Film of the Week - Perfume

On of the things I have been thinking about is a film of the week spot. I really love film and it seem strange that I never really get time to sit down and watch one these days more than once a month so I thought by starting a film of the week spot I could motivate myself in to watch a film once a week. The first film I have picked for spot is the film Perfume directed by Tom Tykwer and stars Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman.

The film is the story Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in a fish market, whose first cry on this earth lead to the death of his mother. Born with a amazing sense of smell which dominates his life to the extent that smells mean more to him than the words to describe them. His early life was spent in a orphanage before he sold onto tannery at the age of eight, where a child worker had only a slim chance of making it through to adulthood. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille survives and is sent delivering goods in Paris. This is where he comes across the scent of a redheaded girl that he goes on to kill before taking in as much of her scent as he can. From that moment on he dictates his life to preserving scent and create the ultimate perfume made up from the scent of thirteen beautiful women.

The film is based on a novel by Patrick Süskind, of the same name, which was  published in 1985. It is a fascinating story, and as a film it is beutifully shot and very atmospheric. The acting is wonderful through out and although the film is on the long side running for over two hour and twenty minutes, it holds you for every minute. If you have't seen it then search it out. If you like something a bit different from the run of the mill Hollywood film you will love this.