Review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) by Alisha D — 17 Nov 2011

After a long time the DVD spent in my cupboard, waiting for me to read the book, it finally got watched.

My German teacher has made a splendid pick in the reading till the end of the term, since I've always wanted to read The Perfume, but never had the motivation to do so.

Like I predicted the book was incredibly gripping and very enjoyable to read, since the story is not only intriguing, but the atmosphere and the characters are interesting, to say the least. I loved the sarcasm throughout the book and how Patrick Suesskind just managed to create beautiful pictures in my head.

France in the 19th century is interesting on its own and the movie captures the setting well. All in all, the movie succeeds in portraying the 'fleeting world of scents', although I'm not sure, how others, who haven't read the book, perceive it. I like how they kept so much from the book. The voice-overs were well done and really helped the progress of the movie.

Come the casting. Ben Whishaw as the genius Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. I like that character, I really do. And I dislike the makers for butchering the Grenouille in my fantasy. Of course it's not their fault and Ben Whishaw gave a great performance, but it was a far cry from what I thought of.

Baldini and Richis were well portrayed, can't complain about them.

All in all a good adaptation, but highly forgettable. I'd rather read the book, since it treats the genius of Grenouille more specifically and is just a pleasant read!