Scent Of A Woman (HD-DVD)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: D Film: B
After so
many years of some of the most important performances in film history, Al
Pacino finally received a Best Actor Academy Award form his tour de force
performance as now-blind and suicidal Frank Slade, in the deepest of pain over his
life since his glory days in Martin Brest’s Scent Of A Woman (1992). He
hires a young guide (Chris O’Donnell) is naïve and just needs a summer job, but
gets far more than he is bargaining for.
The leads have some chemistry together, but it is O’Donnell who somehow
holds his own against Pacino in work that walks many fine lines.
A remake
of a 1974 Italian film, the Bo Goldman screenplay adaptation has humor, dark
moments, intense sequences, extravagant gestures and even one sequence that
might be more over the top than it should have been. However, it is a great showcase for Pacino
who never holds back in the most important scenes and it also ultimately
becomes a tale about holding on to individuality in the face of conformity and
the price you can pay for losing one’s soul.
Gabrielle Anwar, James Rebhorn and Philip Seymore Hoffman also star.
The 1080p
VC-1 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image looks good for its age and as shot
by Director of Photography Donald E. Thorin, A.S.C., looks rich and solid all
the way. The original theatrical sound
was Dolby’s advanced analog SR (Spectral Recording) system and that did not
sound bad, with this Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 upgrade just fine for an older
film. The soundfield can be limited, but
Thomas Newman’s score is a plus for us and the film. Remarkably, there are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
