list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Perfume: The Story of a Murderer on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Perfume_The_Story_of_a_Murderer/261166/default.aspx Title: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Year: 2006
Director: Tom Tykwer
Plot: An obsessive French perfumer with a highly developed olfactory sense and an all-consuming drive to capture the essence of love eventually resorts to murder in his unrepentant quest to find the key ingredient for his recipe in director Tom Tykwer's adaptation of author Patrick Suskind's best-selling 1985 novel. Born in a fetid fish market and raised in a dilapidated orphanage, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) toiled his childhood away in a rank tannery run by the thuggish Grimal (Sam Douglas). Subsequently obsessed by smell, Grenouille's keen olfactory sense becomes so finely tuned that it eventually overpowers such human qualities as love and compassion. Though he has indeed discovered the unmistakable scent of a woman, Grenouille finds it impossible to connect with the fairer sex on any sort of meaningful level. Roaming the streets of Paris late one night, Grenouille catches the scent of a young girl selling plums and impulsively strangles her, later sniffing her nude corpse in a twisted attempt to preserve the distinctive scent in his memory. After persuading legendary perfumer Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman) to take him on as an apprentice, Grenouille travels to the town of Grasse in Southern France in order to learn the art of enfleurage at a firm run by the highly respected Mme. Arnulfi (Corinna Harfouch). It is there that Grenouille becomes dangerously drawn to the vestal aroma of the young and beautiful Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the daughter of widower merchant Antione Richis (Alan Rickman). Soon driven to madness by such a pure scent, the spellbound Grenouille continues to claim the lives of the numerous young girls in a tragic attempt to bottle the impossibly elusive smell of virginal womanhood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 40
Number of Lists: 20
Number of blog posts: 12
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:07:10 GMTPerfume: The Story of a Murderer2006Tom TykwerAn obsessive French perfumer with a highly developed olfactory sense and an all-consuming drive to capture the essence of love eventually resorts to murder in his unrepentant quest to find the key ingredient for his recipe in director <a href="/players/P___222772/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tom Tykwer</a>'s adaptation of author Patrick Suskind's best-selling 1985 novel. Born in a fetid fish market and raised in a dilapidated orphanage, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (<a href="/players/P___275426/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ben Whishaw</a>) toiled his childhood away in a rank tannery run by the thuggish Grimal (Sam Douglas). Subsequently obsessed by smell, Grenouille's keen olfactory sense becomes so finely tuned that it eventually overpowers such human qualities as love and compassion. Though he has indeed discovered the unmistakable scent of a woman, Grenouille finds it impossible to connect with the fairer sex on any sort of meaningful level. Roaming the streets of Paris late one night, Grenouille catches the scent of a young girl selling plums and impulsively strangles her, later sniffing her nude corpse in a twisted attempt to preserve the distinctive scent in his memory. After persuading legendary perfumer Giuseppe Baldini (<a href="/players/P____94585/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dustin Hoffman</a>) to take him on as an apprentice, Grenouille travels to the town of Grasse in Southern France in order to learn the art of enfleurage at a firm run by the highly respected Mme. Arnulfi (Corinna Harfouch). It is there that Grenouille becomes dangerously drawn to the vestal aroma of the young and beautiful Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the daughter of widower merchant Antione Richis (<a href="/players/P____60157/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alan Rickman</a>). Soon driven to madness by such a pure scent, the spellbound Grenouille continues to claim the lives of the numerous young girls in a tragic attempt to bottle the impossibly elusive smell of virginal womanhood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide40Tag Target (>10)201243http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s261166.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Perfume_The_Story_of_a_Murderer/261166/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_August_17_Death_Row/625/43615/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 8/18/2009 4:07:10 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] The Night of the Hunter - Not really about an execution, but the film centers around some money that the cellmate of a death row inmate overhears and takes upon himself to find upon his release. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I believe the latter part of the film centered around an execution but all I remember is the bizarre orgy. Need to watch it again. [/quote] The Night of the Hunter is one of those that I always felt was overrated. There were just too many moments of that film that made it very obvious that what you were watching was shot on a set in the back lot somewhere. It took me out of the film several times Perfume's is one of my favorites from the last few years. Total eye candy but I really got into the story too.
