With the positive reviews from the Chicago Sun-Times coming in, good news followed one after another.First, The New York Times wrote a review stating, "This film's persistence and principles give every audience member an opportunity for self-reflection, and the brilliant performances by Al and Hugo make this story feel authentic and credible," awarding it a very high score of 85.Then came the review from Nicholas McLaren of the Los Angeles Times: "Al uses his superb acting skills to make every scene of the film a catalyst that could trigger a storm of thought at any moment, and Hugo's exquisite performance as his scene partner makes us feel as if we are once again seeing the fresh-faced youth who stunned everyone in 'dead poets society'."Nicholas also gave it a top score of 85.The first four reviews released were all full of praise for "scent of a woman," and the starkly different reaction from the Los Angeles Times, in particular, caught the entire film market by surprise.Before the film's release, no one was optimistic about its prospects; whether in terms of word-of-mouth or box office, everyone thought it would be another boring, forgettable film released in October, and a combination like Al, Hugo, and Martin made the film's future seem bleak.But who could have predicted that after its release, the film would not only overturn all previous doubts but also announce its powerful arrival with an impressive posture.The Los Angeles Times had previously published a professional review written by Nicholas, arguing that "scent of a woman" would be a disaster, but after the film's release, Nicholas defected; he even wrote a long-form review for the entire film, which shows just how seriously he took this movie."The film 'scent of a woman' is adapted from the novel of the same name by Italian writer Giovanni Arpino. In Giovanni's writing, it is not Colonel Frank Slade, but Captain Fausto.Captain Fausto is more realistic and ordinary; he lacks the keen sense of smell, hides behind a pair of thick sunglasses all day, and his greatest interest is to make himself happy in vicious ways. He uses acerbic language to cause pain to those around him, and he enjoys this process. This is his attitude toward life: storms are always better than sunshine, because storms can help you recognize your current situation, while sunshine will only make you lost in the illusion of silence and tranquility.In the 1974 film of the same name directed by Dino Risi, the focus is on telling the story of Captain Fausto's past, and on reflecting on life.But in the version contributed by Martin Brest in 1992, the same work extends into a different story.Being in different cultures and environments, there will inevitably be different experiences and endings.Martin infused the main characters in the film with distinct American values—family. Whether it is Frank Slade, Charlie Simms, or George Willis, everyone here has their own family, and their personalities and concepts are deeply influenced by their families, and their ties to their families are inseparable in the setting of Thanksgiving.Although George looks glamorous on the surface, he is actually entirely dependent on his father. After the accident, he can only obey his father's dictates like an obedient puppy. His previous promises and vows completely disappear in the face of his father's dominance, because he needs his father to support a sky for him, including his future.Charlie's difficult family situation makes him very aware of the hardships of life, so he has always worked harder than others. He is stronger and more valuable than he looks; he is an unpolished diamond.Therefore, when he faces the school's accusations or the Colonel's dominance, he is always able to stand his ground; this is a principle rooted in his blood since childhood.The family around Frank is not in the original story; those who care about him, those who hate him, those he likes, and those he rejects—their care, condemnation, and exclusion all affect him to varying degrees.On Thanksgiving, Frank barged into his brother Willie's house and created a typical American-style family conflict. Communication barriers and the inability to express emotions well are the inducements for the final unhappy parting, and this is also the root cause of conflicts in most families.The film simplifies the original work's penetration into the pain of life into a choice about life; this is just a simplification, not making the problem simple.Frank says there are two types of people in this world: those who take responsibility when they encounter things, and those who look for a backer, and having a backer is better.Charlie is exactly facing this kind of choice: is it to betray his friends for the sake of a bright future, or to bear the consequences of keeping his mouth shut?This reminds me of a story I heard when I was a child: on Linda's first day of school, the teacher had to go out for a while during class and asked the children not to make noise before leaving.As a result, as soon as the teacher left, the whole classroom became chaotic.After the teacher returned, Linda reported the situation to the teacher.As a result, that afternoon, the teacher kept Linda behind as a punishment.At that time, when I heard this story, I was very confused. Linda clearly helped the teacher, so why was she punished? So I asked for the reason, and Linda's answer was, 'Because I betrayed the team.'So that was it; the teacher told the children not to make noise, that was the rule she set, and she was the one to execute judgment and rewards or punishments.A child snitching violates another set of rules: children must be