And I truly think it has one of the greatest endings in film history. As much for the message it is trying to convey as for the brutal attack on the audience that it is.

The book gives a better impression of what Grenouille created (possibly), which is why some see it as coming out of left field.

Many people are used to standard horror films. I get that.

It was not tacked on.”

Nice, Film-Book … I should have read your whole post before I commented above. You said it better than I could.

You may be right about the appeal factor but those audiences are simply missing out as they sit and watch another Japanese remake.

Perfume, based on the international bestseller by Patrick Suskind”

Loved the book. Great descriptions, good plot.

” who reveals every grisly detail – the newborn struggling for breath, the congealing blood, the mangled umbilical cord trailing across the cobblestones – and lingers on them. Although unpleasant in the extreme,”

One of my favorite parts of the film. No punches pulled.

“Tykwer instead chooses to ground his film in reality, rapidly flashing vibrant close-ups of fruit, women’s hair, animals, and whatever else Jean-Baptiste is “smelling” at the moment. The technique is simple and yet masterful.”

I was wondering how he would show odor as well. I was surprised how he was able to pull it off.

I did not like how some of the people in the film were killed though.

Evan, I remember you saying previously that you were going to review Perfume one day. I am glad you got around to it.

Perfume exists at the crossroads of beauty and obscenity, and for better or worse, Whishaw captures that juxtaposition flawlessly.”

I do not know about obscene. I have seen innocents killed with axes plenty of times. I saw Lizard point a .45 at a baby’s head in the remake of The Hills Have Eyes. I would say unique fits the situation better.

“This self-importance is more distasteful than everything that has preceded it because it’s as if Tykwer is attempting to justify his film’s existence with a ludicrously trite moral. After subjecting us to over two hours of pure morbidity, Tykwer tries to tie it all up with a nice little bow by telling us that “all you really need is love.”

I read the comments above so I know you have not read the book yet. If you had, you would not have been surprised by this scene at all. It’s not love you are witnessing, its POWER. What Grenouille created was so strong, it overrided everything in the people around him. He created something the world had never seen (smelt) before. Something so pure that it created immediate and ultimate ecstasy.

It was not tacked on.

“As I mentioned before, it amazes me that it was ever given the green light, and I can’t imagine many people will find it remotely enjoyable.”

I did. Plus I loved seeing the book brought to life. Standard American horror is on life-support (http://film-book.com/the-state-of-the-american-horror-film/). Friday the 13th (2009) anyone?

” A soulless protagonist inevitably begets a soulless work of art, and no matter how beautiful or fascinating parts of the canvas may be, in the end you’re left feeling empty inside.”

I disagree. Michael Myers has no soul and Halloween is one of the best horror films ever created.

My review for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer:http://film-book.com/perfume-the-story-of-a-murderer/

I do understand where you are coming from here.

“While I found parts of Perfume hauntingly beautiful, I mostly kept watching out of a sense of perverse curiosity.”

I completely agree with that. I’ve been wanting to watch it again, though.

I wanted to like this movie more. I really did. But it just struck the wrong chord with me and I never recovered. I think I was grimacing the entire time. That first image – of the bloodied infant lying on the dirty cobblestones – wedged itself in my mind and colored the rest of the film negatively.