The Masters: David Gropman

About the program

David Gropham is the production designer of films such as Chocolat, Life of Pi and the recent, Emmy-winning Netflix series Ripley. This edition of The Masters focuses on his set design for Ripley. Gropham combined authentic locations with recreated sets to bring 1960s Italy to life. Because the series is filmed in black and white, the classic Italian architecture is shown to its best advantage, contributing to the series’ acclaimed film noir atmosphere. Anyone who thought that the film adaptation of the book of the same name, The Talented Mr. Ripley — starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, among others — could not be bettered may change their mind after seeing this compelling thriller. In conversation with Thierry Somers, editor-in-chief of BNI’s magazine NOOK, Gropham will talk about the design and production process of the Ripley sets and the role of architecture within the series.