LOVING HIGHSMITH

The American Friend

In Wim Wenders’ audacious reimagining of the third Ripley novel, friendship has never been so toxic.

When a forceful directorial personality like Wim Wenders adapts a book, the last thing one should expect is a respectful, faithful rendering. The American friend of the title is Ripley himself, played here by maverick actor/director Dennis Hopper, living in Hamburg and working a scam based on forged artworks. Bruno Ganz is Zimmermann, a terminally ill picture framer who becomes drawn into Ripley’s schemes. Wenders delivers an action-packed thriller in which ‘who did what to whom’ is less important than ‘who seems to be what he is not’. Arguably the best of the five Ripley films.

WEST GERMANY/FRANCE 1977 WIM WENDERS

128M

Sun 20 Aug 10:15 – Auditorium

Carol

A chance meeting in a department store has life-changing consequences for shopgirl Therese and glamorous divorcée Carol. A masterpiece of elegant restraint, Todd Haynes’s version of Highsmith’s second novel is not concerned with crime, but transgression of a different kind. This is the classic romantic trope of forbidden lesbian love, featuring outstanding performances from Cate Blanchett as the wealthy housewife of the title, playfully predatory with blond furs, deep voice and slanting eyes, and Rooney Mara’s Therese, a tender, enraptured shopgirl, gradually emboldened by love and suffering. Highsmith’s writing has rarely been so well served on the big screen.

UK/USA/AUSTRALIA 2015 TODD HAYNES 118M

Wed 23 Aug 11:00 – Auditorium

The Talented Mr Ripley

Mistaken identity leads to impersonation and envy leads to murder in Anthony Minghella’s sumptuous Highsmith adaptation.

Fri 18 Aug 10:30 – Auditorium

See Cate Blanchett retrospective on pg53 for full details.