Scent of a Woman (1992 film)

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Scent of a Woman
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Brest
Screenplay by	Bo Goldman
Based on	Il buio e il miele by Giovanni Arpino
Suggested by	Character from Profumo di donna by Dino Risi
Produced by	Martin Brest
Starring	Al Pacino Chris O'Donnell
Cinematography	Donald E. Thorin
Edited by	William Steinkamp Michael Tronick Harvey Rosenstock
Music by	Thomas Newman
Production company	City Light Films
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	December 23, 1992 (1992-12-23)
Running time	156 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$31 million[1]
Box office	$134.1 million

Scent of a Woman is a 1992 American drama film produced and directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to an irritable, blind, medically retired Army lieutenant colonel. The film is a remake of Dino Risi's 1974 Italian film Profumo di donna, adapted by Bo Goldman from the novel Il buio e il miele (Italian: Darkness and Honey) by Giovanni Arpino. The film stars Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell, with James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Gabrielle Anwar.

Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance and the film was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. The film won three major awards at the Golden Globe Awards: Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Motion Picture – Drama.^[2]

The film was shot primarily around New York state, and also on location at Princeton University, at the Emma Willard School, an all-girls school in Troy, New York, and at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City.

Plot[]

Charlie Simms is a student at the Baird School, an exclusive New England preparatory school. Unlike most of his peers, Charlie was not born into a wealthy family, and attends the school on a scholarship. Charlie accepts a temporary job over Thanksgiving weekend to afford a plane ticket home to Oregon for Christmas. The woman who hires him asks Charlie to watch over her uncle, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, whom Charlie discovers to be a cantankerous, blind alcoholic. George Willis, Jr., another student at the Baird School, and Charlie witness three students setting up a prank that publicly humiliates Mr. Trask, the headmaster. Trask quickly learns of the two student witnesses and presses Charlie and George to divulge the names of the perpetrators. Once George has left the office, Trask offers Charlie a bribe: a letter of recommendation that would virtually guarantee his acceptance to Harvard. Charlie remains silent, but is conflicted about what to do. Shortly after Charlie arrives, Frank unexpectedly whisks Charlie off on a trip to New York City. Frank reserves a room at the Waldorf-Astoria. During dinner at the Oak Room, Frank glibly states the goals of the trip, which involve enjoying luxurious accommodations in New York before committing suicide. Charlie is taken aback and does not know if Frank is serious. They pay an uninvited visit to Frank's brother's home in White Plains for Thanksgiving dinner. Frank is an unpleasant surprise for the family, as he deliberately provokes everyone and the night ends in acrimony. During this time, the cause of Frank's blindness is also revealed: While drunk, he was juggling live hand grenades, showing off for a group of second lieutenants, when one of the grenades exploded.

As they return to New York City, Charlie tells Frank about his complications at school. Frank advises Charlie to inform on his classmates and go to Harvard, warning him that George will probably give in to the pressure to talk, and Charlie had better cash in before George does. Later at a restaurant, Frank is aware of Donna, a young woman waiting for her date. Although blind, Frank leads Donna in a spectacular tango ("Por una Cabeza") on the dance floor. That night, he hires a female escort. Deeply despondent the next morning, Frank is initially uninterested in Charlie's proposals for something to do until he suggests they go for a drive in a 1989 Ferrari Mondial t Cabriolet. Frank smooth-talks the initially reluctant Ferrari dealership salesman into letting Charlie, who Frank says is his son, take the vehicle out for a test drive. Once on the road, Frank is unenthusiastic until Charlie allows him to drive, quickly arousing the attention of a police officer. Once again being calm and charming in a potentially difficult situation, Frank talks the officer into letting them go without giving away his blindness. After returning the Ferrari and waiting to cross the street, Frank grows impatient and walks into the middle of traffic on Park Avenue, where he narrowly avoids being struck by multiple cars. He then attempts to publicly urinate before being stopped by Charlie out of fear of Frank being arrested. When they return to the hotel, Frank sends Charlie out on a list of errands. Charlie initially leaves the room but quickly becomes suspicious. Charlie returns to find Frank in uniform and preparing to commit suicide with his service pistol. Charlie intervenes and they enter a tense fight, with both grappling for the gun; however, Frank backs down after Charlie bravely calms him and convinces him he has more to live for. The two return to New England.

