes the audience's perspective of Marge because of the different ways Patricia Highsmith and Anthony Minghella wrote her character.

The setting of the ring scene is different in the novel and film. Marge confronts Tom with the dilemma of Dickie having taken off his rings in a large, open room in the novel;

an open room for an open mind. This open room instills a feeling of receptiveness on the part of Marge. Tom has been sitting on a sofa that has just been described as "fitted his shoulders like someone's arm, or rather fitted it better than somebody's arm..." The cozy sofa also makes the reader aware that Tom is very vulnerable at this point in the movie because he is relaxed and drowsy. Highsmith is able to change the cozy feeling quickly though because she then draws attention to Tom's nervous actions when Marge informs Tom that she has found Dickie's rings. Tom stands up quickly; he bumps into on of his shoes and picks it up; he holds the shoe as if it were a weapon; Tom keeps wringing the shoe in his hands. These nervous gestures make the reader feel that Tom is very vulnerable in this scene than in any other scene. The movie, however, sets this majority of this scene in a long hallway with glaring white lights behind Marge, like the looming danger of an oncoming train. Two large, wooden door stand behind Marge, and an open room with dim lighting that casts shadows lies behind Tom. The dim lighting behind Tom finally helps to expose his evil side as he slowly, surely stalks Marge down the hallway. The bright lights behind Marge represent the sudden, bright awareness to her that Tom killed Dickie. This scene in the movie is a turning point in the relationship of Marge and Tom because Marge senses Tom's evil side.

Highsmith and Minghella use differences in Marge's character and the scene around her to portray the change in relationship between her and Tom. In the novel, Highsmith makes Marge an untrusting person and someone who dislikes Tom. Minghella's personal relationship with Gwyenth Paltrow cau

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Approximate Word count = 1165
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels