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Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dustin Hoffman, Karoline Herfurth ... see more see more... , David Calder , Simon Chandler , Sian Thomas , Jessica Schwarz , Corinna Harfouch , Paul Berrondo , Carlos Reig-Plaza , Timothy Davies , Sam Douglas , Gordon Harris , Sara Forestier , Joanna Griffiths , Birgit Minichmayr , Alvaro Roque , Franck Lefeuvre , Michael Smiley , Richard Felix , Francesc Albiol , Gonzalo Cunill , Roger Salvany , Andres Herrera , Reginald Wilson , Catherine Boisgontier , Núria Casas , Carlos Gramaje , Walter Cots Wangüemert , Perry Millward , Jan Cortes , Berta Ros , Joan Serrats , Jaume Montane , Bridget McConnel , Duna Jove , Dora Romano , Carolina Vera , Ramon Pujol , Anna Gelman , Laura Gelman , Guillermo Ayesa , Anna Diogene , Montserrat Maso , Toby Harper , Jerome Willis , Fermí Reixach , Derek Smee , Albert Pérez , Artur Sala , John Thomas Lenox , Richard Collins-Moore , Nico Baixas , Enric Arquimbau , Oriol Tramvia , Cristina Sola , Laura Vidal Traver , Ariadna Cabrol , Maia Jenkinson , John Hurt

An obsessive French perfumer with a highly developed olfactory sense and an all-consuming drive to capture the essence of love eventually resorts to murder in his unrepentant quest to find the key ing... read more read more...redient for his recipe in director Tom Tykwer's adaptation of author Patrick Suskind's best-selling 1985 novel. Born in a fetid fish market and raised in a dilapidated orphanage, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) toiled his childhood away in a rank tannery run by the thuggish Grimal (Sam Douglas). Subsequently obsessed by smell, Grenouille's keen olfactory sense becomes so finely tuned that it eventually overpowers such human qualities as love and compassion. Though he has indeed discovered the unmistakable scent of a woman, Grenouille finds it impossible to connect with the fairer sex on any sort of meaningful level. Roaming the streets of Paris late one night, Grenouille catches the scent of a young girl selling plums and impulsively strangles her, later sniffing her nude corpse in a twisted attempt to preserve the distinctive scent in his memory. After persuading legendary perfumer Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman) to take him on as an apprentice, Grenouille travels to the town of Grasse in Southern France in order to learn the art of enfleurage at a firm run by the highly respected Mme. Arnulfi (Corinna Harfouch). It is there that Grenouille becomes dangerously drawn to the vestal aroma of the young and beautiful Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the daughter of widower merchant Antione Richis (Alan Rickman). Soon driven to madness by such a pure scent, the spellbound Grenouille continues to claim the lives of the numerous young girls in a tragic attempt to bottle the impossibly elusive smell of virginal womanhood. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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74% liked it

249,787 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

122 critics

R, 2 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Tom Tykwer

Release Date: December 27, 2006

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DVD Release Date: July 24, 2007

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Stats: 19,234 reviews

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Alan Rickman as Antoine Richis Rachel Hurd-Wood cute!. Rachel story of a murder.! Alan as Antoine Richis Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer with ALAN RICKMAN!!. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume Poster Alan Rickman & Ben Whishaw
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Flixster Reviews (19,234)

  • cosmo313
    March 11, 2012
    cosmo313
    An arthouse film involving obsession, murder, and...perfume? Odd, but intriguing. The broad concept (a man with a highly developed sense of smell, one that is so intense that it is the primary way he experiences the world strives to capture the essence of love) is kinda interesti... read moreng, and has the potential to be riveting, but, with how the thigns are executed here, it's a disappointment.

    I like artsy films, I do. But man, even with a potentially intriguing and involving concept, this is just a plodding, overlong bore. That, and it gets really absurd and hard to take seriously at times, especially the over the top ending. Yeah, there are some moments that are really creppy, atmospheric, thrilling and well done, but overall this is a lackluster thriller that doesn't deliver the goods often enough.

    The production values are great, the film looks spectacular, and the music is quite good, but there's not a whole lot here that's really all that stunning. The cast is good, but their performances seem off, distant, and like they're jsut going through the motions. Plus, as I keep saying, the concept is potentially itneresting, but let's think about it: a sense of smell is the main driving force here. That's not an easy thing to make work, and I think they could have done a better job with the concept.

