Scent of a Woman

Amazon.com

Hoo-hah! After seven Oscar nominations for his outstanding work in films such as The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon, it's ironic that Al Pacino finally won the Oscar for his grandstanding lead performance in this 1992 crowd pleaser. As the blind, blunt, and ultimately benevolent retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino is both hammy and compelling, simultaneously subtle and grandly over-the-top when defending his new assistant and prep school student Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) at a disciplinary hearing. While the subplot involving Charlie's prep-school crisis plays like a sequel to Dead Poets Society, Pacino's adventurous escapades in New York City provide comic relief, rich character development, and a memorable supporting role for Gabrielle Anwar as the young woman who accepts the colonel's invitation to dance the tango. Scent of a Woman is a remake of the 1972 Italian film Profumo di donna. In addition to Pacino's award, the picture garnered Oscar nominations for director Martin Brest and for screenwriter Bo Goldman. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Hoo-Raaaah!.......2007-08-28

Look, Al Pacino is over the top and chews up every scene like a doberman with my slippers, but it doesn't matter. SCENT OF A WOMAN is a grand vehicle for Pacino's antics; the story has meat on its bones, and the ending will leave you pumping your fist.

As Army Lt. Col. (retired) Frank Slade, Pacino plays one ticked off hombre. Mad at the world (due to being completely blind), Col. Slade is ready to call it quits. . .but first, he wants one last fling--over Thanksgiving Weekend, of all weekends--in the Big Apple. Yet he needs a pair of eyes: He finds them in young, peach-fuzzed Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell), an earnest student attending a New England prep school in the business of preparing its young skulls full of mush for entrance to Harvard. Charlie has a few problems of his own, the biggest one being he's on the hot seat because he knows who the culprits of a mean-spirited prank are--but he's not wheeling to squeal on his classmates.

So the Colonel and his young companion have spellbinding adventures in New York, culminating in a dramatic confrontation as Charlie tries to thwart the Colonel's date with a .45. Meanwhile, there is a camaraderie--a rapport--that develops between the two characters; Charlie's naivete, his gleaming innocence, affects the curmudgeonly Colonel. It overpowers, even changes him. . .so much so that Slade comes to Charlie's aid at his school's disciplinary hearing, where the retired Colonel gives a rousing speech, and subsequent dressdown, to the institution's snobbish dean (James Rebhorn). The entire scene is one hundred and fifty percent riveting.

Heck, SCENT OF A WOMAN in its totality is riveting--despite Pacino's constant rants and pity parties, which grow tiresome. On the other hand, his portrayal of a blind man is utterly and completely convincing. You'll also notice a very young Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays a preppie classmate of Charlie's. Hoffman went on to say this role launched his career; and SCENT OF A WOMAN ain't a bad way to do that.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

Two Perspectives.......2007-06-19

There are basically two ways to see this film. The sentimental fan of classic Hollywood sees it as an inspiring, uplifting story with a feelgood ending. The fan of realism and originality sees it as a predictable and formulaic cliche. The sentimental fan of classic Hollywood sees Al Pacino's performance as colorful, facinating, and larger than life. The fan of realism and originality sees Pacino's performance as over the top and lacking in any subtlety. The fan of classic Hollywood sees Pacino's closing speech and the ending of the film as inspiring and heartwarming. The fan of realism and originality sees the speech as a lame moralization and the ending as well as Pacino's character transformation to be a phony and unrealistic sellout to popular sensiblity.

If you are looking for the familiar crowd-pleasing kind of entertainment that Hollywood has always been trusted to provide, you will definitely find it here. But if you are a fan of artistic cinema you will wonder how Al Pacino could win an oscar for a role like this in a film like this and somehow not win for Godfather II. In fact, you will probably wonder what Pacino, as a dedicated method actor with such a great vision for playing complex and interestingly subtle characters, was thinking when he played this role.

