Alain Delon's then girlfriend Romy Schneider appears in the very first scene as a friend of Freddie Miles.
Author Patricia Highsmith, on whose novel "Plein soleil" was based, expressed satisfaction with the film, which she called "very beautiful to the eye and interesting for the intellect," and with Alain Delon's performance as Tom Ripley. She was, however, disappointed with the film's ending, calling it "a terrible concession to so-called public morality."
In an interview of 1966, Marie Laforet said that she regretted taking the role in this film. She said she felt she was too young then, and she'd let herself "be influenced by too many things around her", and that she had missed her chance to perform it well.
The 20,000 lire the pair pay for the white cane equaled $32.20 at the time, which equates to about $320 in 2022.
The $5,000 Tom is to receive for bringing Philippe back to the U.S. equates to nearly $50,000 in 2022.