]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:07:10 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme8/18/2009 4:07:10 PM[quote user="mercurial"] The Night of the Hunter - Not really about an execution, but the film centers around some money that the cellmate of a death row inmate overhears and takes upon himself to find upon his release. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I believe the latter part of the film centered around an execution but all I remember is the bizarre orgy. Need to watch it again. [/quote] The Night of the Hunter is one of those that I always felt was overrated. There were just too many moments of that film that made it very obvious that what you were watching was shot on a set in the back lot somewhere. It took me out of the film several times Perfume's is one of my favorites from the last few years. Total eye candy but I really got into the story too. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_August_17_Death_Row/625/43612/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 8/18/2009 3:29:56 PM
Body: The Night of the Hunter - Not really about an execution, but the film centers around some money that the cellmate of a death row inmate overhears and takes upon himself to find upon his release. Sin City - The film that brought back Mickey Rourke from mediocrity. Not to give anything away but his character Marv was one fucking badass that just wouldn't die peacefully. Capote & Infamous - Both good films about the murders that took place in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and the subsequent executions of the murderers. Elizabeth - The first act of the film centers on whether Elizabeth is going to be executed or become queen. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I believe the latter part of the film centered around an execution but all I remember is the bizarre orgy. Need to watch it again. Marie Antoinette - The one thing that got a lot of people mad about this film was the lack of any depiction of her execution. The Messenger - Again, doesn't get to the actual act, but nonetheless. Alice in Wonderland - OFF WITH HER HEAD! Salo - Kinda sorta fits the theme. A bunch of young girls and boys are kidnapped from the countryside and ritualistically tortured and executed. Worth checking out if you feel like vomiting. Dancer in the Dark - I love von Trier and Bjork but not so much together in this film. Definitely on my re-watch list. Starship Troopers - There is a particularly hilarious scene in the film where a murderers execution is going to be aired on live television.
]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:29:56 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme8/18/2009 3:29:56 PM The Night of the Hunter - Not really about an execution, but the film centers around some money that the cellmate of a death row inmate overhears and takes upon himself to find upon his release. Sin City - The film that brought back Mickey Rourke from mediocrity. Not to give anything away but his character Marv was one fucking badass that just wouldn't die peacefully. Capote &amp; Infamous - Both good films about the murders that took place in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and the subsequent executions of the murderers. Elizabeth - The first act of the film centers on whether Elizabeth is going to be executed or become queen. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I believe the latter part of the film centered around an execution but all I remember is the bizarre orgy. Need to watch it again. Marie Antoinette - The one thing that got a lot of people mad about this film was the lack of any depiction of her execution. The Messenger - Again, doesn't get to the actual act, but nonetheless. Alice in Wonderland - OFF WITH HER HEAD! Salo - Kinda sorta fits the theme. A bunch of young girls and boys are kidnapped from the countryside and ritualistically tortured and executed. Worth checking out if you feel like vomiting. Dancer in the Dark - I love von Trier and Bjork but not so much together in this film. Definitely on my re-watch list. Starship Troopers - There is a particularly hilarious scene in the film where a murderers execution is going to be aired on live television. http://www.spout.com/blogs/leeroy711/archive/2009/7/5/42923.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: leeroy711 Blog
Post Date: 7/5/2009 8:38:41 PM
Body: This is really one of the worst films I've seen this year. I had heard it pretty much universally panned by critics but I really didn't expect it to be that bad. As bad as I had heard this movie was, I still couldn't help my curiosity with director Tom Tykwer. I would have to say I consider myself a fan of his, even after this last effort. I would also say that the shortcomings of this film are primarily the fault of the screenplay and not the direction. The writer was Eric Singer and this was his first major motion picture. The plot was extremely choppy and many of the key points made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Some of the conspiratorial points of this film were not only left unexplained but the portions of which were explained proved them to be completely unnecessary. The dialogue was even worse than the plot. At one point, Naomi Watt's character is confronting Clive Owen's character about details in his past. He very gruffly (Clive Owenly) responds, "I'm not gonna talk about it. Just read my file." about half an hour later, we are explained the details of his past by Naomi's character who had "made some calls." Unfortunately, the information she finds is not important to the plot and by this time nobody cares anyway. The cinematography of this film was pretty good. It was shot by Frank Griebe. I am a pretty big fan of his work with Tykwer. I thought 2006's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of the best shot films in the past 10 years. Unfortunatly, even great cinematography could not have saved this film.
