Scent of a Woman [DVD] [1992]

Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, Gabrielle Anwar. A bitter yet brilliant blind man's self-destructive nature hides a deep concern for his young guardian during one wild weekend. Pacino earned an Oscar for his performance. 1992/color/157 min/R/widescreen.

Scent of a Woman is another fine, if featureless, DVD transfer from Universal. With a crystal clear 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and adequate Dolby Surround Sound, the film thankfully avoids a digital treatment that just looks like a sloppy recycling of an older transfer. Unfortunately, with no extras but a theatrical trailer, Scent of a Woman isn't worth much more than a rental. The film is distinguished as the project that finally got Al Pacino his long-elusive Oscar for Best Actor, so there would be some basis for at least a production featurette. Pacino's fine performance isn't the only ignored topic, as the film also introduced now-popular actors like Chris O'Donnell and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It would have been interesting to see retrospective interviews with the actors now, looking back on the experience. Also, the film's subject matter was a departure for director Martin Brest, who had previously directed Beverly Hills Cop. Now that Gus Van Sant has cornered the market on tales of mentorship and bonding between older and younger men, Brest might have been able to deliver some insightful comments about a film that preceded films like Good Will Hunting and Finding Forrester. Scent of a Woman is worth a look with a good digital transfer, but the lack of supplements keeps it in a rental category.