‘Unfurling tension and menace’: how slow TV like Ripley makes for a truly gripping watch

Elegant, luxurious, catlike … Netflix’s Andrew Scott-starring series is devastatingly unhurried – although not all viewers agree• Don’t get the What’s On TV newsletter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe reviews for Netflix’s elegant new Patricia Highsmith adaptation, Ripley, have been mixed. While some critics have adored its moody black-and-white posturing and even labelled it a work of art, others have been less impressed. Is Andrew Scott a bit too old to be Tom Ripley, who is 25 in the first novel of the series? Does it compare unfavourably with the peerless Anthony Minghella version from 1999, or to 1960’s Plein Soleil, in which Alain Delon played the scheming sociopath? At eight episodes, with some pushing over the hour mark, is it stretching a relatively short novel beyond its limits?These are all questions of taste, of course, but it is hard to deny that Ripley is slow. It takes its time, it builds its case, and it luxuriates in the beauty and/or grubbiness of its surroundings. There are lingering shots of staircases – so many staircases – and statues, skies and scenery. This is a highly aestheticised world, and the noir-ish palette works surprisingly well, considering that much of its early action is set on the Amalfi Coast. You might think that such sun-kissed luxury would disappear in monochrome, but it only makes it all the more eerie, and the sinister threat all the more pronounced. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-09 11:00:06 UTC ]
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De Waal, Kaletsky and Vulliamy make Samuel Johnson longlist

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Fri, 15/04/2011 - 08:46 Titles on topics from Second World War bombers to the life of Roald Dahl have been longlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2011. The list of 18 books also includes Edmund De Waal’s Costa-winning The Hare with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watching and Waiting in California

Because California is losing more Borders stores than any other state in the country, the region's booksellers are uniquely poised to find ways to turn the ramifications of the bankruptcy proceedings to their advantage. "In the long run, the indies will benefit because there will be fewer... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two Atlantic titles make Independent shortlist

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: ones to watch, part II

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 07/04/2011 - 16:04 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus makes £1m from digital in three months

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Room top pick in spring TV Book Club

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: ones to watch

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV Book Club titles take £3m through the tills

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman, Kelman make Booker list, le Carré withdraws

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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STL distribution makes 30 redundant

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HMV Group makes Waterstone's pledge

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magazine iPad App Launches Slow in First Two Months of 2011

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mixed picture for indies as decline slows

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sphere makes Wicked acquisition

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Rejects Sony Reader App, Tightens Grip on Content Sales

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Hearst Makes Offer For Elle, Other Lagardère Titles

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[ The New York Times | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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