Why is Netflix's Ripley in black and white?

The 1999 movie Talented Mr. Ripley will always be one of our favourites. The glistening Italian sea; the gorgeous Jude Law. It's just so perfect. And now that Netflix is releasing a retelling of the original, a TV series called Ripley with Andrew Scott in the titular role, we just have one question: why exactly is it filmed in black and white?

A Netflix adaptation of a novel-turned-movie is nothing new; you only have to look at One Day to know they're great at it. The latest project to get the revival treatment is Ripley, with the streaming service's synopsis explaining, "A grifter is drawn into a world of wealth and privilege after taking a unique job in Italy. But to seize the life he wants, he must build a web of lies."

Netflix

The TV series follows Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, who is tasked with bringing Dickie Greenleaf (played by Johnny Flynn) back from Europe to America by his wealthy father. Dakota Fanning plays his girlfriend, Marge.

One of the changes from the original story is that the new eight-parter is shot in black and white, meaning every single scene is monochrome. This, unsurprisingly, was a purposeful decision, with the show's writer-director Steven Zaillian telling Variety it all stemmed from his copy of the original novel by Patricia Highsmith.

"The edition of the Ripley book I had on my desk had an evocative black-and-white photograph on the cover," he explained. "As I was writing, I held that image in my mind. Black and white fits this story — and it’s gorgeous.

Netflix

"I also felt that this story — the one that she told, the one that I wanted to tell — was quite sinister and quite dark,” he added. "I just couldn’t imagine that taking place in a beautiful Italian setting with bright blue skies and colourful outfits and things like that."

Andrew Scott also referenced how the monochrome aesthetic helps to portray the mood of the series, adding to IndieWire, "Knowing that the black and white nature of cinematography marries in some way with the pacing and the tone of the show, also means that it allows us as actors just to be."

Netflix

So there you go.

Ripley premieres on Netflix on the 4th April

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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.

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