Hey folks, Harry here... I absolutely love this movie. For me - it plays like a modern James Whale blacker than black tale of absurd brilliance decayed by its own immoral nature. I love it. It is also the single most erotic serial killer film ever made - and would be a far better film for the title, SCENT OF A WOMAN, than that bit of hoo-yah! I very much disagree with Grasshopper's dislike of the narration - which I feel is meant to tonally allow the wink to be given. I love it. Here's our grasshopper from Korea with a full look from his leaf p.o.v....

Dear Harry (and readers),

As a lover of movies, the one drawback to living in an Asian country like Korea is, you often have to wait a long time to see a film that a lot of people are talking about on sites such as your own. But this holiday season had me in the UK, and provided me the opportunity to catch up on all the cinematic goodness of late. Just caught Borat, Pan's Labyrinth, and a few others. I thought I'd write in with my take on the newly-released, "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer", Tom Tykwer's dark playground for the senses that gets a limited release in North America this weekend. I'll try my hardest to stay away from spoilers.

In a nutshell, this film is about power. And the utterly unique device this movie uses to tell its story, is the sense of smell. The power of smell and the smell of power, if you will. So, a lot of people will be wondering how successful this movie is in portraying the olfactory, since after all, it is a film. I would argue that it succeeds, but only with a lot of help from our other, more over-employed senses.

Adapted from Patrick Suskind's very popular novel set in 18th-century France, about the filthy, lowly Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born without a smell, but with an unparalleled gift of smell, this is a harrowing tale of young man whose killing spree begins when the scent of beauty (for lack of a better word) causes him to lose control. His gift becomes his curse. His excuse for killing is simple : necessity. Beauty is too fragile and fleeting, so he needs to capture it.

Rather than concentrate on how to translate smells, both pleasant and putrid, to the screen, Tykwer also wisely relies on sight and sound (and one could easily argue taste and touch due to all the tactile imagery) to get his job done as storyteller. (Tykwer's name is even included in the music credits on this one.) Take note of the first image on the screen and likewise the final sound of the movie. Tykwer doesn't let smell run the show.

There is some fantastic imagery in this flick, especially in the opening sequence focusing on Grenouille's origins. Watching his birth amidst the filth of the fish market and how Grenouille responds to his surroundings first as a baby and then as a young boy, is both disturbing and hypnotic.
The process by which he learns to capture the smells of his victims later on in the movie, is also a visual treat despite the squeamishness.

As a fan of the book, I have to say I am mightily impressed with how well it fit the screen. All the best bits, if not everything from the book, is seen or alluded to. Including the infamous orgy that had some people giggling out loud in the theatre. I'm assuming it was the mix of titillation and uncomfortability. And i would argue that Tykwer would approve of the laughter. There's a dose of humour in this flick that I appreciated, that kept me interested in the movie on a whole other level. The fate of the character played by Dustin Hoffman deserves at least a healthy, private chuckle.

Which brings me to a few of the downsides. Several reviews I've read have praised the performances of the big name actors in the movie, namely Hoffman (portraying the perfumer Grenouille tries to impress in order to learn certain secrets of the trade), and Alan Rickman as the
father of the young woman Grenouille is obsessed with in the second half of the movie. For me, despite their entertaining presence on the screen, they detracted from the historical accuracy of the story. Was Hoffman (an American) really the top choice to play an Italian perfumer living in 18th century France? Audiences may also poke fun at the ubiquitous British accent here again. A German novel made into a movie by a German, set in 18th cent. France, cast full of Brits? Ben Whishaw, who portrays Grenouille, was creepy, hypnotic, and visually suited to the role. But his voice... It's a tedious criticism, but one my friends and I couldn't help discussing. The casting seemed to prove a distraction. This would make an interesting topic in the talkbacks I think.

My biggest criticism has to do with the narration. In my opinion, you can't find a better narrator for your movie than John Hurt (even if Morgan Freeman offered his services at half the price). But when that ubiquitous, educating voiceover, comes across as unnecessary, well, it just makes you scratch your head in wonder. Was a narrator thought of as necessary, since it was adapting a popular novel rich with description and all-knowing invasions into a murderer's mind? If so, then why the interruption to tell us that Grenouille couldn't sleep when it was obvious as the audience could SEE the traumatized Grenouille trying to sleep on a filthy street. Or was it Tykwer's means of explaining things he thought would go over the audience's head? Like the fact that Grenouille led a loveless life. I found the narration a bit grating and unnecessary to say the least. Tykwer's images, the sensory exploration, was more than enough.

Some people are going to curse its running time as well, but all in all, this is a unique experience at the movies. A fine piece of storytelling despite a few setbacks. A major step forward for Tykwer. A fine way to end your year at the cinema. A gift for the senses.

Grasshopper