Col.
Frank Slade has a very special plan for the
weekend.
Proving once
again that being disabled has its rewards, Al
Pacino took home the Oscar for his portrayal of
the fiesty, spirited Colonel Frank Slade. "Scent
of a Woman" is a journey with two men...the
blind, seemingly bitter, yet oddly romantic
Slade and the young man, Charlie (Chris
O'Donnell) charged with watching him for the
weekend.
It is the
journey that makes "Scent of a Woman" such a
captivating film. O'Donnell offers a performance
here that defies the usual coming-of-age film.
Charlie is a more guarded young man, and
O'Donnell infuses Charlie with a presence that
is attentive but never fully surrendered. Slade,
on the other hand, seems to embrace only the
scent of a woman. It is a scent he seems
resigned to accepting he will never fully
possess. He knows he is blind and angry and
bitter, but there is something within him that
still lives with a tiny light turned on.
The early
scenes with Slade are challenging as Pacino
takes his character over-the-top, then gradually
pulls him back in. By the end of "Scent of a
Woman," we can grasp who the man is, where he
has been, and, quite possibly, where he is
going.
Director
Martin Brest received an Oscar nomination for
the film, yet I can't help but question the
film's resolution. In taking these characters on
such a delightful, authentic journey I found
myself incredibly disappointed with the neatly
tied together ending that seemed altogether too
clean and too sterile for two such unique
characters.
"Scent of a
Woman" is, in many ways, a sad film because
these characters, even with their neatly tied up
resolutions at the end of the film, seem
destined for sadness. Slade, in particular, has
attached so much significance to the love of a
good woman that even in his bravado it is hard
not to feel sadness at his resignation.
Sometimes,
even when a critic, it is hard to be truly
objective when reviewing a film. Some films tap
into life experiences or push buttons or
challenge one so greatly that objectivity
becomes a near impossibility. "Scent of a Woman"
is such a film. As an adult living with a
disability, I live a life much like that of
Slade...a life of great adventure, fun, spirit,
and passion. Yet, also like Slade, I have become
resigned to the fact that my one true desire in
life, to be loved fully and completely, may be
the only thing I never have.
"Scent of a
Woman", behind the Oscar-winning performance of
Pacino, strong performance of O'Donnell, and an
Oscar-nominated script is a film of great power
because with tenderness and respect it shares
the peaks and valleys in the shared journey of
these two men. Only a far too tidy ending keeps
"Scent of a Woman" from being a landmark film.
Instead, it is merely a damn good one.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
This is Al
Pacino's most overwrought performance ever.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
