Cringeworthy, nauseating, a complete embarrassment

verbal22

I stumbled upon 'Perfume' while travelling round Europe last month. At the time I'd never heard of Suskind's novel, let alone the film adaptation and as a result, I entered the cinema without any preconceptions of what to expect. I was staggered. I cannot think of a film I've seen that is as cringe-worthy, nauseating and ultimately, as ridiculous or as embarrassing as this awful, awful waste of 50 million euros.

First, the positives (and there are precious few). The film is indeed beautifully shot. Medieval Paris is impressively realised and you really do get a sense of the grimy underbelly of the city that Grenouille inhabits. In addition, the second half of the film when the murders are taking place is undeniably tense as a cinematic experience.

However, by this stage all credibility has already been lost as a result of the lumpen and unconvincing script and the appallingly nauseous narration, which is representative of the general feel of the film as a whole. Think 'Chocolat' at its most sickly, with Juliette Binoche stirring a hot pot in slow motion to a lush orchestral background. However, while that film just about saved itself from teetering into the realms of the ridiculous, 'Perfume' plummets into the abyss like a suicidal elephant, lacking any sense of subtlety, finesse or restraint. Hoffman's 'paradise rose garden' scene after smelling Grenouille's first creation should be consigned to the film-making skip permanently. Nobody should be forced to see that.

Surely it can't get any worse I thought. I was wrong. The execution/orgy scene must count as one of the most unbelievable and embarrassing in cinema history, so much so that I actually felt sorry for Alan Rickman, as though his career was disappearing before my very eyes. Stumbling on from there we reach the ending, with Grenouille being crushed to death by a mob of filthy peasants acting for the first time "out of love". No decrease in the cringe factor, no less embarrassing.

Independent film makers struggling for funds for their projects will only look on in despair. A woeful mistake of a film, it has to be seen to be believed.

score 1/10

verbal22 5 October 2006

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1490240/