Patrick Suskind's famous novel was released in 1985 and instantly became a bestseller. In total, a prose writer created 9 works, of which the novel “Perfumer” was best known. The actors who played in the film adaptation of this work received the approval of critics and spectators in the form of awards and laudatory reviews.
"Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer "- one of the best novels in German
The action in the novel takes place in the XVIII century. Suskind uses a technique of pseudo-realism to immerse the reader in that era. He saturates the book with dates and describes in detail the places with which the events of the drama are associated. So the author wants to create the reader a sense of reality of what is happening. Suskind gives detailed information about each, even the most insignificant, character and tells the date and cause of death - another way to create an illusion of the reality of the events described. And the author succeeds brilliantly - he beautifully recreates the atmosphere of that era in the book.
The film "Perfumer" - the plot and story of creation
Since the release of the novel, many famous directors like Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick wanted to film it. They all tried to get permission to shoot from the author of the book. But the drama "Perfumer", whose actors are the focus of this article, Suskind entrusted only to his friend Bernd Eichinger, who was the producer of the films "Knocking on Heaven" and "The Name of the Rose". The last picture was shot based on the novel of the same name by Umberto Eco, and it was believed that the book could not be made into a movie. The same thing was said about the Perfumer. To translate the story told in the novel, the German director Tom Tykver was invited. He is known for such paintings as “Run, Lola, Run”, “Cloud Atlas”, “Paris, I Love You”. Tykver enthusiastically set to work on such a complex work as Perfumer. The actors who played the main roles in it, before the release of the picture were little known to the general public, with the exception of Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman.
The filmmakers tried to transfer the plot of the book to a wide screen without changes. In Paris of the 18th century, a child is born at a fish merchant. This happens right behind the counter, but the woman manages to give birth imperceptibly to others. A newborn was doomed to die in a pile of garbage if he had not cried. Market visitors who heard the baby cry saved him, and the boy’s mother was executed for attempted infanticide. Grenuy (the baby received that name) was so shocked at the time of birth because of the unbearable stench of the market that he received an incredibly delicate sense of smell. From birth, he himself was odorless.
Living in terrible conditions (an orphanage, then working at a tanner), Grenui dreams of knowing everything about smells. Once on the street, he caught a magical smell. Following him, he met a young saleswoman plums. Wanting to get her fragrance, he chokes the girl, but after her death the wonderful smell disappears.
Grenouine decides to find a way to preserve fragrances. His dream is to create perfumes based on the smells of the most beautiful girls, which will be his own beautiful fragrance.
Drama "Perfumer" - actors and roles
The main role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a man with an incredibly sharp sense of smell, was played by the young British actor Benjamin John Wishaw. This is one of his first famous movie roles. Before the Perfumer, the actor was better known for his work in the theater. The film made him more than just famous - Wishaw began acting in star projects such as Cloud Atlas, 007: Skyfall, and Paddington's Adventures.
The last victim of Grenouille, the young aristocrat Laura Rishi, was played by British actress Rachel Clare Heard-Wood. After “Perfumer”, she had several more interesting films: in the thriller “Dorian Gray” and the fantasy “Solomon Kane”.
Dustin Hoffman appeared in the film as the aging Parisian perfumer Giuseppe Baldini, who once created wonderful perfumes, but was no longer able to repeat his success. But he is a connoisseur of the subtleties of perfumery craftsmanship, and Granuy will learn a lot from him about how to collect and preserve fragrances.
Alan Rickman played Laura's father, consul of Rishi. It was through his efforts that Grenouil was caught.
Film rating
The "Perfumer", whose actors gained great popularity after the release of the picture, was well received by critics, although its artistic value continues to cause controversy. Undoubtedly, this is a fascinating thriller that keeps the viewer in suspense until the end.