Scent of a Woman (1992)

VHS COVER/SIDE

MPAA Certificate Number: 32138

Length of film: 156 Minutes

Rated: R 

Genre: Drama

Director: Martin Brest

Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O’Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

IMDB Rank: 8/10

Part 1 Time:  92 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  64 Minutes

Where does the first part end? After scratching off all of Frank’s (Al Pacino) bucket list items. Charlie (Chris O’Donnell) and Frank return to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for the night.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “What a beautiful woman” Frank to Charlie in the limo.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “Colonel!” Charlie knocks on Frank’s bedroom door the following morning.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Somewhat, at this point in the film we understand what Frank’s motivation for going to New York. We also wonder what he ultimately plans to do once he has fulfilled all the items on his bucket last.

Which part is better? Part one introduces Frank to Charlie, with them building up a friendship. Charlie explains his situation to Frank at the preparatory school. Part two, is given the edge over part one as we see how both Frank and Charlie depend on one another, not to mention the speech given by Frank at the formal inquiry is regarded as one of the best in-film speeches.

Academy Awards: Best Leading Actor (Al Pacino), Best Picture (Nominated), Best Director (Nominated), Best Writing-Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (Nominated)