Customer Reviews

Perfume: The Story Of a Murderer (El Perfume: Historia De Un Asesino) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

It must be a daunting task when a filmmaker attempts to adapt a novel that has been deemed "unfilmable." Such is the challenge Tom Tykwer (the audacious "Run, Lola, Run") accepted when he decided to film "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," the wildly popular cult novel by Patrick Suskind first printed in the US in 1986. Intrinsic to the success of telling the tale of "Perfume" is to convey a palpable sense of "smell" and its intoxicating powers. While a book may do this with pages and pages of prose, a film does not have this descriptive luxury--hence, it must attempt some sort of visual shorthand. I'm pleased to say that Tykwer was up to the task. With vivid art direction, stunning visuals, and bold editing choices--you feel, almost, as if you can smell this peculiar tale. While this may sound like dubious praise, it is actually the highest compliment.

Set in 18th century France, "Perfume" relates the tragic tale of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw). Born and almost killed in a fish market, raised in an orphanage, put into manual (and often dangerous) service at a young age, Jean-Baptiste is a disaffected and disconnected youth. Having no social skills and lacking any kind of normal emotional processes, the one thing that differentiates Jean-Baptiste is his keen sense of smell. It seems to be the only thing that connects him to the world he lives in. A chance visit to the city brings him to a perfume shop/manufacturer. Captivated by this world that revolves around the olfactory senses, Jean-Baptiste aggressively pursues a position with the proprietor (Dustin Hoffman). After achieving some success and freedom, he becomes obsessed with procuring the perfect scent--one that he once smelled in the "essence" of a beautiful young woman. Jean-Baptiste's obsessive bent soon leads to murder (no spoiler here, it is the title) as he seeks to extract this intoxicating smell from his victims. It's as if creating this one perfect scent will somehow humanize him--but to attempt it, he becomes even more monstrous.

In the opening minutes of "Perfume," I was absolutely blown away. The visual impact of the early scenes is astonishing and unique. The tale, however, does settle down into a more routine and more familiar pattern. But while it doesn't maintain the frenetic and captivating pace, it is never less than intriguing and certainly beautiful to view. Technically, the film is awesome. I've already mentioned art direction and editing, but scoring, cinematography, and costuming are all top notch. Jean-Baptiste, who is really in every scene, can be a challenging central character--Whishaw plays him fairly vacantly. It is a one note performance, but largely because that's what the story calls for--a certain emotional flatness. Therefore, I thought it was effective--others might find it somewhat empty.

I suspect many will absolutely loathe "Perfume," however, for I have yet to speak about the ending. The ending is absolutely outrageous, and I suspect that it will polarize audiences into "love it/hate it" camps. It's so over-the-top, so unlike anything you might foresee, and so unlike anything you've ever witnessed in a film before. Yet, for me, these excesses worked and fit well with the tone of this lurid little tale. Love it or hate it, it's a bold choice--and one you're not likely to forget. So I am recommending "Perfume" for those that like something different--this is not standard Hollywood fare, and I mean that in a good way. KGHarris, 02/07.

If you're looking for something unusual, unconventional and unpredictable, "Perfume" is your film. I am not saying this will give a pleasant smell to you. Probably some people would be attracted to the complexity of the strange world where olfactory perception means everything. Or some would loath the film's story and main character itself, especially the conclusion. Whatever you may find it, Tom Tykwer's "Perfume" remains intriguing throughout as allegorical tale, dark comedy or serial killer suspense. Pick your choice.

With John Hurt as narrator with slightly mocking tone, the eventful life story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is introduced, and from the very first moment you realize "Perfume" is no ordinary film. The film successfully conveys how Paris in the 18th century (at least one certain district) smelled really bad, with too realistic scene of its fish market, which is followed by the birth of Jean-Baptiste. His life is destined to be a different one, and the first chapter fully convinces us of his fate.

Ben Whishaw plays adult Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, and his wonderful acting as the (anti-)hero virtually carries the entire film to the last. Typical rags-to-riches drama is given a twist when other characters step in his life. First Jean-Baptiste is apprenticed to Giuseppe Baldini, second-rate perfumer who lost his skills. Dustin Hoffman's fake Italian accent may annoy you, but wait for what happens. Jean-Baptiste creates a "hit" perfume with his superb olfactory sense, making Baldini a rich person, and then ... see it for yourself. The story is not definitely Charles Dickens.

