7 curious facts about the movie "Scent of a Woman" (8 photos)

In December 1992, the world premiere of the film "The Smell of women", which became one of the main films of the 90s and brought the actor Al Pacino is the only "Oscar" in his career. The story of the blind soldier Frank Slade and a conscientious high school student, Charlie was touched viewers around the world.





"Scent of a Woman" - a remake of the Italian film of the same name



Despite the cult status of the American film, the first the story of a blind military man in the cinema was told by the Italian director Dino Reese. His Scent of a Woman is based on a novel called Darkness and Honey. writer and journalist Giovanni Arpino. similarities with literary there are not so many primary sources for both tapes - in fact, only two main characters: a rude warrior and his inexperienced escort.

The original film takes place in picturesque cities of Italy. The heart of the picture is the actor Vittorio Gassman, brilliantly plunged into the role of a military seducer. With those around him, he is quite cruel, unless a girl gets into the field of his sense of smell - a smell for means much more to him than to other men, this is his life compass.

Scent of a Woman (1974) was nominated for an Oscar. in two categories at once (“Best Adapted Screenplay” and “Best film in a foreign language"), and also participated in the main competition Cannes Film Festival, where he won one of the awards. Gassman was Awarded the Silver Award for Best Actor.

Al Pacino might not have been in Scent of a Woman





The incredible acting success of Vittorio Gassman prompted the creators of the American version, what to make a mistake when choosing a performer the main role is by no means impossible, therefore, as candidates considered only the masters of Hollywood cinema.

First in line was Jack Nicholson. Frank Slade - really his type, rude, eccentric, quick-tempered. Nicholson on such heroes built his own career. However, Jack from the role declined after reading the script. The next contenders were Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Joe Pesci, who were at the peak of their popularity. As a result, the choice fell on Pacino, thanks also to his Italian roots. But he initially turned down the role. For help the producers came to his agent, persistently recommending to his client check out the script. Al Pacino fell in love with the text and immediately agreed to take part in the filming.

Al Pacino did not go out of character during breaks and almost lost his sight on the set



Al Pacino is a graduate of the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio, who taught his students according to the Stanislavsky system. From here - full-scale immersion of the actor in almost all his roles. He tries not to go out of character even during breaks, which helps him better be aware of the behavior of their characters and more accurately demonstrate it on screen.

He did not leave the role of Al Pacino on the set of Scent of a Woman. In between takes, he, like his hero, did not see anything, moved with a cane and communicated with the film crew, despite interlocutors in the eye. Once he was badly injured, falling into the bushes during rehearsals of one of the scenes of the film. Plants got into his eye and damaged cornea.

Moreover, Al Pacino was not limited to such a dive. At In preparation for the role, he used specially made for him contact lenses that allow you to be even more convincing in the frame, but with prolonged use causing inconvenience. On set with director, they decided to abandon these lenses, because Pacino is beautiful managed without them.

In addition, work on the role included communication with members New York Association for the Blind. The actor talked to blind people, to get to know their feelings, emotional burden and understand how they navigate in space and use objects life.

The image of Colonel Slade had three prototypes



The screenwriter of "Scent of a Woman" was an American writer and playwright Bo Goldman. His track record includes film scripts One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Melvin and Howard, for which he won an Oscar. Director Martin Brest offered him to work on the script for Scent of a Woman, and Goldman agreed after viewing the original Italian painting:

"I'm backWent to California and Martin called me Brest. He showed me the Italian film Scent of a Woman. I watched him, and I was struck by the character of Vittorio Gassman in that he is exactly similar to my brother, who became the prototype of Slade. He earned millions in mortgage brokerage, then became an alcoholic and he had a terribly tragic life. In addition, Slade has incorporated features of two more people - an army sergeant, who was the second person, whom I was ever really afraid of, and my father, whom I even more afraid."

Leonardo DiCaprio could have been in Scent of a Woman



For the role of Charlie, a young student who does not retreat from his principles, also claimed a lot of actors who later became popular. At first, Leonardo DiCaprio was considered the main candidate, but he was not even 18 years old at the time of the start of the auditions, so the producers considered him too young for the role. Instead of "Scent of a Woman" he concentrated on the drama "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and received for it his first Oscar nomination at the age of 19.

In addition to DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Brendan Frazier and Ben Affleck, but the choice in the end fell on Chris O'Donnell, which, unfortunately, in recent years has no longer acted in big films, in different from their more established competitors. Interestingly, all four contender for the role in 1992 starred in one film - the drama "School bonds."

Work in "Scent of a Woman" was one of the first in the cinema and for actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He plays Charlie's friend, the son of a rich man. school sponsor. The creators did not like Hoffman at first, but persistence helped him get the role - he knocked on the door of the film as many as five times, and only after the fifth audition was it finally approved. So career as an Oscar-winning actor.

Director Martin Brest filmed Donald Trump in Scent of a Woman and tried to quarrel the two main actors



Several scenes of "Scent of a Woman" were filmed at the Manhattan Hotel Plaza" and near it. At the time, it belonged to Donald Trump, who always was not averse to light up in the movies. A year before the ribbon of Brest, he, to For example, he appeared in an episode of the New Year's comedy Home Alone. In "Smell" women" the former US president starred in a small role as a businessman whose the limousine pulls up to the door of the hotel at the same moment when they arrive there Colonel and Charlie. Trump getting out of the car with his then-fiancee Marla Maples. This episode was not included in the final version of the film.

The actors of the movie were also remembered by the behavior of the director Martin Brest. He was previously "famous" for strange antics on the set - in particular, he was fired from The War Games (1983) due to constant disputes and creating a bad filming atmosphere - and in "Scent of a Woman" he and completely decided to quarrel Al Pacino with his young partner, Chris O'Donnell. All so that their friendly relations do not manifest themselves in frame. At least in the first half of the movie. But Brest's tactics had the opposite effect - Pacino and O'Donnell quickly found a common language, and experienced Al turned out to be a wise teacher for novice Chris.

Al Pacino did not rehearse the famous dance scene



The most famous scene from Scent of a Woman, without any no doubt, there remains a tango performed by Colonel Slade and Donna's girl in restaurant. Heroes dance to the song Por una cabeza, created back in 1935 year by the Argentines Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera, one of the the most important figures in the history of tango. The composition sounded in many pictures, but became really popular thanks to the "Smell of a Woman" and the tandem Al Pacino and young actress Gabrielle Anwar. By the way, her character's name is Donna is a tribute to the original film, which has This word, translated from Italian, means woman.

According to Anwar, she was beside herself with happiness when found out she was going to play Donna, but was even more nervous because she had never danced tango (according to the plot, her heroine cannot dance). Gabriel attended rehearsals for three weeks, but never saw Al Pacino. She was told that the actor is an expert in tango. Moreover, he does not have had free time. They first met on set, and the experience was slightly traumatic for the actress:

“His dancing was a bit unpredictable. I have there are still half-broken toes... But this is Al Pacino, for the sake of God, I can't complain. He was incredibly kind to me."