]]>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:38:41 GMTleeroy711leeroy711 Blog7/5/2009 8:38:41 PM This is really one of the worst films I've seen this year. I had heard it pretty much universally panned by critics but I really didn't expect it to be that bad. As bad as I had heard this movie was, I still couldn't help my curiosity with director Tom Tykwer. I would have to say I consider myself a fan of his, even after this last effort. I would also say that the shortcomings of this film are primarily the fault of the screenplay and not the direction. The writer was Eric Singer and this was his first major motion picture. The plot was extremely choppy and many of the key points made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Some of the conspiratorial points of this film were not only left unexplained but the portions of which were explained proved them to be completely unnecessary. The dialogue was even worse than the plot. At one point, Naomi Watt's character is confronting Clive Owen's character about details in his past. He very gruffly (Clive Owenly) responds, "I'm not gonna talk about it. Just read my file." about half an hour later, we are explained the details of his past by Naomi's character who had "made some calls." Unfortunately, the information she finds is not important to the plot and by this time nobody cares anyway. The cinematography of this film was pretty good. It was shot by Frank Griebe. I am a pretty big fan of his work with Tykwer. I thought 2006's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of the best shot films in the past 10 years. Unfortunatly, even great cinematography could not have saved this film. http://www.spout.com/blogs/qflw/archive/2008/8/24/34311.aspx Post By: QFLW
Post To: QFLW Blog
Post Date: 8/24/2008 11:16:14 AM
Body: the horrors and beauties depicted in this film, they're so well evoked visually. Disturbing, sensual, beautiful, intense. I wasn't interested in seeing the film till I saw Ben Whishaw in the new version of Brideshead Revisited; his performance there made me curious to see what else he'd done. In Perfume his character is practically nonverbal, but what he conveys with face and body is most eloquent. Anytime he's not on screen, the film turns ordinary, despite the talents of Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman. Whishaw's Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is not evil-intentioned so much as innocently amoral. He steadfastly pursues his obsession with preserving the beauty he finds in the scents of young women and making himself notable through his creation. It becomes sort of a fable for our time--a metaphor for celebrity. In the end, Grenouille discovers that fame and recognition are not what he really wants, because although he has created a perfume that makes everyone love and venerate him, it hasn't made him any more able to love or connect with anyone.
]]>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:16:14 GMTQFLWQFLW Blog8/24/2008 11:16:14 AMthe horrors and beauties depicted in this film, they're so well evoked visually. Disturbing, sensual, beautiful, intense. I wasn't interested in seeing the film till I saw Ben Whishaw in the new version of Brideshead Revisited; his performance there made me curious to see what else he'd done. In Perfume his character is practically nonverbal, but what he conveys with face and body is most eloquent. Anytime he's not on screen, the film turns ordinary, despite the talents of Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman. Whishaw's Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is not evil-intentioned so much as innocently amoral. He steadfastly pursues his obsession with preserving the beauty he finds in the scents of young women and making himself notable through his creation. It becomes sort of a fable for our time--a metaphor for celebrity. In the end, Grenouille discovers that fame and recognition are not what he really wants, because although he has created a perfume that makes everyone love and venerate him, it hasn't made him any more able to love or connect with anyone. http://www.spout.com/blogs/chrismorrell/archive/2008/8/10/33827.aspx Post By: chrismorrell
Post To: chrismorrell Blog
Post Date: 8/10/2008 5:56:29 PM
Body: I came to see this after a week of evenings watching the pale-faced and eye-twitching visage of Ben Wishaw,in a mini series called "Criminal Justice"on BBC ,and already had him down as the new John Simm,or ,perhaps a Brit' Ryan Gosling. He plays Sebastian (the one with the teddy bear) in the new Brideshead Revisited film. In this he manages to look older somehow ,and definitely orange. Unctious smells drip off the screen from the word go,from the fish-market, to the tanning baths and the concentrated essential oils of Dustin Hoffmans cellar. As this unfolds you realise that it is not to be taken entirely literally,and reveals itself as a sort of (grim) fairy tale,or legend of folklore. It's quite perfect,in that way.
