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Perfumaniac

perfume_movie.jpg

Perfume is passionately made, vividly colorful, sinfully sensuous but slightly slow and terribly long. An authentic book-to-screen story, directed by Tom Tykwer(Run Lola Run) and originally written as a hugely popular novel[Das Parfum] by Patrick Suskind.

It talks about a French orphan boy with a superhuman sense for smell. As he grows, he meets a perfume maker, displays his sense of smell talent, learns the art of perfume making but unfortunately turns into a schizophrenic. The ending has to be seen to be enjoyed.

The whole movie is crowded with amazing frame compositions, great cinematography and lovely BGMs. But what’s more attractive is the acute talent of the director to bring the sense of smell into the movie and still make the audience relate to it.

Ben Wishaw as Genouille, the passionate perfume maker is every man’s dream of following ones passion. Passionate enough to even turn into a solid schizo. As he runs behind the chariot in the final scenes, with a handful of “special” perfumes, one would understand his perfume passion. A career high role for Ben and he has done an amazing job of making the best of it.

Dustin Hoffman does a cameo as the perfume master. I wish someone else played the role. It didn’t fit him too well.

Even as the movie starts with the story ending, you know that it isn’t going to be the actual one. After a long wait of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the final scenes arrive and they are totally unbelievable, conceived and captured on camera extremely well. The whole movie rests in that final sequence and you can clearly see, a normal psycho movie turning into a beautiful one right at that moment. Good Experience.

subbudu

13 responses to “Perfumaniac”

  1. Guruji,

    Very well written review of the movie. You just added one more movie to my blockbuster list.

    Narayana

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  2. Guruji,

    Very well written review of the movie. You just added one more movie to my blockbuster list.

    Narayana

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  4. Super movie. I saw it a month back.

    ‘The whole movie rests in that final sequence and you can clearly see, a normal psycho movie turning into a beautiful one right at that moment. Good Experience.’

    Cant agree more 😉

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  5. Narayana, Sure. You should watch. But dont dont double book the DVD just like the comment here.

    Rand, True. This was coming pretty close.

    Prabhu, Athukull paarthacha. Good show.

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  8. ithellam sari, antha ‘cake’ matter- a pathi oru vaarthai kooda solla mattengereengalee guru.. pudikkalaiyoo.. atleast give me the the rating frm 1 to 5. neengalum oru bakery open pannidunga.. 🙂

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  9. Well, what to say! I disagree that Hoffman was miscast. It was a theatrical role which needed Dustin’s histrionics. Agreed that the ending was starkly different experience than the whole movie. But I thought it was ridiculous. But hey, you don’t look for plausibility in an imaginative chimerical fiction!

    BTW I saw it yesterday. I was planning to check it out sooner or later because Ebert’s review was hard to resist(not that I take his word always). But once I read your review, I didn’t delay it further.

    As you said, you just get lost into the realm of the scent. Sheer magic to acheive that in motion pictures. BTW, The narration by John hurt – Wonderful lines with irresistible diction, excellent placement that takes the spectator right into the spot – excellent work! Largely, It’s an unusual film, and that makes it all the more special!

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  11. Keerthi, Sure. I read your post also. Will check it out.

    Thilak,

    Thanks for the welcome.

    Histrionics is fine but I think Dustin was clearly acting and we could see that. He wasn’t looking like a normal french. thats the problem.

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  13. Yep. In fact all actors weren’t French enough, they were predominantly Americanish, and british.(thats got to do with the film’s language too) About Hoffman, you’re right that he wasn’t portrayed as an italian settled in France, he was british as with most of the characters in the film.

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