He is blind.......2007-06-11

Yet Frank drives fancy cars and dances with pretty ladies. And this is true.
Al Pacino, Chris O'donnell

pacino!.......2007-06-10

this movie is a classic, pacino's performance is wonderful and there is a young phillip seymour hoffman

i truly enjoy this movie, though it can be a bit long so it isnt a frequent favorite of mine

A TRUE AL PACINO FAN.......2007-05-14

ANYONE THAT LIKES AL PACINO, WILL LOVE THIS . IT IS GREAT. WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE.

Average customer rating:

Great Transfer to HD-DVD!

Scent of a Woman [HD DVD]
Starring: Gabrielle Anwar , William Beckwith , Richard Bradford , Gene Canfield , and Peter Carew
Director: Martin Brest
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000QEIOUS
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Customer Reviews:

Great Transfer to HD-DVD!.......2007-08-24

This was always one of my favorite movies and was glad to see it finally come out on HD-DVD. The transfer was great, providing crisp clear visuals. Soundtrack transfer is ver good as well.

Average customer rating:

Please bring this movie back out on DVD
A Buddhist Cinderella?
Super Movie! Beautiful, Dreamy, Sensual, Sad, and Funny
Sensitive Portrayal of Unexpected Love
Sublime

The Scent of Green Papaya
Starring: Tran Nu Yên-Khê , Man San Lu , Thi Loc Truong , Anh Hoa Nguyen , and Hoa Hoi Vuong
Director: Anh Hung Tran
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005RDRN
Release Date: 2001-12-18

Amazon.com

"Watching it is like seeing a poem for the eyes." That's how Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert described this exquisite, Oscar-nominated, French-Vietnamese film from 1993, which begins in the 1950s and ends more than a decade later during the early years of the Vietnam war. The story is set almost entirely in a Saigon house where a 10-year-old orphan girl named Mui arrives to work as a servant. As she grows into a beautiful young woman, Mui is quietly and carefully observant of everything around her, from the scent of green papaya (hence the title) to the relationship between her employers. The film takes its visual cues from Mui's observations--it's a placid, soothing film that lingers over the physical and emotional details of its setting and story.

What's really astonishing about this beautiful film is that director Anh Tran Hung shot it entirely on a soundstage in Paris, but the sights and sounds are so completely convincing that you'd swear the setting is an actual home in Saigon. This remarkable craftsmanship remains invisible to the viewer, and the seductive progression of the story unfolds with exacting visual precision. It's a film about Mui's growth and development, but also about her benevolent effect on the world around her. As such, it's a movie to savor like no other, life affirming and glorious in the memorable depth of its captivating simplicity. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Please bring this movie back out on DVD.......2007-07-21

Used to have this on VHS (probably needed a new copy even then as I watched it so much) and have waited to see it return to DVD as I didn't buy it in time before it went out of print in DVD. It is a splendid, haunting, hyper-realistic film and deserves a huge following. I'm not Vietnamese but can't see that one needs to be to recognize that this film is a hit you will not forget and will want to see repeatedly. I can't believe it wouldn't sell well so print it again and let's have more high quality DVDs to choose from, eh?

A Buddhist Cinderella?.......2007-02-10

I beg to differ from those who rated this movie 5 stars. There's no doubt that this movie is beautifully filmed and produced. The sight, the sound and the implied scent of nature produce an astounding mix. It is a feast to our senses. But film is ultimately compromised by a lack of dialogue and dramatic content. I guess one can argue that the film is self-contained within the director's minimalist framework. But there's a big gap in our suspense of disbelief to have the young master to stumble upon his servant girl secretly trying out his fiance's lipstick, and realizing how beautiful (both outward and inward) she is, then follow her trail back to her room and inpregnate her. All this without them ever speaking single a word to each other (or at least not anything meaningful that I can recall), is just not quite convincing. And how do we know that this young master is any better than the good-for-nothing head of the house from the previous family? Both of them are musicians after all. I think the second part of the movie is particularly weak. I can accept the main character being shy and reticent when she was a little girl in the first part of the movie. But the fact that she stays that way after she has growup is disappointing. I also expect something to be said about the 2 little brothers in the second part since their different personalities were so painstakingly portayed in the first part. They just disappeared from the second part of the movie.

