Released in 1992, Al Pacino’s Scent of a Woman is a drama directed and produced by Martin Brest.
The film centres around a preparatory school student who takes up a part-time job around Thanksgiving as a companion and support to a retired Army lieutenant colonel who is blind, struggling with depression, and prone to irritability.
With a 85 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, Scent of a Woman is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and will be broadcast on BBC Two next Sunday, April 13.
One audience viewer couldn’t stop gushing about the 1992 film: “Martin Brest’s “Scent of a Woman” is a beautiful coming-of-age story. It features some of the most stunning performances, a well-written script, character development, and arcs. The story also teaches us to be good people and never let anyone take us for granted.”
With Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell in titular roles, the film also features stellar supporting performances by James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Bradley Whitford, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (credited as Philip S. Hoffman).
Securing Al Pacino the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance, Scent of a Woman was also nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published honours at the 65th Academy Awards. The movie also bagged three coveted Golden Globes for Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture – Drama.
Critical praise for the movie reads: “A great character-driven movie starring two well-rounded characters, a fun performance by Pacino, deft directing, a complementary score and plenty of human interest all the way around,” while another top-critic said about the movie: “The good thing is that the principals and film makers make the absolute most of a conventional opportunity.”
One critic felt the movie could’ve benefited from being slightly shorter in length: “Thanks to a landmark performance by Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman is an agreeably watchable film. If they’d made it half an hour shorter and re-written the ending, it could have been a great one.”
Praise for The Godfather star’s performance in Scent of a Woman ran abound: “Pacino’s performance is that rare kind that captivates all on its own, stealing every scene away from everyone else in it,” and another reviewer felt it saved the movie: “Pacino, meanwhile, devours his role with such theatrical relish that Scent of a Woman remains tolerable, even at its most cloying moments…”
For his Academy Award-winning performance, The Scarface actor painstakingly researched for the part of Lt. Col. Frank Slade by meeting clients of New York’s Associated Blind in order to portray the life of a blind individual.
The actor spoke to people who had lost their sight due to trauma and they traced the entire progression of their blindness for him – right from the moment they lost their sight to battling with depression and finally arriving at acceptance with regards to their condition. The Lighthouse, a New York-based advocacy organization for the blind, educated him in the methods that individuals with vision impairment might employ to locate a chair and sit down, pour liquid from a bottle, and even light a cigar.
Pacino’s efforts paid off, with viewers commending his brilliant performance: “There was not much in the movie, except for the brilliant performance by Al Pacino. His performance took the film to another level.”
Another reviewer remarked: “Al Pacino’s stunning and powerful performance could overshadow the meaning of the movie itself. However, the remarkable plot and well thought direction, camerawork and screenplay is all but enough to make this movie an absolute work of art.
“A well deserved Oscar win by Al Pacino and a good message to those with any disability about the importance of life and the wonders it can bring. This movie shows it all with impressive emotion and amazing depth. There is only one way to put this movie and that is: perfection.”
Scent of a Woman will be broadcast on BBC Two (except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD) next Sunday, April 13, at 10pm.
It’s also available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime video.
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