I loved the book. It was so beautifully written, I'm a bit hesitant to see the movie. After I read the book, I couldn't imagine how they could possibly make a movie out of it because it was completely filled with scent, and I didn't think anyone could carry it that well into film.
I still haven't seen the movie, but judging from the trailer and reviews I have read, it's a very visual piece of work. This makes me even more hesitant to see it. The book was written by someone who understood scent to its very core, a lot of it focused on the science of scent and the layers of the scent, and the description was incredibly learned and provocative. There was nothing sexual in the book at all, in fact, a lot of it was perverse and a lot of the descriptions of disgusting scents were in fact quite sickening. I just can't imagine a film that is supposedly visually stunning can possibly live up to a book that is all about scent.
Also, it apparently took 10 years to adapt to film :)
agreed, on the visuals of the sensation of scent being a challenge... and while it wasn't perfectly addressed in the film, it definitely took this in consideration, and I felt as if I were smelling the things he discussed in the movie. Perhaps this was due to the narrator, but either way, it was something that I noticed while watching it.
I think that this is why it took 10 years to develop into a proper screenplay ;)
i only read the book and it was AMAZING. Instead of being disgusted by Grenouille, I felt like I was on his side all along...I want to watch the movie but I'm afraid of being disappointed, which always happens when a good novel is made into a movie :P rachel hurd wood is in it apparently? She was so cute as Wendy in Peter Pan !!
Its interesting, I've heard varying opinions about the book... the concept of scent as being invoked through visuals certainly is a challenge, though one that the movie makes a good attempt at.
I felt the same way about Grenouille, and I'm not sure how the book started, but the movie's beginning disappointed me because I thought that he would be executed and that would be the end of that (I hate watching movies when I already know the ending). However, as you know from the book, it doesn't exactly happen as neatly as all that and ends up being a very good story.
I'm thinking of picking up the Chinese version of the book, since the English version would be a translation anyways, the Chinese might be more interesting ;)
Funnily enough, when I was at school I was in a production of The Tempest with the lead actor in Perfume. He's been "one to watch" for a while now in films, but he did really well as Hamlet at... er, I think it was the Old Vic... a few years ago.
For the record, he was Prospero, I was Trinculo. Life imitates art.
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I still haven't seen the movie, but judging from the trailer and reviews I have read, it's a very visual piece of work. This makes me even more hesitant to see it. The book was written by someone who understood scent to its very core, a lot of it focused on the science of scent and the layers of the scent, and the description was incredibly learned and provocative. There was nothing sexual in the book at all, in fact, a lot of it was perverse and a lot of the descriptions of disgusting scents were in fact quite sickening. I just can't imagine a film that is supposedly visually stunning can possibly live up to a book that is all about scent.
Also, it apparently took 10 years to adapt to film :)
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I think that this is why it took 10 years to develop into a proper screenplay ;)
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I felt the same way about Grenouille, and I'm not sure how the book started, but the movie's beginning disappointed me because I thought that he would be executed and that would be the end of that (I hate watching movies when I already know the ending). However, as you know from the book, it doesn't exactly happen as neatly as all that and ends up being a very good story.
I'm thinking of picking up the Chinese version of the book, since the English version would be a translation anyways, the Chinese might be more interesting ;)
Reply
For the record, he was Prospero, I was Trinculo. Life imitates art.
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brilliant.
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