Beautiful Rachel Hurd-Wood and Alan Rickman are both memorable as aristocratic father and his only daughter. Tom Tykwer relies much on their acting talent to create the credible relations between them, which is I think still underwritten and not interesting enough. His skills as director are more effective in presenting Jean-Baptiste who can create the perfect scent in the most unique and terrifying fashion.

As to its conclusion - don't worry, this is spoiler-free - you will find it either fascinating or just awful. But maybe we shouldn't take the story too seriously for "grenouille" also means "frog" in French. "Perfume" defies easy explanations like real perfumes you smell every day. "Perfume" has that inexplicable quality that makes itself all the more attractive to us.

How exactly do you make a movie about smells? After all, a movie is all about sight and sound. Touch, taste and smell rarely come into it.

But acclaimed German director Tom Tykwer manages to make us smell things, in his most disturbing movie to date, "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." This time around, the talented Tykwer abandons his usual lovers-against-the-world stories for a lushly-filmed, darkly comic story of olfactory obsession. Yes, that is what I said.

Jean-Baptiste Grenouillle (Ben Whishaw) is a man with a brilliant sense of smell, and zero body odor. He was born in a putrid fishmarket, raised in an orphanage, and later escapes from a tannery where he was working. He's enraptured by the many thrilling smells in the city -- he even kills a young girl, so that he can smell her lovely scent.

In his search for the perfect scent, Jean-Baptiste gets a job with a once-famed perfume-maker (Dustin Hoffman). But after learning that not everything has a scent, he begins killing women to try to distill their scents into the ultimate perfume -- with beautiful redhead Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood) as the "thirteenth scent." But his ultimate scent has an even more sinister side, as his scents begin to affect the population in unusual ways.

"Perfume" is Tykwer's most unique movie to date, and the one that definitely identifies him as a cinematic master. There are lots of music that are evocative, sensual, colourfully beautiful, or unspeakably creepy, but not many manage to be all of them. "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is all of those, and more.

Obviously a movie doesn't smell like anything, except maybe stale popcorn. So Tykwer uses sight for smell -- rotted fish, maggots, moldy walls from the late 1700s to show Jean-Baptiste's miserable origins. And he uses sparkling colour and windblown trees for nicer scents. Colour takes the place of scent itself -- bright red Lola hair on multiple girls, flowers that seem to pop out of the screen, fresh leaves, brilliant fruits, even brightly coloured food. It gives the visuals a fairy-tale vibrancy.

In fact, the scripting almost comes second to the exquisite cinematography. Yet Tykwer is able to bring across the powerful symbolism that brings the movie to life -- the smells are symbolic of love itself, which the scentless and amoral Jean-Baptiste does not have. He can only try to take it from others, with a finale that is the very image of poetic justice.

Jean-Baptiste himself is one of those love/hate characters, and Whishaw does an excellent job with his sort of half-crazy, intent stare. And there are some great supporting performances by Alan Rickman as Antoine Richis (Laura's dad) and Hoffman as the eccentric old perfume-maker -- he adds a welcome note of comedy.

A movie is dependent on sight, but Tom Tykwer creates a movie that you can almost smell. "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is darkly comic, bizarrely beautiful movie, and definitely worth seeing.

Everyone who read Patrick Suskind's "Das Parfum" must remember how well-scented and at the same time fetid it was. Every page of the novel effuses some smell and it literally makes you either savor it or hold your nose in disgust. Suskind's talent in describing different kinds of flavour can't be overestimated, like a real poet he finds words and metaphors that sometimes let you salivate and sometimes bring you very close to throwing up. In my opinion the main challenge of this film from the very beginning of its creation was: will this movie smell like the book does?

Many great directors were to make "Perfume..." and many washed their hands for a variety of reasons. Martin Scorsese, Milos Forman, Tim Burton and others - all of them were once attached to the project and walked away. Stanley Kubrick nurtured the idea of filming Suskind's novel for a long time but finally concluded "Das Parfum" was UNFILMABLE. And I can understand that - the book based on all kinds of odours is very hard to be put on celluloid. So walking to the theater I was recalling the book's first scene taking place at Paris' fish market couple of centuries back and thinking - will it all smell?

