2024-08-01 21:21:10
Greenleaf, a wealthy man in San Francisco, plans to raise his son Philip as his successor in the business, but his son, who has been wasting his fortune in Italy with his French girlfriend Marju, has no intention of returning home. Greenleaf offers Philip’s friend, a poor young man named Tom, a large sum of money and entrusts him with the task of bringing his son to America. However, Tom confesses this to Philip and instead supports his debaucherous lifestyle, accepting a position no different from that of a servant. Tom, who goes on a boat trip with Philip and Marju, feels insulted and resentful of Philip’s arrogant attitude as time goes by. Tom, who devises a plan to achieve revenge, make a fortune, and rise in social status at the same time, kills Philip on the boat and throws the body into the sea. Then, he forges an ID card and pretends to be his dead friend, uses his money to get his hands on his friend’s property, and enjoys a luxurious life. He also confuses the police investigating Philip’s disappearance in various ways, and commits another crime to cover up the crime. Unaware of these acts, Marju is made to believe that Philippe has abandoned her, and succeeds in making her his lover. However, the investigation net is getting narrower, and Tom’s dream of committing the perfect crime is dashed by a coincidental incident.
◆ subject:
The film, based on the novel (1955) by American author Patricia Highsmith, is a suspense film that tells the story of a young man from the common people who is born with an extraordinary brain and attractive looks but no wealth or social status, who commits a crime to fulfill his desires. It is somewhat unusual in that the original character, who was set as an American, was played by French actors speaking French. The original novel, which gave birth to the term “Ripley Syndrome,” which refers to a pathological phenomenon in which people deny reality due to dissatisfaction and inferiority complex, lie by creating a fictional world of their own desires, was also made into a film again in 1999 by British director Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The film stands out for its delicate psychological depiction of how a relationship that was thought to be friendship turns into a dependent relationship, and how envy and favor turn into resentment and hatred, as well as its tight composition that maintains a tense atmosphere until the ending after the crime. This film, which is told from the perspective of the criminal, makes the viewer empathize with the position of the perpetrator rather than sympathize with the victim of the crime. It cannot be denied that the protagonist’s handsome appearance plays a part in making the audience feel pity for the criminal rather than condemn him, and fear the moment when his life falls into ruin. In addition, the appearance of the historic city of Rome and the beautiful scenery of the Mediterranean Sea are combined with sad music, and the last scene, which leaves a strong impression, leaves a deep lingering impression on the viewer.
◆ Points to note:
A box office hit in France and around the world, Alain Delon, who was a newcomer at the time, was catapulted to stardom overnight. In Korea, Alain Delon, who was released by Dansungsa in 1960 and gained great popularity, was later known as a synonym for handsome men, and even up until the 1980s, whenever a handsome Korean actor was mentioned, the phrase “Korean Alain Delon” would mechanically follow. Alain Delon then starred in Luchino Visconti’s , receiving favorable reviews. Although he has dominated the film industry, appearing in over 80 films over the past half-century, he has also caused controversy due to his womanizing and involvement in criminal cases. Meanwhile, his then-girlfriend, actress Romy Schneider, makes a brief appearance in the beginning of this film.
Marie Laforêt of Marju Station is a chanson that has been translated into Korean under the name
The background music by Italian composer Nino Rota is a melody that is already familiar to Koreans. The music, which varies a single theme according to the flow of the play, greatly contributes to increasing the audience’s immersion. Nino Rota, who appeared in Federico Fellini’s (1954) and Francis Ford Coppola’s (1972) and (1974), enjoyed worldwide fame by working mainly with film industry masters.
◆ director:
René Clément, a director famous for his realistic works depicting French society around World War II, was born in Bordeaux, France in 1913 and studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris at the age of 18. After working in the military to produce documentary films, he entered the film industry as a cameraman and short film director after his discharge. He became known for his film (1945), which depicts the resistance activities of French railway workers during World War II, and won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival the following year for this work. (1952), famous for its theme music arranged by Narciso Yepes from Spanish folk songs, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1953 for its portrayal of the horrors of war through the eyes of a child. His representative works include (1956), an adaptation of Émile Zola’s novel, and (1966), which recreates the situation in Paris at the end of the war.
EBS1’s ‘Sunday Cinema’, a program that shows carefully selected classic films, airs every Sunday at 1:20 PM.
Reporter Kim Kyung-eun Photo = EBS Sunday Cinema
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2024-08-01 21:21:10