Officially, knowledge of perfume entered Europe in the 14th century, but I’m willing to bet some kinds of perfume made their entrances long before that. Perfume is a mixture of oils and aroma fragrances that give the human body, animals, and homes an agreeable smell or scent.
“A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.” – Christian Dior.
“The 1939 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, Leopold Rusike stated in 1945 that “right from the earliest days of scientific chemistry up to the present time, perfumes have substantially contributed to the development of organic chemistry as regards methods, systematic classification, and theory.” – Wikipedia
Eons ago after attending business meetings in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, a friend and I took advantage of our trip to the northeast coast (he from the southeast and me from the northwest). We took Amtrak to New York City from Philadelphia. We shared a room at the Waldorf-Astoria, had dinner at the “latest” big time restaurant, saw Pippin, the hottest Broadway Show of the season and then visited the Playboy Club of NYC. I’m no fool, however. I didn’t return empty handed. With a hug and a kiss, I presented a large bottle of CHANEL® N°5 to my lovely wife, Peggy. It was her favorite perfume. She still has the bottle and perhaps a smidgen of perfume left in it. I bought it at Macy’s.
Emmanuelle Devos and Gregory Montel are the two main characters in Perfumes.
Official Trailer with English subtitles – imdb.com/video/vi403685401
Story Line: Anne Walberg is a celebrity in the perfume world. She creates fragrances and sells her incredible talent to companies of all kinds. She lives as a diva, selfish, and bad-tempered. Guillaume is her new driver and the only one who is not afraid to stand up to her. No doubt this is the reason why she does not fire him.
Anne Walberg is played by French actress Emmanuelle Devos. She is the daughter of actress French actress Marie Hernia. Devos appeared in 50 films between 1986 and 2009. Devos won the César Award for Best Actress in 2002 for in Sur mess levers, directed by Jacques Audiard.
Guillaume Favre is played by French actor Gregory Montel. Montel was born in Digna-les-Bains, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France. He is an actor and director, known for Call My Agent! (2015), Barking Dogs (2019) and Thirst for Life (2017).
One User Review:
yasin-998966 February 2021
“Incredible! There are also films that do not aggress us, that do not seek to subconsciously slip any false idea or something bad.”
“A very interesting film because it treats in a unique way the creation of a soul connection between the 2 main characters, the perfumer and the driver. I found out totally new and unusual things for a movie about the world of smells. A human film, full of emotions, feelings, a film in which nothing false, nothing exaggerated intervenes. The actors play excellently and the action is very well developed throughout the film so that you don’t get bored for a moment.”
A Second User Review:
A refreshing comedy
nagan20203 February 2021
“The story of a friendship between a selfish fragrance designer who is one of the best in her field, and her chauffeur who needs to cling to his job so that he can live with his daughter. There are no surprises or twists in the film, and everything falls into place where you expect it to. Even so, the chemistry between the two lead actors is so great that these clichés seem acceptable. A refreshing French comedy with a few laughs.”
After Guillaume helps boost Anne’s income, they become a bit more like a team. As a partnership develops, Anne teaches Guillaume about smells and scents.
There are a few side stories, but they only enhance the story of friendship, they don’t distract from it. I found the film on Prime. The movie is recorded in French with English sub-titles. It’s an easy on-screen read and the intonations of the actors’ voices convey volumes. The film is enjoyable, warm, and funny.
p.s. Welcome back . . .
Don
