The film "Purple Noon" is based on which novel by Patricia Highsmith?

"Purple Noon" is a 1960 crime thriller film starring Alain Delon (in his first major role), alongside Marie Laforêt and Maurice Ronet; Romy Schneider, Delon's girlfriend at the time, makes a brief cameo appearance in the film. The film follows Tom Ripley, a young American sent to Italy to convince wealthy playboy Philippe Greenleaf to return home. As Tom becomes obsessed with Philippe's luxurious lifestyle, he devises a plan that will allow him to take over Philippe's life.

Directed by René Clément, the French/Italian international co-production is loosely based on the 1955 novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith. Anthony Minghella's 1999 film "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and the 2024 streaming television series "Ripley" are adaptations of the same source novel. The majority of the film's dialogue is spoken in French, although there are brief sequences in Italian and English.

Patricia Highsmith (born Mary Patricia Plangman; January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories in a career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations.