Stanley Kubrick said it couldn’t be done. And he wasn’t alone. The idea of transposing the magic of Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume to the big screen raised doubts among movie buffs and Süskind fans alike. And yet, on September 14th, Tom Tykwer’s highly anticipated movie adaptation finally premiered in Germany. I happened to be in Berlin a week later, and bought a ticket to the most expensive production in German cinematic history. Despite the absence of red carpets and confetti, there was a sense of excitement at the theater entrance. The obvious question on everyone’s mind was: how will the movie compare to the book? But as the credits appeared at the end of the show, I realized that a side-by-side comparison would only do injustice to the movie.

Tykwer’s latest really does hold its own as a captivating, entertaining film…

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