united and not betray each other.If children are disobedient, it is up to the teacher to deal with them, and up to the parents to discipline them; at least in theory, this should be how the world works.The choice Charlie faces is the same.In fact, no matter what choice Charlie makes, there is logic to it; it is a conflict between right and right, and from the perspective of relativity, one could also say his choice is wrong.In this real society, there are many kinds of choices; not only choices between right and wrong, good and evil, but also conflicts between right and right, wrong and wrong. Right and wrong are not that simple.If a close friend or family member commits a crime, should you call the police?Should you put righteousness above family?Yes, this is the bottom line of the law, but the moment the person chooses to report their friends or family, they are bound to face inner torment, because they are their relatives, and this is the bottom line of morality.This kind of conflict between right and right is the most cruel and complex choice in reality, and it is also what Charlie is facing.However, Charlie's two choices have subtle differences, that is, whether his choice is to protect his own interests or to uphold his own principles.George giving up his friends under his father's pressure is actually understandable, but his choice was to protect his own interests, which is why he cannot hold his head up in front of Charlie.Because Charlie's choice seems too stubborn, too blind, and too stupid, but he was not doing it to protect his own interests. To some extent, he would rather sacrifice his own interests to protect others than choose self-preservation. He insisted on himself and his principles at the last moment, which is why he is worthy of praise and why Frank gave such an impassioned speech.Compared to sacrificing his own interests to protect his friends, what Frank admires is that Charlie upheld his principles and was not swayed by interests. This "path of principle, the road to character" is what made Frank marvel.When you cannot have the best of both worlds, at the very least, you must ensure that you did not sacrifice others for your own sake; this is the basic condition for being a leader.What Charlie chose is an arduous, difficult, and terrifying path; it is a righteous path that is hard to stick to, and he has a courage that countless people lack.Al Pacino's performance is the guarantee of the film's success. Whether called Frank Slade or Fausto, this man is hard to describe in words; he is a spirit, a mixture of indescribable passion and pain.He will suddenly burst into laughter, as if it were a declaration and also a mockery, and before you have time to react, the smile disappears into the air.People who like him will love him very much, and those who hate him will treat him with disdain.Frank is full of charm under Al's interpretation, a charm that almost overshadows the character's pain, or perhaps, this charm makes the pain sweet.His attraction to women is like Don Juan, only he doesn't need to stupidly sing serenades under their windows; he only needs to use his sense of smell, and women will fly towards him like moths to a flame.Al also endowed the character with the iconic shout 'Hoo-ah!', which is the bullet he fires at life; this shout has different meanings at different times.It can be a mockery, a cry of sorrow, a cheer, or a moment of loneliness; the simple vocabulary is interpreted by Al as rich and moving.As for that brilliant tango scene, it is the masterstroke of the film, making the movie a dream that everyone yearns for. Although this weakens the realism of the story, it does not diminish the inspiration and shock the film brings to people, because what we see is not just a story, but a spirit conveyed by the film.In the face of Al's performance, which is worthy of being recorded in history, Hugo, who is no less impressive, contributed another brilliant performance in his acting career, one that can even be said to surpass the stunning performance in 'dead poets society'.Under Hugo's interpretation, the shy, kind, gentle, humble, and elegant Charlie is dashing and infinitely charming. Even in front of Frank, a glass of red wine, his personal charm remains mellow and captivating. And in the midst of extreme frustration and passivity, even if fragility has turned into tears echoing in those amber eyes, his steadfastness is still like a beam of light in the pitch-black night, illuminating Frank's life, the entire story, and even the cold hearts of all the audience.Such a Hugo, it has been a long time; one cannot help but stand up and applaud him.Giovanni wrote in the ending of the original work: Although it is dark all around, in the years to come, he has to light a lighter to illuminate this darkness, and has to reach out with a bamboo pole to find the way. He mocks people and offends people in such darkness, and he still drinks in such darkness. Then, even the most difficult life is still life, still his life, my life, the life of all of us, the life of all those who can acknowledge life, accept life, and manage life.No matter whether the face of life is gentle or ferocious, we all need to make efforts for our choices, the paths we want to take, and the goals we want to pursue.And death can never be an excuse or a way to escape; or rather, one needs greater courage than choosing death—the courage to take responsibility.Salute to such a wonderful film."Nicholas, the reporter who was endlessly disparaging "scent of a woman," the reporter who did not have much of a positive impression of Hugo Lancaster, defected after the film's release.