And - oh, my God - it did! It smelled and it reeked right from the screen. Certainly the book smelled better (or worse in this case) but those things you do not see but only imagine always hit harder, so I doubt any movie can be better than a book. But in this case actually it wasn't this film's idea - to top the novel, it just had to match it distantly. And it matched indeed. "Perfume..." is no cheap adaptation of another book - it's a piece of art of its own and it deserves some recognition. Tom Tykwer - a young German director whose best-known work to date was "Run, Lola, Run" seemed rather strange candidate to direct this picture at the first glance, but ultimately it turned out to be a wise idea. Tykwer is not afraid to experiment and we've seen it in "Lola". Many of his patterns and tricks from that movie were later used by a number of directors around the world. He is innovative and that's a fact. If you close your eyes and try hard to imagine what Martin Scorsese, Milos Forman or Tim Burton would do with this picture, I bet you'll come up with some idea and I bet it will be right. But what could we expect from Tom Tykwer? Only some surprise.

Finally there were no surprise and in "Perfume..." Tykwer didn't invent anything. It was pretty traditional I'd say, but still very professional, magnificent and exciting. Still better than I think any other director would manage it. And what's most important - it SMELLED. It had all the scents and fragrances needed to feel yourself inside this movie. Tykwer didn't do the impossible, but he was very close... And in this case it's a hell of an achievement.

Actors deserve a whole separate article, I'll only say Ben Whishaw and everyone else except Dustin Hoffman were awesome and the latter is still playing the role of Bernie Focker as it seems with all my respect :) Although I like THAT role of his a lot I think here he could be a little more serious. On the other hand - don't pay attention to my lamentations - a comic part was never too bad for any movie. So maybe it's just me. Anyway - why 4 stars? 5 would go for the impossible done by the director, but unfortunately I'm positive it was impossible to do so (no pun intended). Hence 4 is the highest rating this picture can get in my opinion and I'm giving it the highest rating possible.

Scent of a Woman collides with Silence of the Lambs in this bizarre, beautiful and bittersweet story of a compulsive killer.

A savant of smell, Parisian-born orphan Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) grows up in the 18th-century school of hard knocks, yet is determined to become the greatest perfumer the world has ever known. As he stalks the evanescent aroma of a beautiful young redhead (Karoline Herfurth), his obsession turns to tragedy, setting him of a life-path of death and destruction.

Pros:
A visual feast that almost magically conjures the scents onscreen
A serial killer story steeped in a historically-heightened fairytale feel

Cons:
A little too much foreshadowing makes the movie drag here and there

Perfume is brilliantly cast, with great -- and sometimes delightfully over-the-top -- performances from silver screen stars like Dustin Hoffman (master perfumer), John Hurt (narrator), and Alan Rickman (the protective father of a would-be Grenouille victim). Ben Whishaw portrays a truly reprehensible, murderous character with no redeeming qualities, yet he imbues Grenouille with a pitiable, sympathetic air reminiscent of Boris Karloff in Frankenstein.

It's very well-directed (if somewhat a tad too leisurely) by Run Lola Run's Tom Tykwer, and wonderfully wrought by everyone else from the set-designer, to the composer, to the flower-finder.

This is a difficult film to describe without spilling too many surprises, so all I can say is: take the time to stop smell the cinematic rose that is Perfume.

Staci Layne Wilson

`Perfume' released in '07 is one of the most absorbing, unpredictable, titillating, genre free films I've ever seen. It is a stylish and atmospheric period piece, a taut and perverse psychological thriller, a demented romance, and a dark, edgy comedy all rolled into one very surprising movie. If that weren't enough, it's also a parody, allegory, fable and parable. I guess the bottom line is it leaves the audience with so many unanswered questions and possibilities you can make of it whatever you wish.

The movie will simultaneously surprise, disturb, repel and fascinate the viewer as it moves upside down and back again on a dizzying rollercoaster journey through the visceral world of odors and scents that defined 18th century France. This film has it all, mesmerizing cinematography, haunting soundtrack, superior cast and an extremely unique storyline that will keep you wondering where it's all headed until the shocking end. Even if you don't like it, you won't forget it. 'Perfume' is a viewing experience extraordinaire, surely destined to become a cult classic.

Well there is not much I can say that the first editorial reviewer already said that would be much of a difference. However, to put it short. It is a must see movie. This is coming from someone who watches a lot of movies and re not impressed with the majority of them because they are so predictable and lack originality. A movie that captures smell at its finest. I learned a lot from this movie as well.

Even after reading the book, Perfume is the kind of a movie that can still shock and send chills down the spine. The story of a man born with no scent of his own but on a constant hunt for something that he can capture and anoint with to fit in is magnetic. I have never heard of a more interesting take on the world of scent mixed in with murder.

Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was enigmatic, quiet, spooky, passionate and evil. I traveled though a flurry of emotions for him and his victims, knowing that his quest was very interesting yet it left a trail of despair and broken hearts of those who lost their loved ones. Death in the name of beauty if not a new phenomenon but it certainly is twisted when someone else has to pay the price. Alan Rickman, who also plays Snape in Harry Potter movies, brings his uniqueness into the tale. The timber of his voice fits perfectly with the whole ethereal feel of the movie. His ruby haired daughter played by Rachel Hurd-Wood is Laura, the final ingredient on Grenouille's list to a heavenly scent.

18th century France comes alive in this fantastic movie. I have never seen so much filth, dirt and grease in any costume movie but it was all worth it, and I swear my senses of smell were heightened for hours after watching it. The extremely long list of makeup artists at the end credits confirmed my suspicion that this was done with meticulous care to breath more life into the story. The soundtrack is marvelous, the scenery breathtaking and everything simply tingles with richness. This movie is enigmatic, there's not question about it but I enjoyed the subtlety and the shocks it caused, unless you jump and sweat what good was wasting all that time watching TV?

- Kasia S.

When I saw Perfume, I figured it to be another B-movie that might occupy some time. What I found in that movie's place was another movie, a more interesting one with an interesting cruel side, and that was really worth a watch. We start with a man hat claims he can identify any smell in the world and that he wants to own them all. To do this he has plans; some of his plans seem not-so-bad at first but then they take on a darker shade. And that's where the fun begins and an interesting story starts playing out.

One of the main reasons this movie was so successful was the ability of our lead character to seem so many things at once. Sometimes you cold taste the menace that swirled around and sometimes you could see other pieces of persona swimming around in his tangled expressions. The life he gave tot the role was amazing because of this - I expected few things going in to the movie but I really didn't expect someone to so brazenly steal the spotlight.
He was perfect.
The support cast was really god as well, and all these efforts combined helped build a rather interesting storyline that I would have missed if it had not been for a suggestion on rentals.

If you want a diversion that is out-of-the-ordinary and like the way the plot to the movie goes, then this might be a pick for you. I enjoyed it but, at the same time, I was looking for a B-movie to fill in my watching void and was happy that it was superbly better than "B." Still, it comes with a "worth watching" if you like your story with a little darkside attached to it underpinning.

There is such a fascination in adapting famous books to the cinema language, for both filmmakers and film-viewers, especially if the book is a famous best seller one. Comparisons will take place, no doubt. "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is almost a collective part of a lot of people's memory and wakes curiosity the film itself. So I clearly see that the cinema language is absolutely different than literature language (in all genres)? Anyhow, expectations are served. Jean-Baptiste is someone special since he is born, in the middle of a fish market, where the smelling was everywhere except in him. As he grows, the scents and smelling becomes his path for pleasure, for recognizing, for commitments. In his memories he keeps all kind of scents, even without knowing where they come from, and he tries to bring them back to reality, as perfumes. When he achieves it, he attempts to create his best perfume, moral apart, regardless of the way he does it. "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," is a great manufactured film, no doubt, great scenarios, great cinematography, create custom design. The film, although basically a German production, was filmed in English, not being the first time (perhaps for an international appeal?),

I didn't actually mention 'good editing' among the virtues of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." Some of the most exciting moments of the film, are when some scents call the attention of some characters (the plum girl, Baldini, Dominique, the orgy, etc), and the way the film 'tries' to show us the effect on them is with fast and short cuts, 'a-la-Hollywood', which I am not saying is bad, but it is just too rapid in the visual way, and not as subtle as a scent actually would work. A resource which is over-used lately in a lot of films is the close-up. And I guess that happens when a director finds kind of non-easy to portray a character, so, let us see at least a close-up of the actor. Again, lack of subtlety. So, I wouldn't even praise the achievement in make up in this film, only for showing us closely the noses and faces of some actors. I am not the greatest fan of Tom Tykwer, yet I think he's a good director, but as a stage-director, he may lose some control on his actors, that lead us to see Alan Rickman as a flat character and Dustin Hoffman seem miscast and a bit over the top, even as a silly perfumer, Ben Whishaw is fantastic for creating and developing his own Jean-Baptiste (watch his tics) and it's hard to avoid to see him a bit overacted in some scenes. Jessica Schwartz in her short role is great; she has what is called presence. And the orgy's scene made me laugh for moments; I would rather have felt embarrassed. Another resource which is sometimes unnecessarily used is the voice-off. I am not disappointed with "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." I was entertained, I enjoyed the experience, but I have to be honest by saying the typical phrase "it could've been better...". And more expectations are served.