Super Movie! Beautiful, Dreamy, Sensual, Sad, and Funny.......2007-01-07

This is a fantastic film. Unlike many Asian films, it has a plot and characters that are understandable. The cinematography is superb. The directors wife stars in this movie (as the grownup Mui) as well as Cyclo, and Vertical Ray of the Sun. Its hard to take your eyes off her. The little girl who plays Mui as a child is terrific as well. Little Tin is funny when he tries to torment little Mui. My wife is Vietnamese and I recognize the family structure where the father (and other men) mostly does what he pleases and the wife takes care of the entire family. That is the way this movie plays out. I have seen reviews where the music was said to be bad. I disagree entirely. I thought it worked very well throughout the film. Too bad this DVD movie is currently out of release in the US. I had to buy mine from England. Used DVDs are going for $90. Mine was new and cost $44 with shipping. It's a keeper. If you enjoy movies like this, also try 3 Seasons (Ba Mua). You will love it.

Sensitive Portrayal of Unexpected Love.......2007-01-06

This film captures beautiful images as seen by the naked eye when the camera hones in on such natural wonders as a frog on a large green leaf, an ant carrrying a crumb or a papaya tree with green ripening fruit located outside one's window. Or when the camera scans the the interior of the home and captures oriental lattice work on a porch railing or a screen wall divider or porcelain vases on a credence. These images are impressed both on the viewer and on the mind of Mui, a nine year old Vietnamese girl from a small village who gets a job as servant in the household of shopkeepers. The artistic use of cinematography leaves the viewer with a sense of wonder and anticipation, expecting to be spellbound by even more mysterious oriental imagery - the viewer will not be disappointed! This feeling and tone is mesmerizing as so much beauty and such a wonderful love story unfolds ... with a minimum of dialogue.

Mui learns the household routine from an older servant ... She awakens early to make breakfast, cleans the floors on her hands and knees, and learns to prepare delicious and colorful meals using a wok....The family has three sons, one is older, almost an adult, two are younger - the middle son is about 11 or 12 years old, the youngest is about 5 or 6 years and very mischevious. The family business is selling textiles. Mui is treated kindly and later learns the family had a daughter who would be exactly Mui's age. She died of a mysterious disease. There is slight tension within the family regarding the business. The wife runs the business impeccably. She keeps accounts accurately and locks up the cash in a safe. Her husband often spends his time daydreaming and playing an oriental stringed instrument, sometimes accompaned on a flute by the eldest son. In the past, the husband had abruptly left the household, taking all the cash and likely gambling away their savings. After one such episode, his baby daughter became ill and died exactly the day before he returned. This event haunts him ...

One day, the servants were awaiting his return for dinner but he does not show up. The wife was notified. She checked his room and then went to the safe only to discover all the household cash and savings were gone. He did not break his gambling habit. His wife gave some gold earrings to pawn to have enough money to buy rice for the meals. She sold some of her antique vases to make ends meet. Eventually, he returned but was ill. Despite the best Oriental medicine, including acupuncture and moxibustion, his health deteriorated and he died. Ten years passed and the textile business was waning. Mui was still employed by the same family who were contemplating sending her to work for a wealthier family since they could not afford to keep her any longer.

Mui accepted the news sadly and received a pearl necklace and gold bracelet as parting gifts from her former mistress. The mistress tearfully bid her good-bye, telling Mui how much she appreciated having her live in their home, feeling Mui was like her own daughter. Mui became the only servant to a bachelor musician/composer who was engaged to be married. His fiance intimated and teased him about having a young pretty servant but he ignored her jibes. The fiance was a modern VietnaMmese woman for the 1950's. She felt secure in her position and looked forward to an upper class lifestyle. Her confidence gradually eroded into jealousy as she suspected the musician had feelings for Mui and even possibly a physical relationship ...

