Martin Brest
Scent Of A Woman

One of the most dramatic movies I have ever seen. An Al Pacino perhaps at his greatest performance (not surprisingly, Oscar-winning). "Scent of a Woman" is a remake of Profumo di donna from 1974 by Dino Risi, an extraordinary film in its own right featuring Gassman, who was awarded the David di Donatello for his performance.

A young student from Beird School (Chris O'Donnell) unwillingly witnesses some of his classmates planning a "prank" of which Principal Trask (James Rebhorn) will be the victim the following day. Meanwhile, Charlie (the student) is looking for a job to earn some money due to his financial struggles. The job he finds is to aid an old blind man, a retired "lieutenant colonel" (Al Pacino). He will have to navigate situations he never expected to experience...

Directed by Martin Brest and released in theaters in 1992, "Scent of a Woman" is a markedly dramatic film. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade is the character around whom much of the story revolves. He is a man deeply anchored to his military principles and has his own unique outlook on life. His gruff, ambiguous nature is the "mask" that shrouds an underlying fragility he is ashamed to reveal. Frank is ironic with himself and others, he offends, advises. He is a bitter man but at the same time aware of his doubts and existential difficulties. He knows he is hated even by his own family, but he also knows he hasn't done anything to be loved. He seeks in others, in company, the axis on which to vent, but also someone to "give him an arm." He lives for those two things he believes are the only fundamental presences in a person's life: women and "albeit with great detachment" Ferraris.

Frank Slade has a dual important role: he is "the one who needs to be helped," but at the same time he is "the one who wants to help." It is precisely Charlie who gains from this friendship that develops: it is the lieutenant who makes him understand the kind of attitude one sometimes needs to have in certain situations. He helps him grasp the importance of "courage and honesty, which are what a leader should be made of."

In turn, Frank gains from being alongside someone who truly cares for him, someone who prevents his death. Theirs is a relationship of reciprocity. This relationship carries us to the conclusion of the film. An emotional union that generates a tango showing us how "the tango is not like life, it's easier", that thrills us with a wild Ferrari ride, that moves us with a speech to "young leaders" who have not yet encountered the bitter taste of life.

"Scent of a Woman" is a great film. A film with a slow pace that never becomes boring, with a screenplay up to the task that reaches its peaks in Al Pacino's speeches, who is extraordinary himself. A poignant and intense performance in which he truly seems blind, such is the ease with which he plays his role. An emotional work. A path toward redemption, toward the light, toward a life that presents itself as a crossroads. And it is difficult to choose the right path, even if you know it. "And do you know why? It was too hard to take it"...