Scent of a Woman

Martin Brest’s film comes from Bo Goldman’s adaptation of Giovanni Arpino’s novel Il buio e il miele, filmed by Dino Risi in 1974 as Profumo di donna. To play blindness, Al Pacino met people at New York’s Associated Blind who had lost their sight through trauma, and the Lighthouse taught him to seat himself and light a cigar. Most of the 156 minutes goes to two people talking, with the school case alongside. Charlie sees classmates rig a prank on the headmaster, who all but guarantees him Harvard for informing; he refuses, and the strands meet only when Frank arrives at the hearing. The tango was shot at the Pierre Hotel to Carlos Gardel’s Por una Cabeza, and Gabrielle Anwar says she took weeks of lessons but never rehearsed with Pacino, who wanted the dance to stay spontaneous and fresh. Four Academy Award nominations followed: Best Picture, Directing, Actor in a Leading Role, and Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published). Pacino alone won; the same ceremony nominated him again in Actor in a Supporting Role for Glengarry Glen Ross. A good fit if you look for the real tension in Charlie refusing the Harvard offer, not in the tango. Not for you if Frank’s suicide plan being the trip’s purpose rather than a twist is too much.