Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of eighteenth century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world’s finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.

The novel PERFUME came out about twenty years ago, and was one of those international sensations blending a mystery with the feel and texture of an historical novel, and adding either theological tones (THE NAME OF THE ROSE) or philosophy (PERFUME). Despite some differences with the novel the screenplay here does a fine job keeping the story of olfactory triumph and it’s empty results to the front, holding the audiences’ attention to the interesting conclusion.

Basically the story is the odd career of the 18th Century Serial Killer Jean Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Wishaw). Grenouille is born in the lowest level of 18th Century Society - his mother (who has had four children before) is a fish dealer. Too poor to have proper treatment with a midwife or doctor, she gives birth beneath her fish table, cutting the umbilical cord with the same knife as used on her fish heads. Her probable intention is to dump the child in the garbage of the food market, but the appearance of the mother and a customer’s noting a sound lead to the child’s discovery. The mother is hanged, and the young Jean Baptiste sent to an orphanage.

From the start the society of the 18th Century is disheartening. It is not the world of the philosophes but the French equivalent of WIlliam Hogarth’s ”Gin Lane”. Drunkeness, whores, thieves, violent death, filth, is everywhere (to the point that the viewer can nearly smell everything). Everybody who gets the early Jean Baptiste are not likable people. The woman running the orphanage is greedy and quick to whip the kids (they sense something wrong with Jean Baptiste, and try to smother him - smart kids!). She sells him as an apprentice at age 15, but she is murdered by street thieves for her money. The tanner who apprentices Jean Baptiste is brutal looking. Jean Baptiste, by just smelling him, realizes he must do everything this man wants. As a result he survives the five year life average other apprentices of the man have - and eventually is sold to Bandini (Dustin Hoffman, in a nice supporting role) a perfumer. Shortly afterward the tanner is knocked down in a road when drunk, hits his head on a heavy stone, and drowns. Bandini eventually dies when his ancient home collapses, after Jean Baptiste leaves him.

Since his birth beneath the fish table in the market, Jean Baptiste has had an exceptional nose which he trains to identify all items by their odors. But this includes people (we tend to forget that people being of a family of mammals have body odors). Taken to Paris on a business trip by the Tanner, Jean Baptiste wanders off fascinated by an odor. He gets to a perfume shop and smells the world’s loveliest artificial odors. But he notices the women are the customers and concentrates on them after awhile. He takes a walk, following a young woman selling fruit (apricots), and even is able to trace her by her scent to go to her hovel. He really does not know what precisely he is to do with her, but when they are interrupted he grabs her against the shadow of a wall, watching a man walking away with a prostitute. Jean Baptiste ends up finding he accidentally killed her. He then takes the time to smell her body to understand the scent of virginal innocence that he had found so enticing.

Later Jean Baptiste delivers some skins from the tannery to Bandini to be made to smell good with his scents. Jean Baptiste demonstrates his remarkable sense of smell and how it can enrich Bandini. So he purchases Jean Baptiste from the tanner, and soon is teaching him how to capture scent. Eventually Jean Baptiste goes to Southern France, and starts a career of killing women while capturing their body scent. After about seven murders he sets off a panic, and the town he is in tries to find him (going crazy in the process). Since nobody can understand the reason for the murders (none of the victims were ravaged) they can’t figure out what he wants (although one townsman - Alan Rickman, in a good performance - suspects it is something shared by all these women). Rickman is worried, and with reason - his daughter (Rachel Hurd-Wood) may be targeted. Rickman should be worried - his daughter has been targeted.

In the end the story completes in an execution that goes awry (and that everyone tries to forget), and Jean Baptiste seemingly victorious. Yes and no. He has escaped his last real peril by use of his discovery, but in doing this he has suddenly gotten a revelation that while he has control over the human race he has nothing. Having never been loved, in an age of great cruelty, he is incapable of love. He keeps thinking of his first victim, and what he probably should have offered to her...but he’s too confused to notice it. So his triumph is worthless. In the end he welcomes...well the end.

What is the scent of a love? PERFUME suggests that it is too costly to gain that secret unless you have an appreciation of love first.

2006

R

4713841212346

Movie

2018-02-07 18:14:23

2.35:1

141

United States

1

Free

Snap Case

~€6.85

2026-01-09

2018-02-07 18:14:23