]]>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:56:29 GMTchrismorrellchrismorrell Blog8/10/2008 5:56:29 PMI came to see this after a week of evenings watching the pale-faced and eye-twitching visage of Ben Wishaw,in a mini series called "Criminal Justice"on BBC ,and already had him down as the new John Simm,or ,perhaps a Brit' Ryan Gosling. He plays Sebastian (the one with the teddy bear) in the new Brideshead Revisited film. In this he manages to look older somehow ,and definitely orange. Unctious smells drip off the screen from the word go,from the fish-market, to the tanning baths and the concentrated essential oils of Dustin Hoffmans cellar. As this unfolds you realise that it is not to be taken entirely literally,and reveals itself as a sort of (grim) fairy tale,or legend of folklore. It's quite perfect,in that way. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_August_4_Let_s_Talk_About_Sex/625/33825/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 8/10/2008 5:21:28 PM
Body: I gave myself the homework assignment this week to watch Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. I had heard that there was alotta sex in that one. There's really only one scene that makes this film fit the theme....................... but it's a biggun'. I loved this one by the way, watch it if you haven't yet. The colors are magnificent.
]]>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:21:28 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme8/10/2008 5:21:28 PMI gave myself the homework assignment this week to watch Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. I had heard that there was alotta sex in that one. There's really only one scene that makes this film fit the theme....................... but it's a biggun'. I loved this one by the way, watch it if you haven't yet. The colors are magnificent. http://www.spout.com/blogs/leeroy711/archive/2008/8/10/33824.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: leeroy711 Blog
Post Date: 8/10/2008 5:16:28 PM
Body: This was the fourth film I've seen by Tom Tykwer and until watching it, I was still unsure as to whether I could consider myself a fan of his. I thought Run Lola Run was brillian but was worried that he may have been a one-trick pony. Winter Sleepers was the next film I saw by him and was pretty dissapointed. I gave him another chance with Heaven and although I didn't fall in love with it, it still reminded me of his talents and to keep an eye out for his future work. Perfume...... sealed the deal for me. I am now squarely on one side of the fence. This was a fantastic movie. The acting, especially by Whishaw was superior every scene. The screenplay was well written, keeping the story moving at a fast enough pace as to not loose my attention while still allowing for an entire life story to unfold. What got me more than anything was the use of color palettes. It forces you to use the term: "brilliant" in it's most literal sense.
