Scent of a Woman (1974)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Dino Risi

Writers:

Giovanni Arpino (novel), Ruggero Maccari

Stars:

Vittorio Gassman, Alessandro Momo, Agostina Belli

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Vittorio Gassman	...	Il capitano Fausto Consolo
Alessandro Momo	...	Giovanni Bertazzi, aka Ciccio
Agostina Belli	...	Sara
Moira Orfei	...	Mirka
Franco Ricci	...	Tenente Giacomino
Elena Veronese	...	Michelina
Lorenzo Piani
Stefania Spugnini	...	Candida
Torindo Bernardi	...	Vincenzo
Marisa Volonnino	...	Ines
Carla Mancini	...	Nun
Alvaro Vitali	...	Vittorio
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sergio Di Pinto	...	Raffaele

Storyline

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. In Rome, Fausto summons a priest to ask for his blessing; in Naples, where Fausto joins a blind lieutenant for drinking and revelry, the two soldiers talk quietly and seriously about "going through with it." Also in Naples is Sara, in love with Fausto, but treated cruelly by him. What do the blind soldiers plan? Can Sara soften Fausto's hardened heart?

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | it | italy | blind soldier | gunshot | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

20 December 1974 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Scent of a Woman

Filming Locations:

Vico delle Camelie, Genoa, Liguria, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dean Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alessandro Momo (Giovanni Bertazzi, aka Ciccio) died on 20 November 1974 (shortly after the shooting of the movie was completed) in Rome, Italy (motorcycle accident) not far from the filming locations.

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Quotes

Il capitano Fausto Consolo: You know what I am?
Giovanni Bertazzi, aka Ciccio: No.
Il capitano Fausto Consolo: The eleven of spades.
Giovanni Bertazzi, aka Ciccio: It doesn't exist.
Il capitano Fausto Consolo: That's the point. A card that's not in the pack. Good for no game.

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Connections

Remade as Scent of a Woman (1992)

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Soundtracks

'A Tazza 'e caffe'
Lyrics by Giuseppe Capaldo (as Capaldo)
Music by Vittorio Fassone (as Fassone)
Edizioni LA CANZONETTA

User Reviews

Masterpiece of the Italian cinema

"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.