Perfume: Story of a Murderer
Eighteenth-century Paris. Unwanted child Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is born odourless but with a super-refined sense of smell. Later becoming apprentice to master perfumer Baldini (Dustin Hoffman), he develops an obsession with bottling female scent. Following his nose to perfume capital Grasse, he finds that the key to unlocking the secret lies with murder...
Based on a Best Selling Novel, which I havn't read so no idea how close the movie version is to the source material. How do you film a book about smell? They certainly gave it a good try.
Ben Whishaw is brilliant as the creepy serial killer Grenouille and Rachel Hurd-Wood is absolutely stunning as the object of his ultimate scent. Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman make cameo apperances to good effect.
John Hurt's narrative voice over is perfectly pitched and occassionally funny.
The movie is a feast on the eyes bringing 18th centuary France to life.
My only misgiving was the outragous ending, but it kinda worked for me. Weird and wonderful and utterly brilliant.
In the running for my film of the year.