]]>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:16:28 GMTleeroy711leeroy711 Blog8/10/2008 5:16:28 PM This was the fourth film I've seen by Tom Tykwer and until watching it, I was still unsure as to whether I could consider myself a fan of his. I thought Run Lola Run was brillian but was worried that he may have been a one-trick pony. Winter Sleepers was the next film I saw by him and was pretty dissapointed. I gave him another chance with Heaven and although I didn't fall in love with it, it still reminded me of his talents and to keep an eye out for his future work. Perfume...... sealed the deal for me. I am now squarely on one side of the fence. This was a fantastic movie. The acting, especially by Whishaw was superior every scene. The screenplay was well written, keeping the story moving at a fast enough pace as to not loose my attention while still allowing for an entire life story to unfold. What got me more than anything was the use of color palettes. It forces you to use the term: "brilliant" in it's most literal sense. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/4/17/27424.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 4/17/2008 4:01:02 PM
Body: I honestly don’t mean to keep devoting time and blog space to Uwe Boll, but when the guy manages to say something hilarious or interesting every other day, what else am I to do? Write about serious issues like the future of film criticism? Karina’s got that covered quite sufficiently and efficiently, so I might as well stick to the fluff. Of course, I can still relate the fluff to film theory, as in the case of Boll’s latest peer slamming, located at MTV Movies Blog. After criticizing the uneven work of Tom Tykwer (sorry, Uwe, but Perfume is a far better film than Run Lola Run), Gus Van Sant and Michael Haneke, he goes off again on his favorite nemesis, Michael Bay: “I think he’s really bad. And I think the point is, if you get $250 million for every movie you do, how you gonna make a bad looking movie, with bad sound, bad special effects, whatever?” Boll criticized. “But everything dependent on directing is bad in his movies. And so I think it’s kind of absurd, how some people are getting counted like they are geniuses or whatever. But the reality is that in a lot of these $150 million movies, the real credit deserves to the special effects people. Or the second unit crew.” As Shawn Adler points out, Bay has probably never been called a genius, but I get what Boll is saying. Each of the moviemaker’s blockbusters opens with the title “a Michael Bay film,” insinuating the guy is at least some kind of auteur. Of course, Bay might be a bad example considering he has enough of a unique signature with his movies that his style has been aped and parodied. But what about Hollywood’s other hired hacks, the ones who would be nothing without their special effects teams? Unfortunately, there are a few too many technicians and artists involved in these sorts of movies to be able to label them “a ______ film,” or the alternate “a film by ______”. And there are a few too few technicians and artists who have successfully transitioned from effects to directing to validate Boll’s theory that movies like Transformers and perhaps the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy are really authored by FX people. Then again, how many of us consider the term “a Ray Harryhausen film” not in reference to one of the few movies he actually directed but to those he worked on as an FX artist? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:01:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com4/17/2008 4:01:02 PMI honestly don’t mean to keep devoting time and blog space to Uwe Boll, but when the guy manages to say something hilarious or interesting every other day, what else am I to do? Write about serious issues like the future of film criticism? Karina’s got that covered quite sufficiently and efficiently, so I might as well stick to the fluff. Of course, I can still relate the fluff to film theory, as in the case of Boll’s latest peer slamming, located at MTV Movies Blog. After criticizing the uneven work of Tom Tykwer (sorry, Uwe, but Perfume is a far better film than Run Lola Run), Gus Van Sant and Michael Haneke, he goes off again on his favorite nemesis, Michael Bay: “I think he’s really bad. And I think the point is, if you get $250 million for every movie you do, how you gonna make a bad looking movie, with bad sound, bad special effects, whatever?” Boll criticized. “But everything dependent on directing is bad in his movies. And so I think it’s kind of absurd, how some people are getting counted like they are geniuses or whatever. But the reality is that in a lot of these $150 million movies, the real credit deserves to the special effects people. Or the second unit crew.” As Shawn Adler points out, Bay has probably never been called a genius, but I get what Boll is saying. Each of the moviemaker’s blockbusters opens with the title “a Michael Bay film,” insinuating the guy is at least some kind of auteur. Of course, Bay might be a bad example considering he has enough of a unique signature with his movies that his style has been aped and parodied. But what about Hollywood’s other hired hacks, the ones who would be nothing without their special effects teams? Unfortunately, there are a few too many technicians and artists involved in these sorts of movies to be able to label them “a ______ film,” or the alternate “a film by ______”. And there are a few too few technicians and artists who have successfully transitioned from effects to directing to validate Boll’s theory that movies like Transformers and perhaps the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy are really authored by FX people. Then again, how many of us consider the term “a Ray Harryhausen film” not in reference to one of the few movies he actually directed but to those he worked on as an FX artist? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/pratchettfan/archive/2008/1/29/24493.aspx Post By: pratchettfan
Post To: pratchettfan Blog
Post Date: 1/29/2008 7:51:16 AM
Body: After rereading the book last week I went to see the movie yesterday evening. I was impressed. It's one of the best novel to screen adaptations I've seen in a long time. Of course there were dozens of things left out, but it stayed extremely true to the spirit of the story and left all the key ingredients in tact. Add to that a splendid cast with stars such as Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman and you get an unforgettable experience. However, for someone who hasn't read the book, the story might move too fast and Grenouille might just remain an enigma.So if you've read the book and liked it: Go see the movie!