At school, Charlie and George are subjected to a formal inquiry in front of the entire student body and the student/faculty disciplinary committee. As Trask is opening the proceedings, Frank unexpectedly returns to the school, joining Charlie on the auditorium stage for support. For his defense, George has enlisted the help of his wealthy father, using his poor vision as an excuse before naming all three of the perpetrators. When pressed for more details, George passes the burden to Charlie. Although struggling with his decision, Charlie gives no information, so Trask recommends Charlie's expulsion. Frank cannot contain himself and launches into a passionate speech defending Charlie and reminding the country's future elite and its trainers of the value of integrity. After brief deliberations, the disciplinary committee decide to place the students named by George on probation, deny George of any accolades for his testimony and excuse Charlie from punishment, allowing him to have no further involvement in the proceedings. As Charlie escorts Frank to his limo, Frank flirts with a young political science professor, and is returned home by Charlie, where Frank happily greets his niece's young children.

Cast[]

Casting[]

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Brendan Fraser, Chris Rock and Stephen Dorff auditioned for the role of Charlie Simms.^[3][4][5] Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Lt. Col. Frank Slade but turned it down.^[6]

Production[]

Scent of a Woman was filmed in the following US locations.^[7]

• Brooklyn, New York City, New York
• Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
• Emma Willard School, 285 Pawling Avenue, Troy, New York
• Hempstead House, Sands Point Preserve, 95 Middleneck Road, Port Washington, Long Island, New York (school)
• Kaufman Astoria Studios, 34-12 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York (studio)
• Long Island, New York
• Manhattan, New York City, New York
• Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey
• New York City, New York
• Pierre Hotel, Fifth Avenue & 61st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York (ballroom where Frank and Donna dance the tango)
• Port Washington, Long Island, New York
• Prince's Bay, Staten Island, New York City, New York
• Princeton, New Jersey
• Queens, New York City, New York
• Rockefeller College—Upper Madison Hall, Princeton University , Princeton, New Jersey (Scene at the Library)
• Staten Island, New York City, New York
• The Oak Room, The Plaza Hotel, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York (where Frank and Charlie have dinner)
• Troy, New York
• Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, 301 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York

Pacino painstakingly researched his part in Scent of a Woman. To understand what it feels like to be blind, he met with clients of New York's Associated Blind, being particularly interested in seeing from those who had lost their sight due to trauma. Clients traced the entire progression for him—from the moment they knew they would never see again to the depression and through to acceptance and adjustment. The Lighthouse, also in New York, schooled him in techniques a blind person might use to find a chair and seat themselves, pour liquid from a bottle and light a cigar.^[8]

Screenplay writer for Scent of a Woman, Bo Goldman, said, "If there is a moral to the film, it is that if we leave ourselves open and available to the surprising contradictions in life, we will find the strength to go on."^[8]

Reception[]

Scent of a Woman holds an 89% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 45 reviews. The site's consensus states: "It might soar on Al Pacino's performance more than the drama itself, but what a performance it is -- big, bold, occasionally over-the-top, and finally giving the Academy pause to award the star his first Oscar."^[9] The film holds a score of 59 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 14 critic reviews, indicating "mixed reviews".^[10]

Pacino won an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first of his career after four previous nominations for Best Actor, and his eighth overall nomination.

Some criticized the film for its length.^[11] Variety's Todd McCarthy said it "goes on nearly an hour too long".^[12] Newsweek's David Ansen writes that the "two-character conceit doesn't warrant a two-and-a-half-hour running time".^[13]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • Lt. Col. Frank Slade: "Hoo-ah!" – Nominated^[14]
• 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated^[15]

Box office[]

The film earned US$63,095,253 in the US and $71 million internationally, totaling $134,095,253 worldwide.^[16][17][18]

Awards and nominations[]

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
20/20 Awards	Best Screenplay – Adapted	Bo Goldman	Nominated
Academy Awards[19]	Best Picture	Martin Brest	Nominated
	Best Director		Nominated
	Best Actor	Al Pacino	Won
	Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published	Bo Goldman	Nominated
American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Feature Film	William Steinkamp, Michael Tronick and Harvey Rosenstock	Nominated
Artios Awards[20]	Best Casting for Feature Film – Drama	Ellen Lewis	Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Al Pacino	Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards	Film Music Award	Thomas Newman	Won
British Academy Film Awards[21]	Best Screenplay – Adapted	Bo Goldman	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[22]	Best Actor	Al Pacino	Nominated
	Most Promising Actor	Chris O'Donnell	Won
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film		Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[23]	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Won
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Al Pacino	Won
	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Chris O'Donnell	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Bo Goldman	Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards[24]	Best Actor	Al Pacino	Runner-up
Producers Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures	Martin Brest	Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards[25]	Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published	Bo Goldman	Nominated

See also[]

• Scent of a Woman (soundtrack)

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Scent of a Woman

• Scent of a Woman at IMDb
• Scent of a Woman at AllMovie
• Scent of a Woman at Box Office Mojo
• Scent of a Woman at Rotten Tomatoes
• Scent of a Woman at Metacritic