Scent of a Woman (1992 film)

Scent of a Woman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Brest
Screenplay byBo Goldman
Based onIl buio e il miele
1974 novel
by Giovanni Arpino
Suggested byCharacter from Profumo di donna
by Dino Risi
Produced byMartin Brest
Starring
CinematographyDonald E. Thorin
Edited by
Music byThomas Newman
Production
company
City Light Films
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • December 23, 1992 (1992-12-23)
Running time
156 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31 million[1]
Box office$134.1 million

Scent of a Woman is a 1992 American drama film produced and directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a short-term job near Thanksgiving as a companion/assistant to a retired Army lieutenant colonel who is blind, depressed, and irritable.

The film was adapted by Bo Goldman from the Italian novel Il buio e il miele (Italian: Darkness and Honey) by Giovanni Arpino. This was previously adapted by Dino Risi for his 1974 Italian film Profumo di donna.

The American film stars Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell, with James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman (credited as Philip S. Hoffman), Gabrielle Anwar, and Bradley Whitford in supporting roles.

The film was shot primarily around New York state, and also on location at Princeton University. Scenes were shot at the Emma Willard School, an all-girls school in Troy, New York; and at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and the Fieldston School in New York City.

The film had a limited theatrical release on December 23, 1992, expanding nationwide on January 8, 1993. It received generally positive responses from critics and was a box office success. Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. The film was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.[2]

The film won three Golden Globe Awards, for Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Motion Picture – Drama.[3]

  1. ^ "Scent of a Woman". PowerGrid. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (March 30, 1993). "Oscar's night started at noon in Hollywood". The New York Times. p. 9. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Fox, David J. (January 25, 1993). "Pacino Gives Oscar Derby a New Twist : Awards: Actor wins Golden Globe for role in 'Scent of a Woman,' which also wins as best dramatic picture, surprising Academy Awards competitors". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2010.