Summary

• Ripley's black and white format honors the original vision of Highsmith's novel, creating a dark and unsettling atmosphere.
• Steven Zallian chose monochrome to accentuate Ripley's psychological thriller elements and the story's vintage setting in the 1960s.
• Netflix's Ripley stands out from the 1999 film by delivering a more ominous and emotionally devoid iteration that is more faithful to the classic novel.

The new Netflix limited series Ripley's cast is led by an exceptionally chilling Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Black Mirror, All of Us Strangers) as the enigmatic Thomas Ripley, a con artist living in New York in the early 1960s. Steven Zallian, the acclaimed screenwriter of Schindler's List, American Gangster, and The Irishman, wrote and directed the entire 8-episode miniseries.

Ripley is given an unexpected job to locate an old friend named Richard 'Dickie' Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) who's avoiding his responsibilities in Atrani, a luxurious coastal city in Italy. Ripley, funded by Dickie's father, travels to Atrani where he encounters Dickie and his girlfriend Marge Sherwood, played by Dakota Fanning. The Talented Mr. Ripley was previously adapted in the 1999 film written and directed by Anthony Minghella (The English Patient), in which Matt Damon portrayed Ripley, Jude Law played Dickie and Gwenyth Paltrow plays Marge. The Talented Mr. Ripley has been adapted several times for film and television, but none have been shot completely in monochrome until Zallian's Ripley.

All 8 episodes of Ripley will be released on April 4, 2024 exclusively on Netflix.

Ripley's Show Creator Envisioned The Story In Black & White Due To The Book's Cover Photo

Zallian's goal was to create an incredibly faithful adaptation of the novel

Zallian was inspired to shoot his Ripley adaptation entirely in black and white as a way to honor the original vision of Highsmith's novel.

Zallian was inspired to shoot his Ripley adaptation entirely in black and white as a way to honor the original vision of Highsmith's novel. As he was developing the series, he was inspired by the monochrome book cover of his edition of The Talented Mr. Ripley and began to envision the series entirely through that lens as he wrote it. Zallian told Vanity Fair, “The edition of the Ripley book I had on my desk had an evocative black-and-white photograph on the cover. As I was writing, I held that image in my mind. Black and white fits this story—and it’s gorgeous.”

Zallian's main intention of the monochrome in Ripley is to provide a more faithful interpretation of the novel. Unlike some of the previous iterations of Highsmith's "Ripley" series, Zallian's adaptation appears more dark and unsettling from the Ripley trailer alone. The decision to shoot entirely in black and white is also a nod to the time period in which Ripley is set, amplifying the fact that the story takes place more than 60 years ago. David Fincher made a similar stylistic choice with his 2020 Netflix film Mank. Aside from his Academy Award-winning work on There Will Be Blood, Ripley's Director of Photography, Robert Elswit, previously shot the celebrated monochrome film Good Night, and Good Luck.

Ripley's Black & White Format Fits The Story's Dark Themes & Genre

The gray of the ocean & pitch blackness of blood are perfect for Ripley

The monochrome also emphasizes the film noir feel of the production, drawing similarities to classics of the genre.

The black-and-white aesthetic of Zallian's Ripley aligns seamlessly with the overall tone and themes of the story. The Netflix adaptation appears to be substantially darker and more matter-of-fact in its design than previous Ripley adaptations, particularly the 1999 adaptation with a more charismatic performance from Damon. The monochrome also emphasizes the film noir feel of the production, drawing similarities to classics of the genre such as The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Strangers on a Train (1951), which was also based on a novel by Highsmith.

From the use of black and white in the trailer alone, Ripley often blends into the world around him, heightening the mystery around his character's ability to dissolve into environments with ease. The range of various shades of gray in Ripley creates an interesting composition thanks to the advancement of modern digital cameras that are able to capture more detail in degrees of light and darkness. The gray of the ocean and the pitch blackness of blood make for a more ominous and impactful visual display in Ripley. Most series don't have an organic reason for filming in black and white, but Ripley is exactly the kind of production that makes the best use of modern monochrome.

Netflix's Ripley Being In Black & White Highlights Its Major Differences From The 1999 Movie

Netflix's Ripley is a much darker psychological drama compared to the Damon film

The movie puts a lot of emphasis on the vivid color and lavishness of Italy and Dickie's life, which is a major difference between the 1999 film and Highsmith's novel.

The use of black and white throughout the entire 8-part series creates a stark contrast between Netflix's Ripley and the classic 1999 movie. The movie puts a lot of emphasis on the vivid color and lavishness of coastal Italy and Dickie's life, which is a major difference between the 1999 film and Highsmith's novel. Additionally, the 1999 film's interpretation of one particular death seems to be more out of pure desperation and ion than something premeditated, which avoids a more sinister theme of the book. Ripley makes scenes of this nature more dreary and emotionally devoid, making it more of an eerie psychological drama.