英文影评:法国电影《香水》
发布时间：2022-11-20 20:57:56
Tom Tykwer adapts Patrick Süskind‘s bestselling novel about an 18th century French psychopath with a superhuman sense of smell
A German director, adapting a German novel set in France, with actors speaking English, plus extensive voice-over and a near-mute protagonist who spends a lot of his time sniffing. It doesn‘t exactly sound like a recipe for cinematic success. Remarkably, Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Heaven) has pulled it off, creating a film that overcomes its more awkward elements to be a visually impressive, highly unusual period thriller.
If you‘ve read Patrick Süskind‘s 1985 novel, doubtless you‘ll recollect its opening pages, where the profound stink of eighteenth century Europe is described and the protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born to his fish vendor mother, amid the guts and heads of a Paris fish market, "the most putrid spot in all the kingdom". Tykwer doesn‘t immediately take us to this scenario, but after a short prologue showing the grown-up Grenouille in chains and on his way to the scaffold, he unleashes the full glory of a splendidly yucky cinematic realisation of said birth scene. In the light of the usual tone of period dramas, it‘s refreshingly foul.
The first half of the film is defined by this grot as Jean-Baptiste is sent to an orphanage, where he grows up an odd child who unnerves the other children - as we‘re informed in the extensive narration provided by John Hurt. If you‘re of the school of thought that insists a good movie shouldn‘t use voice over, perhaps Perfume isn‘t for you, as much of the film relies on it, in part due to Grenouille not being much of a talker. Instead, he sniffs his way around the world, his sense of smell so acute he can identify pretty much any creature or substance within a large vicinity. After being sold to a tanner, he grows up into the appropriately wiry Ben Winshaw, who gives a gripping performance even if his delivery is a tad dubious. Grenouille discovers the full panoply of scents on his first trip into the centre of Paris. He‘s drawn to a perfumer‘s shop, but then lured away by the scent of a beautiful young girl (Herfurth) selling plums. She becomes his first kill, almost by accident, and his lifelong obsession - the scent of her body is the most intoxicating he‘s experienced.
When happenstance brings him into contact with the once famous but faded perfumier Baldini (Hoffman, doing the film‘s only American accent), Grenouille so impresses him with his uncanny skills, he takes him on as an apprentice. This leads to him travelling to the perfume capital of Grasse in Provence, where he learns other techniques, which he then starts to exploit in his attempts to capture the elusive ideal scent of feminine youth and beauty. So begins his serial killing, and a new, ongoing mania for another beauty - Laura (Hurd-Wood), the daughter of a rich merchant, Richis (Rickman).
In the process, we learn some fascinating details about the production of perfumes - which involve notes and chords, like music. We‘re also introduced to a fabulous bit of psychopathology - Grenouille is half super-canine, half-superhuman nutter, whose powers enable him to manipulate people, though he‘s entirely without moral constraint or purpose. As such, he‘s a force, a power. The film closes in 1766, and it would be nice to read the culmination of his ambitions as in some way having an influence on French society, then starting to ferment and build towards revolution. It‘s probably reaching, but either way, the prior scenes of him manipulating a mob in the most extreme ways are an example of his remarkable abilities. The film plays around nicely with conventions, so when Grenouille first follows the plum seller, the musical cues are pure romance. However, it‘s not love for the girl our weird antihero feels, it‘s love for her smell. The whole endeavour is like a grotesque romance, as his obsessions move him on to his infatuation with Laura. Tykwer slyly shoots it as if she‘s gazing at him, or moving towards him, but he‘s actually hidden, and while she‘s oblivious, he‘s savouring her scent.
The film does suffer from some pacing issues during its 140 minute running time. However, even when the story is dragging, the film is so visually rich, it retains a pull. The $50 million budget is certainly up there on the screen, with wonderful production design, and cinematography by Tykwer‘s regular collaborator Frank Griebe. The first hour is amazing for its visions of old bridges packed with decrepit buildings and streets paved with filth. Grasse, on the other hand, introduces a blaze of colour, with lavender fields and the town itself lit by the Provencal sun. It‘s a beautiful, bright backdrop for Grenouille‘s dark activities, which have him experimenting with elaborate equipment like some odour-oriented Dr Frankenstein.
If you‘ve read Patrick Süskind‘s 1985 novel, doubtless you‘ll recollect its opening pages, where the profound stink of eighteenth century Europe is described and the protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born to his fish vendor mother, amid the guts and heads of a Paris fish market, "the most putrid spot in all the kingdom". Tykwer doesn‘t immediately take us to this scenario, but after a short prologue showing the grown-up Grenouille in chains and on his way to the scaffold, he unleashes the full glory of a splendidly yucky cinematic realisation of said birth scene. In the light of the usual tone of period dramas, it‘s refreshingly foul.
The first half of the film is defined by this grot as Jean-Baptiste is sent to an orphanage, where he grows up an odd child who unnerves the other children - as we‘re informed in the extensive narration provided by John Hurt. If you‘re of the school of thought that insists a good movie shouldn‘t use voice over, perhaps Perfume isn‘t for you, as much of the film relies on it, in part due to Grenouille not being much of a talker. Instead, he sniffs his way around the world, his sense of smell so acute he can identify pretty much any creature or substance within a large vicinity. After being sold to a tanner, he grows up into the appropriately wiry Ben Winshaw, who gives a gripping performance even if his delivery is a tad dubious. Grenouille discovers the full panoply of scents on his first trip into the centre of Paris. He‘s drawn to a perfumer‘s shop, but then lured away by the scent of a beautiful young girl (Herfurth) selling plums. She becomes his first kill, almost by accident, and his lifelong obsession - the scent of her body is the most intoxicating he‘s experienced.
When happenstance brings him into contact with the once famous but faded perfumier Baldini (Hoffman, doing the film‘s only American accent), Grenouille so impresses him with his uncanny skills, he takes him on as an apprentice. This leads to him travelling to the perfume capital of Grasse in Provence, where he learns other techniques, which he then starts to exploit in his attempts to capture the elusive ideal scent of feminine youth and beauty. So begins his serial killing, and a new, ongoing mania for another beauty - Laura (Hurd-Wood), the daughter of a rich merchant, Richis (Rickman).
In the process, we learn some fascinating details about the production of perfumes - which involve notes and chords, like music. We‘re also introduced to a fabulous bit of psychopathology - Grenouille is half super-canine, half-superhuman nutter, whose powers enable him to manipulate people, though he‘s entirely without moral constraint or purpose. As such, he‘s a force, a power. The film closes in 1766, and it would be nice to read the culmination of his ambitions as in some way having an influence on French society, then starting to ferment and build towards revolution. It‘s probably reaching, but either way, the prior scenes of him manipulating a mob in the most extreme ways are an example of his remarkable abilities. The film plays around nicely with conventions, so when Grenouille first follows the plum seller, the musical cues are pure romance. However, it‘s not love for the girl our weird antihero feels, it‘s love for her smell. The whole endeavour is like a grotesque romance, as his obsessions move him on to his infatuation with Laura. Tykwer slyly shoots it as if she‘s gazing at him, or moving towards him, but he‘s actually hidden, and while she‘s oblivious, he‘s savouring her scent.
The film does suffer from some pacing issues during its 140 minute running time. However, even when the story is dragging, the film is so visually rich, it retains a pull. The $50 million budget is certainly up there on the screen, with wonderful production design, and cinematography by Tykwer‘s regular collaborator Frank Griebe. The first hour is amazing for its visions of old bridges packed with decrepit buildings and streets paved with filth. Grasse, on the other hand, introduces a blaze of colour, with lavender fields and the town itself lit by the Provencal sun. It‘s a beautiful, bright backdrop for Grenouille‘s dark activities, which have him experimenting with elaborate equipment like some odour-oriented Dr Frankenstein.