What do you think of this blurb on the movie _Perfume: The Story of a Murderer_?
LOL. OK, this must be one of the most over-the-top ridiculous excuses to make a movie featuring the pointless serial murder of women: "Born with an acute sense of smell, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille resorts to dark deeds in creating a perfume that captures the essence of a woman in this 18th-century thriller …. The disturbing intensity mounts as Baroque-born Grenouille's obsession to create the ultimate scent moves from innovation to murderous aberration." Apparently he kills a bunch of women in order to "preserve their unique scents." WTF is this? Fortunately, the movie got at least some horrible reviews. What do you think?
_Star Wars_? LMFAO. I think not.
1. Usually movies butcher the hell out of books, and even if they don't want to, they usually have to anyway for practical reasons.
2. Yes, I realize modern popular horror movies as a genre are total garbage. There are indeed many movies "worse" than this – obviously. But I find this plot especially ironic because of the loaded symbol and commodity of 'perfume.' We have a bunch of males making perfume to be worn by women for other men to smell. The women's desires and perspectives are lost and ignored; we value their scents more than their lives. They're chased by men as though men worship and actually care about them, but really the women are the same victims of nonsensical unjustified violence in real life that they always were. These movies that appear so "unique" and "interesting" indeed just recycle the same gender assumptions, expectations, and stereotypes as always – and take them to absurd levels.
3. "What has this to do with Women's Studies"? Er. Der. Feminist critique of film … examining roles and representations of women in the media which reflect societal assumptions and influence new ones … You actually had to ask this?
Ha. How bizarre, Rainbow. I'll have to keep that in mind when I watch (or hopefully read) it.
That was an amazing book, actually. I had no idea a movie was being made. It may sound stupid, but you should read the book. It's one of my favorites.
Edit: see, the book gets good reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murderer-Patrick-Suskind/dp/0375725849
That was an amazing book, actually. I had no idea a movie was being made. It may sound stupid, but you should read the book. It's one of my favorites.
Edit: see, the book gets good reviews:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murderer-Patrick-Suskind/dp/0375725849http://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murderer-Patr… />References :
No worse then other horror movies. Stupid it may be but at least its original. I haven't really seen it so i don't know if its any good bu like i said it's no worse than a cannibal that kills people and makes masks out of their skin.References :
Sounds more original than a lot of the rehashed tripe coming out of Hollywood these days.References :
What has that to do with womens studies ? I saw the movie and found it to be quite interesting actually. Sometimes Successfull books get their own movies, but maybe you want to get back to your star wars. Is it only out now in the us ?References :
Never read the book. Saw the movie (sort of a nothing else I haven't seen lately so hobson's choice) and was quite surprised.
The dialog was good, the costumes were accurate and the sub-plots were convincing enough. I have to admit the scene with the reveal of the final perfume product was hilarious!! Agreed some pretty stereotypical themes are portrayed here, but that's the period authenticity. Otherwise you are revising media and history to suit personal preferences… which in all conscience is highly arrogant & self-centered.
You may not like it, but judged on its own merits, it is actually worth the time to watch.References :
Haven't seen the movie, or even heard about it before now, but as an aside, "Grenouille" means "frog" in French. One has to wonder why the writer named his lead character after a frog. Does he see him as the Frog Prince?References :