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Movies / On DVD / Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine
Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine

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Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine (2001)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:31

Rotten:13

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Hitting upon universal themes, this meditation on death is both poignant and wryly humorous.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Banned from making films for over twenty years by Iran's Post-Revolutionary Censor Board, Bahman Farmanara returns with SMELL OF CAMPHOR, FRAGRANCE OF JASMINE, a deeply inspiring meditation on... Banned from making films for over twenty years by Iran's Post-Revolutionary Censor Board, Bahman Farmanara returns with SMELL OF CAMPHOR, FRAGRANCE OF JASMINE, a deeply inspiring meditation on existence and death. Farmanara plays Bahman Farjami, a director in his mid-50s who continues to mourn his recently deceased wife. While driving to visit her grave one morning, he picks up a distraught young woman, who turns out to be carrying a stillborn child with her. When he gets to the graveyard, the day quickly turns worse. It appears that a mix-up has occurred and the plot Bahman has reserved for himself, adjacent to his wife's grave, has been mistakenly occupied. Distraught and confused, Bahman visits his doctor only to discover that if he doesn't quit smoking cigarettes, he won't be living much longer. To try to make sense of his demise and the effect it will have on those closest to him, Bahman decides to stage and film his own funeral. But when the morning comes to shoot the morbid recreation, it appears that his own time has come, sparking a realization that teaches Bahman a powerful lesson once and for all. Deftly incorporating his own experiences, Farmanara's personal essay reverberates with a sincerity that most films never achieve. [More]

Starring: Bahman Farmanara, Roya Nonahali, Reza Kianian, Vali Shirandami

Starring: Bahman Farmanara, Roya Nonahali, Reza Kianian, Vali Shirandami, Hossien Kasbian, Firooz Behjat Mahamadi, Mahtaj Noojoomi, Parivash Nazarieh

Director: Bahman Farmanara

Director: Bahman Farmanara
Screenwriter: Bahman Farmanara
Studio: New Yorker Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Wonderfully bitter as it is wonderfully witty.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
06/18/01
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Yet another of the spare, forthright and altogether engaging films to emerge from Iran.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
06/08/01
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

Bahman Farmanara triumphantly reclaims his own soul with Smell of Camphor -- and it's been well worth the wait.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
06/01/01
Pam Grady
Pam Grady
Reel.com

A feat of droll, refractive, melodramatic self-portraiture.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/01/01
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
San Francisco Chronicle

An accomplished portrait of a life's final curtain.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/01/01
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A meditative, shrewdly humorous farce.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
06/01/01
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Boasts rich texture, sly vision and rueful humor.

comment Comment
05/31/01
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

Despite his moody presence, Farmanara clearly thrills in being a storyteller.

comment Comment
05/31/01
Francesca Chapman
Francesca Chapman
Philadelphia Daily News

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/28/01
Greg Muskewitz
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com

Only a veteran filmmaker could pack a film about death with this much wit and complexity.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
05/21/01
Jessica Yadegaran
Jessica Yadegaran
San Diego Union-Tribune

The film’s satirical frankness may be a sign that Iranian cinema, too, is finally emerging from a prolonged depressive phase into something like affirmation.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
05/09/01
David Chute
David Chute
L.A. Weekly

... a lovely meditation on life and death, approached with candor and humor [that] marks the welcome return to movies of a voice silent too long.

Full Review Source: Baseline.Hollywood.com | comment Comment
05/06/01
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Baseline.Hollywood.com

Deceptively simple yet consistently acute, subtle and observant.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/04/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

You Should Pay Nine Bucks to See This If: You care anything at all about world cinema.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
05/04/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

Farmanara, the actor, brings a real poignancy to the role.

comment Comment
05/03/01
Jean Oppenheimer
Jean Oppenheimer
New Times

With its weak plotting and production values, Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine will test the patience of the most forgiving filmgoer.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/30/01
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

Depression is a fair subject for a movie, but this much moroseness shouldn't come to this little.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/20/01
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

The first film in 22 years by banned Iranian filmmaker Bahman Farmanara, Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine is something new for American movie gourmands.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
04/12/01
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Mr. Showbiz

Glacially slow going, and reveals more about the minutiae of Iranian burial customs than most viewers will probably want to know.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/10/01
Steve Simels
Steve Simels
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Evolves into a wryly observed odyssey of discovery and self-regeneration.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/08/01
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 >> >|
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