The title of the film is intriguing. The film neither involves the emotional entanglement and lingering stories between men and women, nor does it appear as a foil for characters such as wives and mistresses. The only emotionally provocative scene in the portrayal of femininity is the episode where Frank dances with a stranger. "The fragrance of a woman" is not only a series of plots in the film (Snyder smells the fragrance three times to know a woman), but also is a symbol of meaning. It means a ray of warmth in an indifferent world, and a glimmer of hope in a bleak life. "The fragrance of a woman" also represents Frank Snyder's inner pursuit: in loneliness, he hopes to relieve the loneliness of life; when he is in pain, he hopes to be comforted by others; When he showed off his ability to distinguish between different perfumes and different women, it seemed that his heart could get rid of loneliness and pain for a while, obtain a short-term balance, and ignite the desire for life.
The ending of the film is happy. Under Charlie's persuasion, Frank Snyder finally did not give up his life to return to the Yellow Springs. With Frank's help, Charlie was finally saved from the bad luck of being expelled from the school. The discipline inspection team of Bell Middle School finally presided over justice. In the hasty ending, the characters' fortunes are abruptly reversed. Since the masters of modern literature have used the image of "the wasteland" to refer to a world of indifference indulged in mercantilism, materialism and egoism, they have deeply analyzed the morbidity, shrinking vitality and human fear of modern Western society. , then, who can believe that a moral sermon can heal the evils of the outer world and heal the wounds of the inner world? The triumph of moralism to provide a superficial answer to deep social questions and complex characters—perhaps the naive disease so common in Hollywood films.
However, the film "The Scent of a Woman", after all, runs through a positive theme in the story of two men - people in trouble need care, support and rescue. The film does not sing the sad songs, resentments or sorrow songs of "modern people" with a strong sense of grief. Because, deep in the heart of the cynic, there is still a ray of hope: Frank has always pursued "the fragrance of a woman" and is reluctant to give up his life. Because, the innocent student who is caught in the predicament of his life still fulfills the responsibility of helping others with the spirit of altruism: Charlie finally seizes the loaded pistol from Frank regardless of his personal safety. In the end, the collision of two hearts burst into a flash of humanity, and both Frank and Charlie were saved. The people who meet by chance become friends in adversity - in the confrontation of life and death, the optimistic spirit tradition of classic Hollywood has been fully reflected!
In the depths of the film, you can glimpse the confrontation between the two values. Principal Trask would spare no effort to maintain the traditional "honor" and "dignity", while Charlie and Frank pursued upright personalities and would rather give up their chances of promotion than selling others for personal gain. Integrity is perhaps the rarest quality in a society where people are greedy, intriguing, clinging to power, and vying for power and profit. The author of the film praises and criticizes the two values, and the difference is clear, although the setting of the plot is inappropriate.
A smooth, complete story and vivid characters are constant elements of the narrative structure of classic Hollywood films. "The Scent of a Woman" once again confirms this universal law. Even in the era of confusing modern movies shaking the film industry, Hollywood, who is familiar with the market economy, is not too outrageous. Clear time and space, fluid montages, tension-filled editing, and a unified viewpoint reinforce the integrity of the story, giving the film a flowing rhythm. Al Pacino also created a cynical, sharp-edged, bohemian, eccentric, headstrong and witty old retired military officer with a consummate performance. His neat and lustrous haircut, dazed demeanor, roaring laughter and military demeanor make for yet another unforgettable exterior look for the screen. Especially those blind and deep eyes are still the window to the soul - there is an indescribable expression in the eyes without sight, and the eyes that always seem to stare at each other's waist and embarrassingly seem to always be intertwined with pain. , dazed and cunning. Frank's image once again confirmed the charm of the character. Hegel said that "only as an individual living subject, life is real", "character is the center of artistic expression". Characters with distinct personalities are the protagonists in film galleries, always attracting aesthetic attention. From his early starring roles in "The Panic in Needle Park" (1971) to "Frankie and Johnny" (1992), Al Pacino has created a series of characters with different styles with his keen sense. It seems to be able to do it at your fingertips. His credits include Sepico (1973), Hot Afternoon (1975), Justice for All (1979), Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992) and The Godfather sequel. The Hollywood "superstar" finally took the top actor's throne at the 65th Academy Awards.
The film "The Scent of a Woman" adds a new blind man to the promenade of tragic figures. In Western literature and art, the image of the blind is a powerful means to reveal the meaning of tragedy, because the fate that dominates the ups and downs of the world is often a blind and mysterious force. In the Bible, there is a description of blind people praying to Jesus Christ to open their eyes, which means that human beings are spiritually blind. As a vivid image, the image of the blind eye is often used to convey the sigh of human beings due to the mysterious power that dominates the destiny, and the self-pity and gratitude due to the impermanence of life. Oedipus in ancient Greek tragedy, Gloucester in Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear", Teresia in Greek mythology, who was punished by blindness for peeping at the goddess Athena's bath, in Gide's "Pastoral Symphony" The blind girl Gutre... is the image of a victim who was tortured by fate and blinded in both eyes.
However, the shocking power of the tragedy of blind blindness lies not in exaggerating the sinking pain and moaning after the imminent catastrophe, but in expressing the contemplative reflection of the victims on their own experiences and glitzy times after they become blind. From unfortunate adversity, tragic characters rely on the light of the soul, have unique "wisdom eyes", and realize a new realm of life. Gloucester in "King Lear" can't see who his beloved son is until his eyes are gouged out; the blind woman Titty in Hugo's "The Laughing Man" uses the "eyes of the soul" to see the smiling Gwinplain The kind soul of Korolenko's blind musician Peter Pobelsky chose his own destiny and regained his spiritual sight; Samson, the fighter in Milton's "Paradise Restoration", "dazzled in the heavenly eye after being blinded. In the novel "Waiting for Godot", Pozzo can escape the dead present by losing his sight and indulge in the hallucinations of the past and the future. middle.
The film "The Scent of a Woman" inherits the tradition of Western tragedy, and creates the image of Frank Snyder, a blind man who embodies the tragic reality of modern society. He is blind in the inhuman war; he is cynical; he reflects on the ugliness of the floating world and the value of human beings in the deep darkness; his surly behavior is a portrayal of a twisted soul. The blind image tradition of classical tragedy is clearly visible in Snyder's experience, but the optimism of Hollywood dilutes the tragic color of the work and the tragic meaning of the characters.
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