    There's no shortage of talent here, but I just think that everyone went about it the wrong way a lot of times, hence why the film is the way it is. It's not a total failure, but man, this is a tough one to sit through.
  • garyX
    April 6, 2011
    garyX
    A French peasant boy born with a remarkably acute sense of smell becomes obsessed with capturing the scent of beautiful young girls leading him to murder. I must admit that I found the first act of this film captivating; the visuals are glorious and it gives a palpable feel for t... read morehe time and context of the story complimented by some fantastic photography and nice performances. Once the plot takes a turn towards homicide however, all the sympathy you felt for Jean-Baptiste evaporates and with no central character to relate to, the narrative begins to seriously flounder. By the end the story becomes a load of existential guff and despite featuring surely the largest orgy ever committed to celluloid, I'd lost all interest in it. It's a shame because it started so well and there was enough of interest going on to make all of its flaws survivable... if it had just been 45 minutes shorter. A real missed opportunity.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    January 8, 2011
    MeetMeinMontauk
    I think I am lost as to what the critics didn't like about this. It was stunningly shot, completely visceral. Smell, like taste, is something that is difficult to translate into film and the only way to do get as real as possible and let the audience create it for themselves. The... read more extravagant colors and shots were more than enough to start you thinking about all of the scents in the world.
    Ben Whishaw was entrancing to watch as he became a serial killer and of course Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman deliver performances their names promise.
    The story is edged with a bit of strange. But I think that's what made it slightly fantastical. I haven't read the book, but I am very interested in it now.
  • 366weirdmovies
    January 2, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    A man is born In 18th century France with a preternatural sense of smell; he becomes obsessed with creating a perfume to reproduce the scent of a beautiful maiden he sniffs in a Paris market, no matter the cost. Morphs from a twisted Dickensian fantasy to a historical serial kill... read moreer suspenser to a bloated mystical allegory, losing a bit of steam and credibility with each transition.
  • hunterjt13
    August 18, 2010
    hunterjt13
    I'm very protective of my friends; I can't imagine how I would feel about my daughter. So, if I thought that some crazed, nut-job serial killer was going to shave her head and sniff her beaten corpse - if I was so sure of this that I would lock her in a room - then I sure as sho... read moreoting shit would not leave the key to said room on my nightstand. I would probably swallow it and make her wait until I shit it out in the morning.
    But this is a minor plot hole in comparison to the film's other issues. There are moments when the film attempts to match American Psycho on the "that's fucked up" scale, but the important difference is that American Psycho was about something. There was a specific point for which the serial killer motifs were leveraged. Not so here.
    Also, though the transformation of a crowd from blood-thirsty mob to one of the largest film orgies ever was interesting, it was altogether too unbelievable. Likewise, the entire process of turning pretty girls into perfume defied reason.
  • paulsandberg
    May 29, 2010
    paulsandberg
    Just as some have an ear that gives them perfect pitch, the premiss here is that a nose can be an equally perceptive pallate. Those who can taste a wine and tell you not only the grapes, but which vintage and where the grapes were harvested, make a wonderful parellel to a nose t... read morehat can detect all the ingredients in a perfume.

    However, this wonderful premiss is taken to the extreme - the best nose in the world can follow someone over great lenghts, simply by smelling their scent. If you can suspend your believe here, then the film has a lot to offer, including wonderful period scenery, some fine acting, and a certain degree of mysticism that, while bombastic, seems believable in context.

    I'm not here to reveal too much of the plot, just the main point that a young orphan has a sensual/sexual awakening (the sniffing of the female body is interesting and may be considered erotic to some), and wants to capture that experience, via scent, forever. This leads him to apprenticeship to an Italian perfume maker, aptly portrayed by Dustin Hoffman, with a serious bent that has just enough frivilous jovility and a wink in his eye to make his time on screen in the first third of the film worth the price of admission.

    Once the orphan learns the trade, Hoffman tells him a legend from ancient Egypt where a scent was found that, when smelled, led to rapture. So our hero, a quiet and offputting gent, goes off in search of the ingredients.

    He comes to a city in Provence where they harvest lilac and other flowers, and sniffs out the daughter of Alan Rickman, a burghor of the town. Rickman is solid as always, especially when he is portraying aristocracy.

    The dead bodies of young women begin to appear about town, and we're witness to what amounts to alchemy, until the final scenes where the illusive, perfect perfume is unleashed.