Mui discovered a sketch of herself in a drawer in the musician's bedroom. She also found a tube of lipstick left there by his fiance . Despite her shyness, one day, when the musician was not at home, she dressed up in a silk dress and Vietnamese silk pants, putting on the lipstick and viewing herself in the mirror, dreaming of a lifestyle outside of the one she lived. That very day, the musician came home early. He wandered around his house, trying to find Mui. They were playing hide-and-seek, a cat-and-mouse game with each other. She deftly hid behind a door as he came around the corner and did not find her. She darted into her room and took off her fine clothes and lipstick. He silently tip-toed to her part of the house,gingerly opened her door ... and his fiance's greatest fears became realitiy. The film very sensitively portrays the unraveling of their engagement and delicately intimates the growing love between the musician and his servant. All of it is shown naturally, yet without any explicit scenes. By far, this is among the best oriental love stories ever shown on film. Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

Sublime.......2007-01-04

The Scent of Green Papaya is a feast for the senses. It has an easy-going pacing that allows the watcher to fully take in all of the subtleties and richness the film has to offer. so if you are in a hurry, or can't adapt from hollywood pacing, this is not the film for you.

it has been years since my first viewing, but i remember the ending being a surprise as it leapt forward in time. even with the this leap, the film is well rounded, conveying a deep empathy and understanding for the characters.

it's as much about the magic and wonderment of childhood as it is ultimately a love story.

Average customer rating:

Scent of Murder
Starring: Sherilyn Fenn , Costas Mandylor , Emma Campbell , James McGowan , and Ellen David
Director: Peter Svatek
Manufacturer: Starlight Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002W4SEK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Description

Brenna Scott and her boss Jett Culpepper run a search and rescue dog team and are asked to find a missing child. Brenna finds the kidnapper as he tosses the child into a rushing river and flees. Brenna and her dog jump into the currents and rescue the child. Details of this abduction match two unsolved F.B.I. cold cases. They realize that a serial child killer is on the loose. The killer emails Brenna with cryptic clues on future kidnappings. Another child disappears. The search and rescue team goes to the crime scene but no child is found. The killer has given Brenna false clues. A third child is reported missing. Brenna realizes that she might have the key to solving these crimes but... who is this killer, why is he killing and what is his relationship to her? Can she unravel the clues and capture him before another child is taken? INSPIRED BY ACTUAL EVENTS

Al Pacino Collection (Scarface/Carlito's Way/Scent Of A Woman/Sea Of Love)

Average customer rating:

"THE MAN"
Mostly Classic...
Great starter set
Al Pacino at his very best

Al Pacino Collection (Scarface/Carlito's Way/Scent Of A Woman/Sea Of Love)
Starring: Al Pacino , Ellen Barkin , John Goodman , Michael Rooker , and William Hickey
Director: Harold Becker , Martin Brest , and Brian De Palma
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00001WY7V
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Customer Reviews:

"THE MAN".......2003-01-24

If u want a hella lot of good movies then buy this set. Thats why i got because al is the man. So many good roles, not all as good as antonio montona, but by far my favorite actor. Even though he edged out DeNiro for the top spot, they both are good but the only way to show how good al is, is to get this collection......Just do it..............Forget about it

Mostly Classic..........2001-04-22

Yes it's a great starter's set..! But I wonder why so many of his great movies are not in boxed sets yet?!! This box set has 2 of his eighties and 2 of early ninties but there are so much good movies of his that need to be in a set as well.

If you love Al Pacino, you'll love buying his movies. And this box set happens to be a good start but don't think that it's enough there's so much left such as Heat and Devil's Advocate which are the MASTER PIECES of his acting career!

