Smell Of Camphor, Fragrance Of Jasmine
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
Bahman Farjami (writer/director Bahman Farmanara playing a
variation of himself) has not been able to make a motion picture for twenty
years, and now the former filmmaker begins to be taken in by the dread and
feeling of death in Smell Of Camphor, Fragrance Of Jasmine (2000), a
dark comedy that is another of a recent cycle of films the last few years where
the lead character has to deal with death while living miserably in a sense of
soul.
This happened to the real life director when the 1979
revolution happened in Iran and extreme Islam took over the country. Though not bashing Islam, the film boldly
criticizes its highjacking in visual ways that like the pain and feeling of
death, are a subtle alarm that Islamo-Fascism is on the rise and how right he
was. That many an American film has
crossed into the same territory says something about the duel growth of
neo-Conservatism and Political Correctness in the United States, and the ties
of The Iran-Contra Affair alone prove the gap is not as wide as some would want
to believe. The film has its dark
comedy, but is always consistent in expressing the authentic feelings of being
abandoned to the point that it feels like death is next. Under increasing state control and
censorship, that should be no surprise.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a bit off,
looking like it was shot on video when it was really shot on film. Cinematographer Mahmood Kalari does come up
with some memorable and funny images that appear just as you think the film
will settle for more standard images and situations. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is not bad and Ahmad Pejman’s music
score quietly punctuates all the events of the film with an enhancing quality
that further drives home the loss and pain the man who was one of Iran’s
premiere filmmakers suffered (and still suffers) for all the years of loss of
not being able to express himself cinematically. Four trailers for other New Yorker titles and one for this film
are the only extras, unfortunately, but Smell Of Camphor, Fragrance Of
Jasmine is a very interesting film worth a look despite covering ground we
have seen covered before.
- Nicholas Sheffo
