"It's better to be a fake somebody, than a real nobody.". Law learned how to play the saxophone, while Damon learned how to play piano and revealed his vocal talents during his performance of "My Funny Valentine" in the film. "When I first heard Matt was going to do the song himself, I assumed we were going to have to re-voice him, " music supervisor Graham Walker admitted. In the novel, Tom Ripley desires to be like Dickie Greenleaf, a longing that leads to murder. LitCharts Teacher Editions. ", Phil Bray/Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock. How are issues of gender played out in the context of the novel? © 2020 E! What conclusions can you draw from your findings? "I had him in a jacket and some shorts, or a jacket and some linen trousers, and that jacket had to reflect a very rich background. After pitching the film, Minghella had one stipulation: He wanted final say over who played his Tom Ripley, refusing to make the film unless he found the perfect actor to inhabit the role. Is there one? "And when I turned around a year later, they were all household names.". The Talented Mr. Ripley content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Instead, we accidentally formed a nice little trilogy with the original movie at the centre, including a Tom Ripley origin story that may or may not play a little fast and loose with various timelines, and a sequel that catches up with a forty-something Ripley in the Disco-fuelled seventies. "I went home entranced and started writing more scenes for her character," the director wrote in a piece about Blanchett for The Guardian. "One of the things that tormented us as filmmakers on the movie was we had to deliver this gorgeous Mediterranean world, this beautiful world of Southern Italy, and we could never get Italy to turn beautiful," said Minghella. Not a character in the source material, Minghella created Cate Blanchett's character Meredith Logue. And he knew this film would come down to finding the perfect actors to inhabit his take on the literary characters. And his film, which would go on to make $130 million at the box office and earn five Oscar nominations, would help cement their status as some of Hollywood's top stars, especially Damon, who earned rave reviews for his unexpected turn as the murderous sociopath, and Law, with his charisma and swagger as Dickie Greenleaf serving as his breakthrough performance. How does the time period affect the way The Talented Mr. Ripley was written? Free shipping for many products! Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. His version of the song has beauty, pathos. The Talented Mr. Ripley also teaches us how poisonous that longing can be. ", 17. Ironically, Minghella was looking for a Blanchett-type to play the supporting role and was surprised when the actress herself expressed interest in the small part. ", Of taking on the smaller part, Blanchett, who would go on to earn her first Oscar nom for Elizabeth (losing to Ripley co-star Paltrow) said, "I've been surprised that people have not been talking about the role but about the size of the role, which I find such a bizarre concept. To play Dickie, the lean actor had to put on weight, with Law explaining, "I had to put on some weight because they play much more physical sports in school [in America].". eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. We drew a map and from one street to another I think it was [a distance of] three hundred miles," Minghella once explained. "She doesn't buy her own clothes, they are her parents' purchases she had from school… but if somebody said where'd you get those loafers, she wouldn't have a clue," she explained. "Inside your head it all makes sense. In late 1950s New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. We rely on user interactions to keep this Podcast going, so if you like what you hear please consider subscribing and/or leaving us a review. Instant downloads of all 1372 LitChart PDFs (including The Talented Mr. Ripley). (Oh, his character was named Mark after Wiseau misheard Matt Damon's first name. 20 years later, we're looking back on the stylish, sensual and sensational film, revealing secrets you might not know about The Talented Mr. Ripley, including the surprising talents Damon and Law picked up while filming, who broke a rib on set and which A-lister turned down the titular role... 1. And then there’s the magnificent Philip Seymour Hoffman, who very nearly steals the picture with only a handful of scenes. 20. Directed by Anthony Minghella. That was the key to finding an actor who could let you understand how he thinks and operates. ", 12. Cast against type as a sociopathic murderer, a young Matt Damon manages to create a chilling yet somewhat sympathetic portrayal of the title character as he insinuates himself into the privileged inner circle of a group of wealthy American youths, only to end up destroying their lives and his own. Damon, meanwhile dropped almost 30 pounds to play Ripley. Both leading men developed new musical abilities for their respective roles. For Tom's look, most of the pieces were vintage items that were remade by tailors to be purposefully ill-fitting to highlight his standing, which Roth described as "very American east Coast but...from Sears." Ripley.". "I was looking for somebody who was charisma on legs, somebody you could imagine men and women being attracted to," Minghella said of casting Law. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and ​celebrity gossip. It arrived in excellent condition, just as described. You'll get access to all of the Law, who would go on to work with Minghella on Cold Mountain and Breaking and Entering, was particularly devastated over the loss of Minghella, who became his mentor. (Author's Purpose). So why was Damon, then just becoming a breakout star in Hollywood thanks to Good Will Hunting (which earned him and best friend Ben Affleck an Academy Award in the best writing category) and the Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan, the director's pick to play the iconic literary villain? In Deadpool 2, an unrecognizable prosthetics-wearing Damon made a surprise (and brief) cameo as a character named Redneck No. "I had to play this guy who was the focus of almost every scene and yet I was there with Matt and with Gwyneth, so I was a little nervous that here was this guy who had not done that many films having to use his bravado," he told BBC. Compare how Tom defines himself to how others define him. Ripley." As the movie progresses, Marge's wardrobe goes from light linens and bikinis to darker tones and fabrics, reflecting the shift in her character as Ripley casts a shadow over her life. The film's lush and glam setting in '50s-era Italy became an essential character, with the cast and crew filming on location in several cities to achieve the fictional (and idyllic) Italian seaside town of Mongibello, including Rome, Sicily and Naples.

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