FAQ for
Plein soleil (1960) Plus avec IMDbPro »

At the end of Plein soleil Ripley walks towards a cafe where we know the police is waiting. The implication is that he is caught.

In the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, on which Plein soleil is based, Ripley is not caught, and the same applies in Anthony Minghella's later film adaptation.

There are three scenes where food is used to reflect Ripley's psychology. They may be seen as reflections of Ripley's ruthlessness or of the desire that drives him to his actions.

1. After killing Philippe, Ripley grabs an apple and takes a large bite.

2. After killing Freddy, Ripley eats a roasted chicken with his bare hands.

3. In the Naples market scene Ripley looks at fish at the booths, including a severed fish head on the ground.

While the film is French-made, set in Italy and spoken mostly in French, Tom Ripley and several other characters are still meant to be Americans. This includes Philippe Greenleaf, in spite of the spelling. Marge could be French; she mentions going back to Paris.