Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer [DVD]

I have never read the novel and so went into this movie cold. But come the end, I was amazed. Partly, of course, this was because the ending itself in the square of Grasse is so unexpected and so ... well, so amazing! But I was also very impressed by the effects, by the acting (apart from that ham Alan Rickman), by the beautiful Ben Whishaw as the lead character Grenouille (who hardly says a word in the whole movie but does not need to), and especially so by the music, much of which was written by the director.This is a film of two halves. The first is a Paris filmed in a cold and dirty blue and grey; the second sees us transported into the bright light of a colourful Provence. There is a great attention to detail and the film is extremely well-edited. I felt let down on a few occasions, such as when Grenouille knows immediately where everything is kept in Baldini's storeroom; and the amazing scene at the end sees much man-on-woman and woman-on-woman loving, yet no man-on-man. And overall, it is a shame that it was filmed in English with its plethora of competing accents.As for the soundtrack, I was so impressed that I bought the CD. It certainly adds to the sense of bliss and wonder, as well as the aura of death and foreboding, such as the soft roll on the timpani as Grenouille gets up close to his victims. Elsewhere we have Brucknerian tremolos on strings supporting repeated sequences of notes. Effective use is made of choirs and solo voices and there is a Baroque inevitably evinced: I sensed musical links to such diverse composers as Stravinsky, Ligeti, Lully, and Ravel.This is a review of the two-disc edition, so a word is necessary about the extras. There is the usual `making of', lasting almost an hour and featuring the director, producer, members of the crew, and stars - but not Patrick Susskind, the author of the original book. It was interesting to see how the square of Grasse scene was organised. There is then a ten-minute piece on location scouting; another ten-minute piece about the work of the director of photography; three minutes on mixing; and thirteen minutes on how to make a film about a book about smell. The producer, Bernd Eichinger, here remarks that the philosophical and practical concerns of addressing one sense (olfactory) through two others (visual and acoustic) were overcome when it is realised that the book itself did not smell. Unfortunately, there are no deleted or extended scenes in the extras.This is an amazing film in so many ways and it will keep you watching right through to the very end. Ultimately, though, what both worries and jars is that we still hold some sympathy for this murderer of women. The name Grenouille means `frog' in French and I wondered if this was intended by the author as a take on the fairy tale of the frog who is turned into a prince by a kiss.

Arrived quickly - an amazing film.

Read this book when I was young looking for something other than Stephen King, James Herbert.& Edgar A Poe. I read this, and bought this DVD afterwards I never watch the film before reading the book! The film is as horrible as it should be, 8 murders for scents, But funny as everybody whose profiting from this man talents also has "miss adventures! "

A rare movie. It has Dustin Hoffman in it, yet he didn't over act for once, (no shades of outbreak here), Alan Rickman also gives a restrained but credible performance as the father of one of the scents that Ben Whishaws' character creates, in his madness.The finale is as disturbing as all the movie was up to this point. Don't expect a happy ending.

I watched this film for the first time a few years ago without knowing a great deal about the story and not having read the book. Well, I am so glad I did! This was a very impressive film with a very sad and unusual tale to tell, all the actors & actresses were fantastic, well known or obscure, all were well cast.This is ultimately a sad story of a young man and his determination to be someone in lifeeven if that means becoming a murderer in the process!Although this film has some well known actors cast it still manages to capture a slightfeel and look of an art house movie, which for some, will not be appealing.The visuals are stunning, the soundtrack is beautiful and the story is haunting.Well worth a look, definitely a 5 star film for me!

I really enjoyed this film. I had no idea of what to expect.The subject matter is all related to the ultimate quest for the capture of the perfect human smell - the perfume of woman. The early Paris fish market scenes look and feel like you should be able to smell them!Whilst murders do have to take place in the quest to obtain the perfume essence, these scenes are not depicted with violence or horror, but the viewer is fully aware of what frightful things are happening and indeed must happen. The final ending is a surprise and completes the full cycle for the ultimate perfume.It is a most unusual story and I have subsequently bought the book to read 'the real thing'.

I usually like this type of historical film which are so often set in France during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Often they are made in France by French directors and are often rivetting but this one is not. The storyline, though interesting, is weak and has so many holes that it ceases to be credible. It was entertaining, yes, I may even watch it again, but it left me feeling unsatisfied. I will say, however, that the final scenes were amusing and not a little fascinating.

I love this film but 4K is intoxicating. I can seem myself watching it a good few times.