This summer I read the 1985 book by Patrick Suskind and watched the 2006 film. I finally have time to compare the two/

PLOT/STORY

This much of it was true for both. It’s 18th century France and an orphan is born with an extraordinary gift of smell. Grenouille was different the moment he was born, even the other orphaned kids attempted to kill him. But he’s smart and manages to survive and even secure a job with a well respected perfumer in Paris. He becomes obsessed with capturing the scents of women and learns all he can about distilling. He kills his first woman in Paris because he wants to possess her scent. He must go on to a smaller town to learn more, but has some years of crazy in a cave first. Once he reaches the small French town his plan to come up with the perfect transcendent scent is born and no one is safe.

The book was much more inside of Grenouille’s head and that’s just not a place I wanted to be. Thumbs up- movie

VISUAL

The way that Suskind described Grenouille’s world was perfection. I may not have wanted to be inside Grenouille’s head, but the words that aroused the senses made the book come alive for me. Thumbs up- book

CHARACTERS/ACTORS

Hands down the best part of the book OR the movie was Dustin Hoffman as the perfumer and Alan Rickman as Richis. They both enhanced the roles. Ben Whishaw was a good lead and true to the character in the book. Thumbs up – movie

THE ENDING

The fact that the movie actually accomplished the village-wide orgy at the end gives it the definite edge. Thumbs up- movie

And the winner is...the MOVIE! Although this is a beloved, bestselling book, the movie didn’t creep me out me like the book did.

Other book vs. movie polls you can still vote on: (The Sun is Also a Star) (Good Morning, Midnight/The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting)  (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)