gavin6942 An army cadet accompanies an irascible, blind captain on a week-long trip from Turin to Naples. The captain, Fausto, who wants no pity, brooks no disagreement, and charges into every situation, nicknames the youth Ciccio ("Babyfat"), and spends the next few days ordering him about and generally behaving badly in public.Where this film excels is in its originality. I saw the Al Pacino version many years ago and loved it, never realizing it was a remake. Now, one could argue that it was the better film. Maybe, maybe not. But it definitely gave Pacino one of his career performances.And yet, there is something to be said about the original. The actors aren't as big, and it may not be as accessible to Americans, but it has all the great things that Pacino had, and did them so much sooner.

FilmCriticLalitRao Discrimination against handicapped people is a reprehensible practice which must end. It is caused partly due to the negative attitudes which societies propagate towards people with disabilities. Blind people are the worst hit as more than anybody's pity, they are in dire need of compassion. Italian director Dino Risi's acclaimed film "Profumo Di Donna" deals with a blind person who has never been humiliated in his life despite his infirmity. Although no blind person deserves anybody's pity, compassion is what every visually challenged person is seeking. It comes to Fausto in the form of a journey with a young man called Ciccio. This journey is important for both as it changes their perceptions about life and its importance. Living the life to the fullest seems to be the mantra of an ordinary Italian. In this Dino Risi film, this sentiment is vividly echoed in the portrayal of misanthrope Fausto by veteran Italian actor Vittorio Gassman. Watching him act as a blind man with absolute nonchalance, audiences are prepared to believe that even a strong willed blind man from army can crack up in the end.

MARIO GAUCI Given this film’s reputation (which soared even higher in the face of the overblown yet bland 1992 Americanization), it’s surprising that it took me so long to catch up with it. Being perhaps the recently-deceased director’s best-known work (though two more – THE EASY LIFE [1962] and IN THE NAME OF THE Italian PEOPLE [1971] – are, at least, equally as good), I chose it as the film with which to conclude my 7-film tribute to him. Coincidentally, it happened on the very day which marked the eight anniversary from the passing of its leading man – the great Vittorio Gassman! The film (and its protagonist) deservedly received a number of accolades back in the day; it was also singled out to represent Italy in the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the 1975 Academy Awards ceremony where another nod went to the screenplay penned by Dino Risi and Ruggero Maccari. For the record, I’d watched Al Pacino’s Oscar triumph in the remake when it was new: I recall not being enthused with either the endless film (running 157 minutes against the original’s 100!) or the Method actor’s hammy performance. Anyway, for anyone not familiar with the later film, the plot concerns a young cadet being asked to accompany a blinded (yet proud and fun-loving) war veteran for a week; together, they go on a voyage (with the experienced man-about-town teaching the ropes to the rookie, who at first is displeased with the high-handed manners of his ‘charge’) – leading them to a girl, played by the luscious Agostina Belli, who’s devoted to Gassman. Earlier, the boy had discovered a photo of her among the blind man’s things (as well as a gun, whose purpose is revealed towards the end).Along the way, the cadet (nicely played by Alessandro Momo) is given the task of organizing the veteran’s entertainment and relaxation – which, given Gassman’s debauched values, takes him to the low-life sectors of the cities they visit (one of the prostitutes who renders service is played by, of all people, famous circus owner/ex-peplum starlet Moira Orfei!). By the time they finally reach Belli and her entourage of willing girls ‘waiting’ on another team of crippled officer and naïve cadet, Gassman has become oddly despondent and rejects the girl’s advances; as it turns out, he and his buddy had intended to commit suicide – with the latter ending up in hospital due to a gun wound, while Gassman eventually loses his nerve and retreats with Belli and Momo to a house in the country-side! I don’t recall the 1992 version well enough but, here, it seems that Momo’s role is relegated to the sidelines once Belli turns up; incidentally, I believe that the remake was far more chaste than this! Risi’s treatment of an undeniably original tale is somewhat low-key but nonetheless impressive – earthy yet insightful and thought-provoking, alternately funny and poignant – which is further graced with a simple but haunting melancholy score from Maestro Armando Trovajoli.

whfan "Profumo di donna" is a great movie, it makes you laugh and cry, and touches your heart very deeply, and it makes you think. It was made in 1974 by Dino Risi, a great Italian director. It is probably one of his best movies. All the actors are excellent and very talented. Everything is good in the movie : beautiful music, great screenplay, cinematography, it was shot on location on nice Italian cities, etc... Plot summary : Vittorio Gassman (Fausto) plays a man who was a top military officer before an accident left him blind. The movie tells the story of the trip he does from Turino to Napoli via Genova and Rome, with a young boy (Alessandro Momo) who helps him on the trip (helping Fausto is a job the boy has to do as part of his military service). In the movie, we also see what happens when they arrive in Napoli, and what was the goal of the trip, and we see the beautiful girl (Agostina Belli) who loves Fausto. "Profumo di donna" won numerous awards in several countries and was nominated at the Academy Awards for "Best Foreign Picture". If you don't know this movie, you definitely should rent it or even buy it on DVD.