Scent of a Woman (Profumo di Donna) - by Dino Risi - with ENGLISH subtitles (Import)

A rather stilted ungainly original version of Scent of a Woman. It was not all that enjoyable but I stayed with it and it did have its moments. The main character was made to look like a dirty old man which was quite unsavoury and ruined it a bit for me. I am keen on the remake (even though it is mainly a vehicle for Al Pacino), but it was good to see the original, warts and all. The Italian setting and scenery was great to see.

"See the original! See the original"! (Not that I was ever tempted to see the Pacino remake). This has got to be among the most sexist pieces of tripe ever to be taken seriously. EVERY woman is a tramp or a whore, The sole exception is an angelic, spectacularly beautiful madonna, hopelessly in love with a blind, bitter, abusive drunk twice her age. Yeah, right). The bathos is unrelenting, and the acting is, shall we say, of the scenery-chewing variety. That being said, the scenery is rather tasty. But that's it. AVOID this "classic".

Well, I liked the movie for its sentimental appeal as well as the free spirited nature of the Italian life. The Sara character was particularly beautiful, reminded me of someone I know. This is the original version. Not exactly what I expected, however, I stopped expecting after 15 minutes and accepted the movie as it is. For today's audience it may seem boring a bit--kind of slow paced and occasional over-acting. Yet, I recommend it just because it's the original. The girl Sara is really beautiful.:-):-)

I must confess I did not know this film existance after the other one with Pacino was released. Because I was so disappointment with it I thought that maybe the Italian one was better. And it is.I think that humanity is the first word to describe it. The character of Fausto , played by an extraordinary Vittorio Gassman, is a man in all his complexity and humanity. He does not accept his blindness and wants to live as if he were still seeing. He knows it is a lie, but it is the only way he has to live. He is rude, unpolite, dictatorial and you love him. Not because you feel pity for him, but because he is human and only the great Vittorio could played a man like him. It is a masterful performing.On a long trip from Turin to Naples he has the company of a young soldier, Ciccio, played by a competent Alessandro Momo. He is the the link between the audience and Fausto. He is shocked by this strange man, who is unbereable but who also shows him how to open to life.I think this film is by far better that the one with Pacino. This is real, because the characters are not unidimensional. they have weakness and virtues. And also shows us dignity in its crudest, realistic way.This film talk about real people, forgetting sterotipes. In their journey we learn that friendship, real one, comes from accepting others faults and not by praising their virtues. It is a film I really encourage to see by anyone who likes good cinema.

Vittorio Gassman made one of his best performances in all his brilliant career. The first Italian actor of the XX Century shone so passionately natural, with such acting level as few times you will be capable to admire or even compare. To say this performance influenced to Al Pacino in the later remake is more than obvious.The beauty of Agostina Belli and the assertive script; the fine irony, the corrosive cynicism of that man fallen in disgrace due his blindness will learn a life lesson when a woman convinces him the life - even in the worst conditions - deserves to be lived.This is the sumptuous and supreme masterwork of Dino Risi, by far. A real legacy for future generations of filmmakers and the audiences who will survive us. It's useless to state this is one of my personal top one hundred films in any age!