# Patricia Highsmith Gets Her Own Ripley Moment in ‘A Talent for Murder’ Joanna Murray-Smith adapts her play about the legendary novelist for the big screen. - **Source:** [Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-04 - **Topic:** [entertainment](https://brifing.si/c/entertainment) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/65479471-6384-46e5-baa4-085428f47401 ## Highsmith's Final Chapter The film A Talent for Murder depicts the final years of American novelist Patricia Highsmith in Switzerland. Set in the mid-1990s, the plot follows a young publishing representative named Edward Ridgeway who attempts to pressure the reclusive author into writing one final novel featuring her most famous creation, the psychopathic character Tom Ripley. ## From Stage to Screen Directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Helen Mirren, the film is an adaptation of the 2014 play Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith. While Murray-Smith has written over two dozen plays, this project marks her first time adapting her own work for cinema, navigating the transition from theatrical intimacy to a more expansive visual medium. ## Maintaining Theatrical Intensity Murray-Smith emphasized that the story relies entirely on the psychological tension between Highsmith and Ridgeway. Despite the shift to film, she worked to preserve the core dialogue and conflict. Early guidance from director Stephen Frears encouraged her to keep the screenplay faithful to the original play's structure rather than diluting its dramatic weight. ## The Allure of Ripley The author was inspired to write the play after reading Joan Schenkar’s biography of Highsmith. She became fascinated by Highsmith’s ability to force readers to empathize with a psychopath. Murray-Smith views Ripley not just as a literary success, but as the only opponent worthy of challenging Highsmith’s own intellect and psychological acuity. ## Humanizing a Complex Figure For the screen adaptation, Murray-Smith intentionally added moments of physical and psychological vulnerability to Highsmith’s character. While acknowledging the novelist’s documented flaws, including racism and homophobia, the script aims to portray her mortality. This approach ensures the audience feels a sense of loss, balancing her abrasive personality with the fragility of human existence. ## The Neutrality of Switzerland Highsmith famously claimed she had no moral compass, positioning herself as neutral like the country of Switzerland. Murray-Smith echoes this artistic philosophy, preferring to avoid didacticism in her own writing. She believes that art is most effective when it influences hearts and minds through subtle storytelling rather than direct political lecturing or moral judgment. ## Director and Writer Synergy Murray-Smith expressed satisfaction with Anton Corbijn’s direction, noting that he remained incredibly faithful to her script. This experience was a positive departure from the typical lack of control writers often face in film production. She felt the final product successfully captured the specific vision she intended to convey to the viewing audience. ## Artistic Legacy and Impact The film serves as a meditation on the darker sides of the human psyche that Highsmith mastered. By exploring the boundary between a creator and her creation, the work highlights the complexity of moral ambiguity. It remains a study of how artists use fiction to tap into the hidden, often uncomfortable, parts of human nature. ## Sources covering this story - http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/page-to-screen/article/101641-patricia-highsmith-gets-her-own-ripley-moment-in-a-talent-for-murder.html — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._