Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley and Anthony Minghella’s 1999 screen adaptation of the same name delve into the life of a man with a talent for impersonation, fraud and his desire to obtain a lush lifestyle beyond his means. Sexuality and eroticism play a key role in the film adaptation. The precursor novel does not portray Tom Ripley as an overt homosexual, it displays the character as a sexually ambiguous individual. However, in the film it is evident that Ripley would rather sacrifice admitting his homosexuality in order to lead a luxurious but heterosexual existence.
Highsmith never explicitly portrays Ripley’s sexuality as unambiguous, partially due to oppressive views of the society in which the novel exists. Michel …show more content…
The waves in the water, the sensual warmth of the golden light, the game of chess, Dickie’s wet skin clinging to his towel all evoke a stifled sense of eroticism. Dickie rejects Tom’s advances by rushing out of the bath tub immediately as Tom mentions his desire to join him in the tub. According to Eve Sedgwick, there exists a notion of “homosocial desire” between men where attraction for one another is manifested through non-sexual traditions, since the conventions of masculinity preclude them from stipulating overt homosexual desire (2). In the bath tub scene, the ideal of “homosocial desire” is permanently wrecked by Tom’s …show more content…
Ripley, in which she explores the archetypal fate of homosexual characters in fiction. These characters have been “punished for their deviation, they’ve slashed their wrists or collapsed alone into a depression equal to hell.” This also supports Richard Dyer’s interpretation of the conventional “image of the homosexual as a sad young man” (73). O’Sullivan then judiciously examines that this is precisely the manner in which Ripley is portrayed in Minghella’s adaptation, arguing that “it’s only in comparison with Highsmith’s book that [the film’s] conservatism becomes clear”. The limitations surrounding The Talented Mr. Ripley are encapsulated by this assertion. Minghella’s rendition is more emotionally sensitive and candid since it unequivocally rationalises the uncertainties of its literary and cinematic precursors.
Towards the conclusion of Minghella’s film, the viewer is aware of the impetus behind Tom Ripley’s actions. Tom is a man with a natural gift for imitation and falsification who is chasing an impossible dream of discovering his identity and admitting his repressed homosexuality. In the precursor novel by Patricia Highsmith, sexual ambiguity is prominent since sexuality does not play a substantial role in determining Ripley’s inner psyche. However in the film, Minghella propagates the notion that Tom Ripley would rather lead a lavish, heterosexual livelihood than candidly
Highsmith never explicitly portrays Ripley’s sexuality as unambiguous, partially due to oppressive views of the society in which the novel exists. Michel …show more content…
The waves in the water, the sensual warmth of the golden light, the game of chess, Dickie’s wet skin clinging to his towel all evoke a stifled sense of eroticism. Dickie rejects Tom’s advances by rushing out of the bath tub immediately as Tom mentions his desire to join him in the tub. According to Eve Sedgwick, there exists a notion of “homosocial desire” between men where attraction for one another is manifested through non-sexual traditions, since the conventions of masculinity preclude them from stipulating overt homosexual desire (2). In the bath tub scene, the ideal of “homosocial desire” is permanently wrecked by Tom’s …show more content…
Ripley, in which she explores the archetypal fate of homosexual characters in fiction. These characters have been “punished for their deviation, they’ve slashed their wrists or collapsed alone into a depression equal to hell.” This also supports Richard Dyer’s interpretation of the conventional “image of the homosexual as a sad young man” (73). O’Sullivan then judiciously examines that this is precisely the manner in which Ripley is portrayed in Minghella’s adaptation, arguing that “it’s only in comparison with Highsmith’s book that [the film’s] conservatism becomes clear”. The limitations surrounding The Talented Mr. Ripley are encapsulated by this assertion. Minghella’s rendition is more emotionally sensitive and candid since it unequivocally rationalises the uncertainties of its literary and cinematic precursors.
Towards the conclusion of Minghella’s film, the viewer is aware of the impetus behind Tom Ripley’s actions. Tom is a man with a natural gift for imitation and falsification who is chasing an impossible dream of discovering his identity and admitting his repressed homosexuality. In the precursor novel by Patricia Highsmith, sexual ambiguity is prominent since sexuality does not play a substantial role in determining Ripley’s inner psyche. However in the film, Minghella propagates the notion that Tom Ripley would rather lead a lavish, heterosexual livelihood than candidly