    There were times when I thought I was watching a non-musical version of Sweeney Todd, and almost wish the lead actor to have been J. Depp. Overall I enjoyed much of what was presented here, although the pacing lagged in places, especially during the climatic scene where the tension of the situation seemed to lose steam because of it.

    There are a couple of continuity problems that occure in the last third; to wit: when the boy leaves the town to chase after Rickman and his daughter, he rushes out with nothing but the clothes on his back, leaving behind all his vials of ingredients, only to later be seen with all his vials and a small cooker.

    Also, when he is later caught and tortured, he somehow manages to conceal a vial of perfume from the gendarmes - not likely.

    Regardless of this, and a somewhat wooden portrayal by Ben Whishaw in the lead, this film has enough going for it for me to recommend it.
  • drblood
    April 12, 2010
    drblood
    One of the best films that I've ever seen. Just beautiful.
  • 3niR
    January 28, 2010
    3niR
    Killing girls for making perfume? Scary thought :|
  • imrealgod
    January 27, 2010
    imrealgod
    The movie lacked meat & failed miserably in keeping me interested. It wasn't what I'd expected.
  • binky013
    January 12, 2010
    binky013
    "Master, I have to learn how to keep smell."

    Seriously, in French this might have actually been okay. In English . . . . lines like this one are just plain stupid.

    Walter, I have a new addition to our list. Gave it three tries. The third time was, yet again, not the

    ... read more proverbial charm. Sadly -- it kills me because I like some of his work so much -- projects like this -- career decisions like this -- are a close to sure sign why Hoffman will very likely never make my favorite actors list.

    Geez, and how in Hades did they ever convince Alan Rickman to buy in to this fiasco?

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Critic Reviews

Carrie Rickey
January 11, 2007
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Tykwer loses his cinematic grip when he tries to blend murder and piety. In his hands, the two don't emulsify.

Rex Reed
January 10, 2007
Rex Reed, New York Observer

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is another nauseous example of style over content: a toxic tale of serial homicide set in 18th-century France that creeps you out faster than it makes you think. Full Review

Richard Roeper
January 8, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Hated this movie. Hated it.

Peter Howell
January 5, 2007
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

[The filmmakers] render a portrait of Paris that both delights and overwhelms the senses. This is a movie where eyes turn into noses, which may run at the many ghastly sights presented. Full Review

Bruce Newman
January 5, 2007
Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News

The movie talks suggestively about smells but can't quite find a way to bring them to life, so [director Tom] Tykwer uses images to rub our noses in as many disgusting things as he can.

Mick LaSalle
January 5, 2007
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The movie is lost. Whishaw succeeds in making the repulsive protagonist thoroughly repulsive, which is probably a testimony to his acting ability. But it doesn't make it anything worth watching. Full Review

Roger Moore
January 5, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Even if that broad interpretation -- that art is worth any human cost, that identity can be put on, like a scent -- leaves you cold, there's a world to immerse yourself in, a killer to be pursued, and... Full Review

Amy Biancolli
January 5, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Lush visuals and lusty, rhapsodic language bring Perfume as close as cinematically possible to capturing an elusive sense. Full Review

Jennie Punter
January 5, 2007
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

Perfume, a fast-paced allegorical tale about the pursuit of perfection, may fill the senses for its duration, but without a discernible psychological essence it does not linger for long. Full Review

Tom Long
January 5, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News

Tykwer has to set a unique tone here -- fairy tales about serial killers being somewhat rare -- and he manages the absurdity of his subject matter well, keeping Jean-Baptiste right on the edge between... Full Review

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    • Narrator: He still had enough perfume left to enslave the whole world if he so chose. He could walk to Versailles and have the king kiss his feet. He could write the pope a perfumed letter and reveal himself as the new Messiah. He could do all this, and more, if he wanted to. He possessed a power stronger than the power of money, or terror, or death - the invincible power to command the love of man kind. There was only one thing the perfume could not do. It could not turn him into a person who could love and be loved like everyone else. So, to hell with it he thought. To hell with the world. With the perfume. With himself.
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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Trivia

  • who played the perfumer in perfume, the story of a murderer?  Answer »
  • In Perfume, the Story of a Murderer, his first victim was carrying a basket of which fruit?  Answer »
  • A Parisian orphan with a super sense of smell turns into a murderer in his quest for the ultimate scent. Name this movie? (2006)  Answer »
  • In "Perfume: the story of a murderer," the killer (Grenouille) travels from Paris to which city?  Answer »
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