]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:51:16 GMTpratchettfanpratchettfan Blog1/29/2008 7:51:16 AMAfter rereading the book last week I went to see the movie yesterday evening. I was impressed. It&#39;s one of the best novel to screen adaptations I&#39;ve seen in a long time. Of course there were dozens of things left out, but it stayed extremely true to the spirit of the story and left all the key ingredients in tact. Add to that a splendid cast with stars such as Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman and you get an unforgettable experience. However, for someone who hasn&#39;t read the book, the story might move too fast and Grenouille might just remain an enigma.So if you&#39;ve read the book and liked it: Go see the movie! http://www.spout.com/blogs/ilyusha/archive/2008/1/22/24215.aspx Post By: ilyusha
Post To: ilyusha Blog
Post Date: 1/22/2008 2:28:14 PM
Body: I should note right from the start that I probably would not pick up the book on which this movie is based. Nonetheless, I came across its showing on cable completely by accident and one fleeting look was enough for me to record its subsequent re-run and watch it beginning to end. Despite my natural aversion to these types of stories, I am a bit surprised to admit that Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of the best dramas that I watched in a long time.A young man in mid-eighteenth-century Paris develops unparalleled olfactory abilities while growing up in an orphanage and then slaving away in a tannery. His sense of smell is the guiding force in his life, to the extent of stunting his other senses and feelings. Upon an unfortunate encounter with a young and presumably full of fantastic smells woman, he becomes obsessed with capturing the essence of virginal beauty, and to that effect first seeks instruction from an accomplished perfumer and later engages in murdering beautiful women all over the famous perfume town of Grasse to gather their scents in his quest. He achieves his life's ambition just as he is caught, but with a few drops of his concoction he manages to bewitch the entire town and escape the execution. Observing the effects of his perfume on the townsfolk, he realizes how empty and devoid of love his life has been, and, instead of using the elixir for power and riches, he uses it to leave the world.Ok. As fables go, this one is rather too disturbing and messianic for my taste, but it is, after all, a fable. I keep wondering how a sensitive nose can operate and continue to be refined in constant conditions of grime and slime (and whether a woman of less than noble descent would, in fact, smell wonderfully in the 18th century France), but again, this is meant to be a legend, not a factual history lesson. And it is a legend quite beautifully made.Everything from recreation of the times to depiction of the single-minded obsession of the unfortunate Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, to visual clues of the plethora of smells that influence him is done magnificently. The graphic palette that accompanies the development that we cannot ourselves, pardon the pun, get a whiff of, is simply breathtaking. Conversely, the murders are pretty much all implied, rather than acted out, and the victims are never savaged, which allows the notion of the magical perfume that is harvested from their bodies and ultimately brings joy to people to remain untainted. Heretofore unknown to me Ben Whishaw, who plays the main character, projects anguish, maniacal obsession and absence of moral values in a powerful and restrained way. You cannot help but want Jean-Baptiste to be thwarted in his pursuit of his innocent prize victim, yet at the same time, you want to know what the ultimate perfume will be about. I liked Dustin Hoffman's turn as a declining master of perfumery, but less so Alan Rickman's as a wealthy Grasse merchant. But the acting, in the end, is secondary in this picture, overtaken by the portrayal of smells that surround us, not least of them the scent of a woman.If you cannot get past the turns of the plot, you will not think highly of this movie. But this is a case where you need to stop thinking and start sensing... This review is also posted on my personal website.
