The film "Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”is a dramatic picture, based on the novel of the same name by the modern German writer and screenwriter Patrick Suskind. The film received mixed reviews for the reason that many compared the film and the book, which are diametrically different from each other. Next will be considered not only the plot and reviews, but also the work of the director and the actors of the film “Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”(2006).
The plot of the "Perfumer"
The film "Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”is the story of a very unusual person named Jean-Baptiste Grenouil. Jean-Baptiste Grenouil was born under the counter of the fish market in Paris. His mother wanted to get rid of the baby and threw it into the gutter, where the baby somehow realized that it can catch absolutely all the smells, even those that have no name. The genius of the protagonist (or rather, the antihero) is limited to a sphere that leaves no trace in history - the realm of smells.
Unlike the book, the life of the main character is not revealed with the utmost pseudo-historicism and almost clerical accuracy. Leaving a hundred recipes for perfumes to the old Baldini perfumer, Jean-Baptiste goes to French Grasse. He is obsessed with the desire to create a unique fragrance that will subordinate all people. The perfumer decides that this is possible only by mixing the smells of thirteen girls.
The perfumer kills his victims one after another, he throws the bodies to the street. The very procedure of “extracting” the smell consists in cutting off the hair, wrapping the victim’s body in skin smeared with animal fat. Local residents are afraid of such crimes, the archbishop, who is involved in the conviction in absentia of the offender, immediately pronounces the verdict on him - the guilty person will be excommunicated forever.
Jean-Baptiste is caught by the father of his last victim. The people of the town sentenced the criminal to hanging, but the locals (influenced by the aroma of perfume) begin to worship the perfumer, who literally becomes the new messiah. The smell saved the protagonist from execution, and the next morning the people went in search of a "real" killer. Guilty recognized his former employer - a perfumer.
Jean-Baptiste Grenouil, deprived of the ability to love, goes to Paris. There he finds himself torn to pieces by a crowd in love with him right in the central market.
Film director
The film "Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”(2006) - one of the most famous films of the contemporary director T. Tykvere. He is considered one of the most successful European filmmakers of our time, so the film simply by definition could not turn out to be a failure. But, of course, there were negative reviews from film critics and viewers on his work.
For example, one of the Musical Truth correspondents noted that, probably, the film was actually shot by someone representing a mixture of the grim and fierce Tim Burton and sentimental Lasse Hallstrom with his “fabulous” special effects. This work is so unlike Tom Tykver. By the way, Tim Burton and many other world-famous directors (Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Milos Forman) previously abandoned the idea of an adaptation of Perfumer.
Positive reviews insist that you only have to withstand the first 15 minutes to discern Tom Tykver’s directorial talent for producer decisions. The director does not step back a word from the novel, but concludes his own story in Suskind's words. And, I must say, the story is not without meaning.
Main roles
Actors of the film “Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”(2005) embodied all the characters of Patrick Suskind. The main roles were played by B. Wishaw, A. Rickman, R. Heard-Wood and Dustin Hoffman.
For his work in the film Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer ”(2006) actor Ben Wishaw received the Bambi Awards. This is an honorable German award.
Alan Rickman, an actor in the movie "Perfumer. The Story of a Killer" (2006), who played a role ten years before his death, which shocked all his fans, began his career back in 1978. His filmography includes Die Hard, Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves, Reason and Feelings, Finding the Galaxy, several parts of Harry Potter, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Alice Through the Looking Glass (dubbing ), "CBGB Club" and others.
Actress R. Heard-Wood received the nomination "Best Supporting Role" for her role (although many critics regard her role as the main one).
In the piggy bank of the roles of Dustin Hoffman, who played the role of the former employer of the protagonist of the film, there are many bright characters. Often he got antiheroes.
Viewers reviews
Reviews agree on only one thing about the movie Perfumer. The story of one killer. " Reviews urge you to consider the film separately from the book. In the book, for example, the emphasis was placed on the inner world of the hero, while the film told the substantial part of the story, leaving most of the sensory experiences overboard. Most of the audience’s reviews are positive, but many say that it’s better to enjoy the movie first and then read the book. So the picture will be holistic and consistent.
Spectators note the good play of the actors in the film "Perfumer. The Story of a Killer" (2006), the unpredictability of events, successful scenery, the psychology of the picture. Disadvantages, as a rule, are not distinguished. Only occasionally can one see dissatisfaction with cruel and unpleasant scenes, musical accompaniment, and general gloom.
Those who did not read the book immediately after watching wanted to do it. Viewers familiar with the novel say that there are some inconsistencies, in some reviews there is even a definition of "miserable film adaptation of the bestseller." But at the same time, many say that the film adaptation is no less ingenious than the original source - the novel by Patrick Suskind.