Bought this on Yuca's recommendation; why had I never seen it before? I'd read Patricia Highsmith's fiction twenty-odd years ago and seen the (reasonable, but pretty good from a clothing point of view) American version. A couple of slight quibbles aside, this is by far the better film. Delon is almost beautiful, almost girlish, wearing his 'Vince' style schmutter as though he was born to it. Suede loafers? Lighter than, say, Weston, though. Was that an unbuttoned button-down early on? Yuca will know better than I. Lots of sockless in the sunshine shots: whilst Delon is boarding a train.
The actress playing Marge is also very alluring.
I read somewhere (or maybe it's in the documentary) that after this film she had surgery. A shame.
In the early scenes I believe Delon is wearing Gucci loafers, wheat Levis and a Makers BD in lightweight blue Oxford. (Edit: with the collars buttoned down.) A perfect outfit for a young American in the continental heat.
Glad you enjoyed the film.
Last edited by Yuca (2021-10-01 09:38:26)
Elsewhere, Yuca mentioned corduroy shoes. Slip-ons, I assume. Tan? They've been mentioned elsewhere on 'TI'. Delon wasn't wearing them but they sound appealing now I come to reflect upon it. Yes: with chinos or white Levis. Makers BD, eh?
The corduroy shoes I had were an eyesore. Black, ugly and impractical. If only I'd known about Bass and Sebago, which at the time (1990ish) were still decent brands.
Patricia Highsmith's fiction is pretty wonderful. Twisted, dark and so insightful about our darker motivations. Aside from the Ripley books I thought The Blunderer and The Glass Cell were utterly brilliant. Delon leaves me cold. His prettiness suggests a shallowness so his acting seems cold and unconvincing. He looks like he could never feel pain or suffering. And I don't believe that's an old Brooks shirt he's wearing. Clothes rarely crossed boundaries back then. I doubt the filmmakers were aware Brooks Brothers existed.
I own the shirt I think it is and to me the 2 are identical. Whether the filmmakers were aware of who made it I have no idea, but they managed to get Levis and Gucci for the scenes where he's newly arrived from the US, so Brooks would be entirely in line with that. As for Delon: so attractive and talented in real life, yet such a loser in the film. To me he plays the role to a tee.
Patricia Highsmith: 'The Two Faces Of January' in Pan. Excellent.