“Scent of a Woman” is the kind of film that many would believe belongs to a bygone era. While it is frank and contemporary without completely sugar-coating its subject matter, it ultimately illustrates the value of character over glitz and how small acts can have long-lasting consequences. Adapted from the Italian film version of Piedmontian playwright, Giovanni Arpino, “Scent of a Woman” carefully tells the story of Charlie Simms, a young man played by Chris O’Donnell, who is offered a weekend job, taking care of a blind, medically-retired army officer named Lt. Colonel Jack Slade, portrayed brilliantly by Al Pacino, scoring his first ever Oscar win for Best Actor after nearly two decades of accolade snubs. The film pits two characters who are diametric opposites. Slade is a world-weary retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who, through a careless accident, loses his ability of sight as well as his way of living a functional life. Simms on the other hand, is a young New England prepratory school student on the verge of a scholarship whose future is threatened due to the acts of wealthy misfits he attends the institution with. The troublemakers manage to compile a foolish stunt that goes against school policy and furthermore embarrasses the organization’s cold disciplinarian, Mr. Task, played by the late James Rebhorn.
Caught in an uncomfortable situation which involves possible expulsion, Simms goes to Slade for advice only to find himself on a moral journey with the visually-impaired army ranger. The blind Lt. Colonel needs an escort so that he can travel safely to New York City and have a rip-roaring time before he makes a fateful and unfavorable decision. The poor prep student desires to earn a few bucks to forgo the visit to New York City and is in urgent need of some fresh perspective on how to approach the crisis at school. The interplay between the two characters is simply mind boggling and ulike anything I’ve ever seen in cinema. It is more riveting than the best Grisham or Hemmingway novel one would pick out of the library. Both characters are asked to make crucial life choices that call for them to reach deep into their inner soul. The right decision is unfortunately the most difficult decision to make, but as an end result, the correct decisions seemingly lead to a fitting and happier conclusion.
There are two outstanding scenes in particular that are not to be missed. The first is set in the New York ballroom where Slade teaches a young woman named Donna, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar, how to tango. The tango itself is so subtle and elegant that even a mere couch potato is tempted to reach for the yellow pages in search of dance lessons. The second and most profound is the speech that Slade makes in defense of Simms at the prep school disciplinary hearing. To say this scene is highly-underappreciated in film studies is simply an understatement. It certainly goes down as one of the greatest orations of all times. The overall vocality and gruff nature that Pacino brings to speech is easily one of the most defining moments of the film. He doesn’t want to fight the battle for Simms, but when Simms can’t get his neutrality across to the disciplinary board, Slade steps in with a belly full of fire and a passionate attitude that makes Mel Gibson’s performance in Braveheart look like child’s play.
“Scent of a Woman” is very satisfying on its own terms. The character development is impressive, the dialogue is affluable, the cinematography is glamorous, and the general story line requires the characters to show themselves in order to be the people they really are. The film has plenty of humorous episodes as well as dramatical sequences. Director, Martin Brest and screenwriter, Bo Goldman create a visionary portrait of life, hope, friendship, and honesty. Upon watching “Scent of a Woman,” I immediately realized that this movie was better than I thought it would be. I was mostly drawn towards the cleverly-written dialogue from Bo Goldman, and the stand-out performances from the supporting cast. The crowning achievement however belongs to Al Pacino, delivering one of the greatest performances of his career, that is rightfully deserving of the Academy Award for Best Actor Oscar. Aside from the performances of Pacino and O’Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, and a young Philip Seymour Hoffman, highlight the plot and the rising action of the film. Delivered with some powerful sequences, provided with some beautiful directing, wonderful writing, and whimsical score, “Scent of a Woman” is perhaps one of the many masterstrokes of Al Pacino’s career. Although the 157-minute running time is slightly overlong and some of the shots by Brest were just needlessly stuck, luckily that didn’t manage to sabotage the momentum of final product. What the film conveys is beyond moral and righteous. It shows its audience that even the strongest of men like Slade are flawed and the weakest of men like Simms can throw the punches. It is a unique film I hold close to my heart whenever I feel the lack of motivation and pragmatism and it certainly fits the bill on my shortlist.
Drew Mattiola is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at RM814408@wcupa.edu.