Movies about perfume include Perfume, Scent of a Woman, and Love blossoms. You can also see various classic perfumes in cinematography through the decades.
Perfume might not be easy to film or to explain visually. But this doesn’t stop use from constantly seeing perfume in multiple movies.
Rarely, it gets the spotlight such as in Perfume. But most movies only get show mentions of perfume.
If scents and smells are often parts of the imaginary part of a movie, we also have a few more practical examples.
Movies about perfume you can still watch today
The following list aims to show the types of movies about perfume both new and old from all types of motion pictures.
Highly controversial and critically acclaimed, Perfume is a movie which shows the dark side of a master criminal. Jean Baptiste Grenoille plays a man obsessed with perfume in a life of misery where his smell seems to be the only part of him worth fighting for.
With a dark character to follow, the movies shows how Jean kills innocent women who in his mind can be harvested for perfumes. 18th century France is well represented here.
Al Pacino played a super role in the 1992 movie, Scent of a Woman. The retired army office shows how losing the sense of sight doesn’t prevent one from enjoying perfumes. With hard presentation, Al Pacino shows his softer side by always guessing the perfumes women are wearing.
His line referring to Flowers From a Brook – Fleurs de Rocailles of Miss Downes is specifically memorable. He also smells and rightly guesses Floris’ English Cologne of the flight attendant (Daphne on the plane to New York), and Ogilive Sister’s Soap face wash than on Donna.
Friends – Joey sells perfume
Friends sitcom tells us something very important about perfume. More specifically, it tells us how difficult it is to market perfume. Joey is taking a new job a perfume store clerk promoting cologne called Bijan for Men.
The perfume actually exists and its made in 1988. You can still buy it today but you should expect strong carnation, oakmoss, sage, and leather notes.
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky
Fans of Coco Chanel and her perfumes need to watch this movie. It follows her into the rumoured affair with Igor Stravinsky, considered an influential Russian composer. The movie takes place in the ’20’s, the era when Chanel No.5 was born.
Soap operas aren’t too far from Love Blossoms. This is the type of movie you watch with your partner. Presented by Hallmark, the movie follows Violet Chapel struggling to take over her family business when her father passes away. She meets an expert parfumeur who could help her untangle the secrets behind her father’s perfume compositions.
Movies that feature various perfumes
If you have an eye for detail, you can find perfume in many blockbusters. Here’s a few of them to which I add perfumes that I recognize
American Gangster – Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
Jupiter Ascending – Midnight in Oaris Van Cleef & Arpels
City of Angels – Guerlain Eau de Cologne
Mr and Mrs Smith – Dolce Gabbana Light Blue
Rage (2014) – Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Juno – Clinique Happy
Le Dine de Cons (1998) – Joy by Jean Patou
Alfie (2004) – Acqua di Parma Colonia
By the Sea (2015) – Eau Sauvage Christian Dior
Me Before You – L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons
Lemmy Kilmisters documentary – Channel Allure Homme Sport
Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear
Perfume ads that look like a movie
Some perfume ads could easily be turned into mysterious movies. Here are a few examples.
Coco Mademoiselle: The Film Chanel