Scent of a Woman

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 job as an assistant to an irritable, blind, medically retired Army lieutenant colonel. The film is a remake of Dino Risi's 1974 Italian film Profumo di donna, adapted by Bo Goldman from the novel Il buio e il miele by Giovanni Arpino. The 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; at the Emma Willard School, an all-girls school in Troy, New York; and at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. The film was released on December 23, 1992. It received generally positive response from critics and was a box office success. Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance and the film was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. The film won three Golden Globe Awards, for Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Motion Picture – Drama. Plot Charlie Simms is a scholarship student at Baird, an exclusive New England preparatory school. A woman hires him to watch over her uncle, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, over Thanksgiving weekend. Charlie accepts so he can buy a plane ticket home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas. He discovers Frank to be a blind, highly decorated Vietnam War veteran who has become a cantankerous alcoholic.