‘Something quite mellow…’ he says, as the guard shuffles closer, clearly unused to such behaviour in Aisle 5. We particularly loved the scene in which Guillaume, the chauffeur, is discovering his newly-acquired appreciation for smell – in the supermarket, sniffing various shower gels, under the watchful gaze of a bemused security guard. Certainly it’s a treat for the senses, and sadly such a rarity to see perfumery explored on screen in this manner. Though a gentle comedy, Les Parfums takes a serious (and very well presented) look at the life of a perfumer, and now this subtitled film has a wider release with Amazon, we hope many more of you will be able to see it. We reviewed this charming film in full, here, but basically it’s the story of a reclusive, once-feared French perfumer and her new chauffeur. Perfumes ( Les Parfums) Amazon Prime: rent for £4.49
‘You know, I detect a fragrance in the air,’ he says, ‘Don’t tell me what it is… Ogleby Sisters Soap?’ So, although not a movie about perfume per se, it’s a fantastic performance, and fun to look out for some well-known fragrance names he also detects along his adventures…
In one memorable scene, Frank approaches the table where a woman sits alone, waiting for date. Telling the story of a preparatory school student who woefully takes a job as an assistant to an irritable, blind, medically retired Army officer, Frank, (magnificently played by Al Paccino) this is one of those films that helped highlight the importance of our sense of smell.
If you’ve already seen the film, have a gander at the made for TV drama loosely based on the premis of the novel, but in a modern-day setting: Perfume (series) Netflix Stunningly shot, utterly gripping, we of course urge you to read the book first, but do then see this and marvel. It’s remarkable not only for being filmed at all (many said the book could never be made in to a screen drama), but for changing the way fragrance was talked about in the media. His search takes a deadly turn, and when the bodies of 12 young females are found, panic breaks out, with families rushing to lock up their daughters.’īased on the best-selling, and now infamous, novel by Patrick Süskind, this is one every fragrance-lover should watch. He becomes obsessed with capturing an elusive aroma: the scent of young womanhood. ‘With his incredible talent for discerning scents, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is one of 18th-century France’s finest perfumers. Perfume: Story of a Murderer Amazon Prime: rent for £3.49 So, if you’re about done with Christmas and need a way to fill the weird hinterland between festive or new year celebrations and the return to (whatever will be) ‘normality’ – here’s a scented selection box of fragrant treasures…
In summary, a really great film, but probably best if you have read the book beforehand.We’ve scoured the internet for this Fragrant Film Club – a curation of some of our favourite perfume-themed movies, documentaries and TV series to watch right now. As in the original book, there is quite a bit of nudity, which is tastefully done, but I will be interested to see how this is swallowed in America it will probably get an 18 rating or be cut down, which is a shame, it was given a 12 rating in Germany. Hoffman, who really does not have the stature of a master Parisian perfumer) kept me completely enthralled. Despite this, the atmospheric sets and brilliant acting (with the exception of a disappointing Mr. Unfortunately, much of the book had to be skipped in the interest of time much of Grenouille's childhood is glossed over and the bit after the cave visit is completely omitted.
The film is narrated to ensure the audience understands some of the concepts and some parts of the plot were "dumbed-down" to make sure the audience got the point. It was a masterful achievement bringing the concepts of scent in to a book, bringing it to the large screen has even more challenges, which I believe was superbly overcome in this film.