HE LIVED TO FIND BEAUTY. HE KILLED TO POSSESS IT.
In 18th century Paris, a child is born into poverty but with an exceptional sense of smell; his life becomes a very bloody quest for the most unique, enchanting scents. Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of the highly-praised Patrick Süskind novel is a strange beast. Grand locations convey the filth and beauty of this era and place (that needed pleasant scents more than we do), and the story is interesting… but the episodic telling of it does not always keep you on the edge of your seat. Ben Whishaw becomes more engaging after a while and Dustin Hoffman is very amusing as the perfumer who’s lost his touch.
2006-Germany-France-Spain. 147 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Tom Tykwer. Screenplay: Tom Tykwer, Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger. Novel: Patrick Süskind. Cinematography: Frank Griebe. Cast: Ben Whishaw (Jean-Baptiste Grenouille), Dustin Hoffman (Giuseppe Baldini), Alan Rickman (Richis), Rachel Hurd-Wood, Karoline Herfurth, David Calder. Narrated by John Hurt.
Trivia: Ridley Scott and Tim Burton were allegedly considered for directing duties; Stanley Kubrick is said to have declared the novel “unfilmable”.
European Film Awards: Best Cinematography.