So it is good but not enough... something else, the DVD's included in this set are poor in extra's. It seems we can't have it all :-)

Great starter set.......2000-04-17

This is a great set for any Pacino fan. Hmm, it's a great set even if you're a general film fan! SCARFACE (arguably Al's best film performance) and CARLITO'S WAY will take you into the Latino crime scene. Al's Oscar-winning performance in SCENT OF A WOMAN will leave you screaming "hoo-ah!" for a week. Unfortunately, though, they included SEA OF LOVE rather than one of Al's better films such as Dog Day Afternoon or Serpico. And when's The Godfather coming out! All in all, though, this is a great starter set.

Al Pacino at his very best.......1999-12-02

This is an essential collection for every Al Pacino fan. In Carlito's Way and Scarface he does one of his best work ever. Then there is the performance that gave him his only Oscar so far in A Scent of a Woman. If you enjoy really good films with a good script and cast you should buy the Al Pacino collection.

Average customer rating:

Hoo-Raaaah!
Two Perspectives
He is blind
pacino!
A TRUE AL PACINO FAN

Scent of a Woman [Region 2]
Starring: Al Pacino , Chris O'Donnell , James Rebhorn , Gabrielle Anwar , and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Martin Brest
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004S5SI

Amazon.com essential video

Hoo-ah! After seven Oscar nominations for his outstanding work in films such as The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon, it's ironic that Al Pacino finally won the Oscar for his grandstanding lead performance in this 1992 crowd pleaser. As the blind, blunt, and ultimately benevolent retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino is both hammy and compelling, simultaneously subtle and grandly over-the-top when defending his new assistant and prep school student Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) at a disciplinary hearing. While the subplot involving Charlie's prep-school crisis plays like a sequel to Dead Poets Society, Pacino's adventurous escapades in New York City provide comic relief, rich character development, and a memorable supporting role for Gabrielle Anwar as the young woman who accepts the colonel's invitation to dance the tango. Scent of a Woman is a remake of the 1972 Italian film Profumo di donna. In addition to Pacino's award, the picture garnered Oscar nominations for director Martin Brest and for screenwriter Bo Goldman. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Hoo-Raaaah!.......2007-08-28

Two Perspectives.......2007-06-19

He is blind.......2007-06-11

Yet Frank drives fancy cars and dances with pretty ladies. And this is true.
Al Pacino, Chris O'donnell

pacino!.......2007-06-10

this movie is a classic, pacino's performance is wonderful and there is a young phillip seymour hoffman

i truly enjoy this movie, though it can be a bit long so it isnt a frequent favorite of mine

A TRUE AL PACINO FAN.......2007-05-14

ANYONE THAT LIKES AL PACINO, WILL LOVE THIS . IT IS GREAT. WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE.

Average customer rating:

Scent of a Woman [Region 2]
Starring: Al Pacino , Chris O'Donnell , James Rebhorn , Gabrielle Anwar , and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Martin Brest
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004VY1B

Average customer rating:

LASERDISC "scent of a woman

Manufacturer: mca universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Laser Disc

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ASIN: 6302853729

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Hoo-Raaaah!
Two Perspectives
He is blind
pacino!
A TRUE AL PACINO FAN

Scent of a Woman [Region 2]
Starring: Al Pacino , Chris O'Donnell , James Rebhorn , Gabrielle Anwar , and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Martin Brest
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004D37I

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Hoo-Raaaah!.......2007-08-28

Two Perspectives.......2007-06-19

He is blind.......2007-06-11

Yet Frank drives fancy cars and dances with pretty ladies. And this is true.
Al Pacino, Chris O'donnell

pacino!.......2007-06-10

this movie is a classic, pacino's performance is wonderful and there is a young phillip seymour hoffman

i truly enjoy this movie, though it can be a bit long so it isnt a frequent favorite of mine

A TRUE AL PACINO FAN.......2007-05-14

ANYONE THAT LIKES AL PACINO, WILL LOVE THIS . IT IS GREAT. WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE.

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