I have been a fan of Tykwer's work since the energetic and influential 'Run Lola Run' was released to great critical acclaim in the late 1980s. I hope you find this review interesting and thought-provoking.
'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer', based on the 1985 novel 'Das Perfum' by German screenwriter Patrick Süskind, is set in grimy Paris in the mid 1700s. Prior to filmmaker Tom Tykwer undertaking this project, it was strongly rumoured that Stanley Kubrick considered an adaptation, eventually deeming it unfilmable. This corroborated my own reaction on reading the book so, despite conflicting views I picked up from various forums, it was with considerable trepidation that I approached Tykwer's project.
Cynical to a fault, the movie focuses on the life of orphan Jean Baptiste Grenouille (played by fledgling English actor Ben Whishaw), born as sixth
child to a mother in the rat-infested streets of the fish markets. Tykwer graphically displays the birth in all its gory splendour. The baby is abandoned and rescued by civilians whereupon he is placed in an orphanage and outcast due to his strange and unsettling demeanour. The movie follows his life from one misfortune to another during his early years, superbly narrated at length by John Hurt. Some viewers have commented that the film relies too heavily on Hurt's narration, but being a fan of heavily narrated movies this was less of an issue for me.
Grenouille possesses an extraordinary power to discern odours and makes it his quest to learn the art of perfume making. Apprenticed to tanner Giuseppe Baldini (played by Dustin Hoffman) at the age of eight, Grenouille adapts well to the craft and undertakes the quest to isolate and preserve scents. He falls ill with smallpox but makes a somewhat miraculous recovery and decides to travel to Grasse to further his quest. However, upon making this journey he becomes disgusted by the scent of humanity and spends several years in a cave on the Massif Central.
Upon waking up after having the nightmare of suffocating in his own body odour, he is devastated to discover that he in actual fact was born without a scent. Thereafter, he makes it his mission to procure the perfect scent. He discovers that by killing young girls, caking them in animal fat and allowing them to stew, he can capture the essence of humans. However, in order to acquire the ultimate perfume, he needs thirteen girls. The last of these is intended to be Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the most beautiful girl in Grasse and the daughter of the powerful Richis (Alan Rickman).
Realisation/Performance
Tykwer just about pulls this off. As a director not averse to taking risks with ambitious projects (The Princess and the Warrior) he has created a movie which, whilst not fully realising the scope of the book, stays true to the narrative and is believable for the most part. The Parisien setting in all its ugly majesty is captured expertly and you can almost smell the rotten fish, human and animal corpses. Tykwer deserves credit for not pulling and punches in evoking the film's atmosphere. It's doubtful whether Kubrick would have resisted romanticising Paris.
With regard to the performance of the lead actors, Whishaw plays his role with vigour and sensitivity, evoking sympathy and disgust from the viewer in equal measure. As a young actor, it's a veritable string to his bow. Hoffman on the other hand seems miscast and struggling with the perfumer role, even his understated humour seems a little out of place here. Less so Alan Rickman who portrays his role as the influential but paranoid Richis, probably the movie's only relatable character, with aplomb.
My biggest criticism would be the lack of catharsis between the viewer and the characters. Although most characters are unsympathetic, there is such a disconnect that viewers have noted that they 'didn't care at all' about their fates and became disinterested in the story. That's fair comment in my view as I found myself struggling with the movie at times for the same reason.
It is interesting the extent to which this movie has polarized viewers, stirring considerable debate on its merits. That is has attracted that level of discussion is noteworthy in itself and my own conclusion was that it was a very watchable, if flawed, adaptation. It bombed spectacularly at the box office, less relevant given the bleak subject matter, if not the $65m budget.
Hope you enjoy if you watch!
Alex McGhie
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1945 - Drama - Director: David Lean - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Sophie-Kaia 17.02.2008 17:40
Enjoyable review
Soho_Black 14.02.2008 21:07
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD features. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" above the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
Based on Patrick Suskind's novel about a serial killer who hunts victims with his ... more
superhuman sense of smell,Perfume: Story of a Murdereris a florid, grisly portrayal of this historical drama set in 18th century France. Jean-Baptiste Grunuis (Ben Whisha...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Based on Patrick Suskind's novel about a serial killer who hunts victims with his ... more
superhuman sense of smell,Perfume: Story of a Murdereris a florid, grisly portrayal of this historical drama set in 18th century France. Jean-Baptiste Grunuis (Ben Whisha...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: It looks wonderful and Whishaw's central performance is remarkable. Disadvantages: You can't capture the essence of smell on screen, so the film doesn't work.
Advantages: Interesting storyline, brilliant concept, brilliantly acted. Disadvantages: A far out arty film, maybe not for a broad spectrum audience as other films might be.
![Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78097360.jpg "Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer [DVD] [2006]")
very helpful by (100%):
