''Scent of a Woman'' ( it, Profumo di donna) is a 1974

Commedia all'italiana Commedia all'italiana (, pl. Commedie all'italiana, "Comedy in the Italian way") or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mar ...

film directed by

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an o ...

, based on ''Il buio e il miele'', a story by

Giovanni Arpino Giovanni Arpino (27 January 1927 – 10 December 1987) was an Italian writer and journalist. Life Born in Pula-Croatia to Piedmontese parents, Arpino moved to Bra in the Province of Cuneo. Here he married Caterina Brero before moving to Turin ...

. Both Risi and the leading actor

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...

won important Italian and French awards. An American remake, '' Scent of a Woman'', was released in 1992.

Plot

A blind Italian Captain (Fausto Consolo), accompanied by his aide Ciccio (Giovanni Bertazzi), who has been assigned to him by the army, is on his way from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

to meet with an old comrade who was also disfigured in the same military incident. Unknown to his aide, the Captain means to fulfill a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

pact there with his old comrade. While they journey, the Captain asks Ciccio to help him spot beautiful women. Unsatisfied with the boy's descriptions, he uses his nose instead, claiming that he can smell a beautiful woman. During their journey, he carries with him a picture of his beloved Sara, whom he could not bear to have see him disfigured and helpless. The suicide pact is eventually thwarted once Sara enters the picture, and the boy Ciccio does some much-needed growing up.

Cast

: Fausto Consolo *

Alessandro Momo Alessandro Momo (26 November, 1956 – 19 November, 1974) was an Italian actor, most noted for his role in 1973's '' Malizia'' and in 1974's '' Scent of a Woman''. He died in a motorcycle accident in Rome on 19 November 1974, a few days before ...

: Giovanni Bertazzi *

Agostina Belli Agostina Belli (born 13 April 1949) is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1968. Life and career Born in Milan as Agostina Maria Magnoni, Belli made her debut in 1968 with a minor part in '' Bandits in Milan'' ...

: Sara *

Moira Orfei Moira Orfei (; born Miranda Orfei; 21 December 1931 – 15 November 2015) was an Italian circus performer, actress and television personality of remote Romani origins. Moira was also considered the queen of the Italian circus, one stage name be ...

: Mirka * Torindo Bernardi: Vincenzo *

Alvaro Vitali Alvaro Vitali (; born 3 February 1950) is an Italian actor. He was an electrician until he was discovered by Federico Fellini and played a small part in ''Satyricon'' (1969), it led to other roles, notably in the movie ''Amarcord'' (1973). In ...

: Vittorio

Awards

*''Profumo di donna'' was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1976 as Best Foreign Film and as Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material. *

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

, Best Actor (Vittorio Gassman), 1975 *David di Donatello, Best Director (Dino Risi), 1975 *

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italian ...

, Best Actor (Vittorio Gassman), 1975 *

1975 Cannes Film Festival The 28th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 May 1975. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Chronique des Années de Braise'' by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. In 1975, a new section, "Les Yeux fertiles", which was non-competitive, was introduced. This ...

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

(Vittorio Gassman) *

César Award for Best Foreign Film This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Foreign Film (french: César du meilleur film étranger). Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Awards by nation Notes See also *Lumières A ...

, 1976

References

External links

* *http://www.escrevercinema.com/Risi_PerfumedeMulher.htm 1974 films 1974 comedy films 1970s Italian-language films Commedia all'italiana Best Foreign Film César Award winners Films about blind people Films directed by Dino Risi Films set in Turin Films set in Genoa Films set in Rome Films set in Naples Films with screenplays by Ruggero Maccari Films scored by Armando Trovajoli 1970s Italian films {{1970s-Italy-comedy-film-stub