]]>Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:28:14 GMTilyushailyusha Blog1/22/2008 2:28:14 PMI should note right from the start that I probably would not pick up the book on which this movie is based. Nonetheless, I came across its showing on cable completely by accident and one fleeting look was enough for me to record its subsequent re-run and watch it beginning to end. Despite my natural aversion to these types of stories, I am a bit surprised to admit that Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of the best dramas that I watched in a long time.A young man in mid-eighteenth-century Paris develops unparalleled olfactory abilities while growing up in an orphanage and then slaving away in a tannery. His sense of smell is the guiding force in his life, to the extent of stunting his other senses and feelings. Upon an unfortunate encounter with a young and presumably full of fantastic smells woman, he becomes obsessed with capturing the essence of virginal beauty, and to that effect first seeks instruction from an accomplished perfumer and later engages in murdering beautiful women all over the famous perfume town of Grasse to gather their scents in his quest. He achieves his life&#39;s ambition just as he is caught, but with a few drops of his concoction he manages to bewitch the entire town and escape the execution. Observing the effects of his perfume on the townsfolk, he realizes how empty and devoid of love his life has been, and, instead of using the elixir for power and riches, he uses it to leave the world.Ok. As fables go, this one is rather too disturbing and messianic for my taste, but it is, after all, a fable. I keep wondering how a sensitive nose can operate and continue to be refined in constant conditions of grime and slime (and whether a woman of less than noble descent would, in fact, smell wonderfully in the 18th century France), but again, this is meant to be a legend, not a factual history lesson. And it is a legend quite beautifully made.Everything from recreation of the times to depiction of the single-minded obsession of the unfortunate Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, to visual clues of the plethora of smells that influence him is done magnificently. The graphic palette that accompanies the development that we cannot ourselves, pardon the pun, get a whiff of, is simply breathtaking. Conversely, the murders are pretty much all implied, rather than acted out, and the victims are never savaged, which allows the notion of the magical perfume that is harvested from their bodies and ultimately brings joy to people to remain untainted. Heretofore unknown to me Ben Whishaw, who plays the main character, projects anguish, maniacal obsession and absence of moral values in a powerful and restrained way. You cannot help but want Jean-Baptiste to be thwarted in his pursuit of his innocent prize victim, yet at the same time, you want to know what the ultimate perfume will be about. I liked Dustin Hoffman&#39;s turn as a declining master of perfumery, but less so Alan Rickman&#39;s as a wealthy Grasse merchant. But the acting, in the end, is secondary in this picture, overtaken by the portrayal of smells that surround us, not least of them the scent of a woman.If you cannot get past the turns of the plot, you will not think highly of this movie. But this is a case where you need to stop thinking and start sensing... This review is also posted on my personal website. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/awesome/MemberTagFilms.aspxawesome
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Number of people who tagged: 158

Number of times used: 291

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]]>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:09:48 GMT595294Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/memory/MemberTagFilms.aspxmemory
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]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:02:06 GMT4524969Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/book/MemberTagFilms.aspxbook
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]]>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:55:43 GMT68345114Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/serialkiller/MemberTagFilms.aspxserialkiller
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]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:03:15 GMT9963264Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/wierd/MemberTagFilms.aspxwierd
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]]>Sun, 03 May 2009 19:40:17 GMT151417Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/medieval/MemberTagFilms.aspxmedieval
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]]>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:01:32 GMT1401316Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Waste-of-Time/MemberTagFilms.aspxWaste-of-Time
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]]>Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:50:54 GMT878Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/smell/MemberTagFilms.aspxsmell
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]]>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:06:29 GMT1766Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/scent/MemberTagFilms.aspxscent
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]]>Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:37:59 GMT155Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/flesh/MemberTagFilms.aspxflesh
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]]>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:04:03 GMT545Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fable/MemberTagFilms.aspxfable
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]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:02:35 GMT5734Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/adapted-from-novel/MemberTagFilms.aspxadapted-from-novel
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]]>Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:48:23 GMT829Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/perfume/MemberTagFilms.aspxperfume
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]]>Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:37:58 GMT1722Tag