Category Archives: perfumes in movies

Karami-ai (1962)

 

karamiai_bornunicornSenzô Kawahara (Sô Yamamura) is a rich businessman who has been diagnosed with cancer. His wife rejects his sexual advances, so he starts an affair with his secretary, Yasuko Miyagawa (Keiko Kishi). She doesn’t like him, but he pays her (“10 brand-new 10,000-yen bills” on their first encounter), so she quickly gets used to it. The first purchase she wants to make is the most expensive perfume by Guerlain.

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guerlainvoldenuitLater in the film, we get to see what she bought: the inimitable flacon rayonnant of Vol de Nuit! The director Masaki Koyabashi shows the perfume bottle with a perfect shot.

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karamiai_theinheritance_bornunicorn (3)Senzô sniffs the perfume and declares it’s “not bad.” He could have shown more enthusiasm for the Jacques Guerlain creation, a homage to the second novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but I guess the “not bad”, coming from a ruthless businessman, can be considered a compliment, after all.

karami-ai_bornunicornAt the end of the scene, the bottle is on the floor, next to a bottle of Courvoisier cognac.

Shopgirl (2005)

shopgirl_bornunicorn (5)Lisa Cramer (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) is a bored sales assistant at the perfume counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in Los Angeles. Let’s see what’s on her counter.

Bulgari BLV is presented in two versions: the blue and silver bottle is BLV Pour Homme (created by Alberto Morillas in 2001), while the blue bottle is BLV Absolute, launched in 2002.

There are many products by Boucheron. First, the body lotion and the perfumed dusting powder from the Boucheron Pour Femme line.

boucheron_jaipursaphir_bornunicornThere’s Boucheron Jaipur Saphir, created by Nathalie Lorson in 1999. 

eaudecartierconcentree_bornunicornThen there’s a bottle of Cartier Eau de Cartier Concentrée, created by Christine Nagel in 2002.

lanvinlhomme_bornunicornAnother perfume seen on Lisa’s counter is Lanvin L’Homme, another creation by Alberto Morillas, launched in 1997.

cartierpashadecartier_bornunicornHalf-hidden behind the Lanvin there’s a bottle of Cartier Pasha de Cartier, a 1992 creation by Jacques Cavallier.

On the right side of the counter there are several skincare products by Lancôme – two make-up removers (Bi-Facil and Effacil, in the dark blue bottle) and two toners (Tonique Douceur and Tonique Controle).

Der Untergang (2004)

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There’s a bottle of Lohse Uralt Lavendel cologne by the sink in Traudl Junge’s room. It’s not clear what bottle version was used here, since the camera pans to the actress and doesn’t linger on the sink. Historically speaking, it should be the one on the right (see the Gothic font), but there’s no way to know.

Thanks to AW for the id.

On the Set of “Call Me by Your Name”

I haven’t watched Call Me by Your Name by Luca Guadagnino yet, but I’ve kept the best picture from the set for last. The author is – again – Giulio Ghirardi, who gave us the perfect shot of a dressing table, covered with some fabric from the Middle East.

dioreausavage_bornunicornAmong the several perfume bottles, I’ve spotted Christian Dior Eau Sauvage, a 1966 creation by Edmond Roudnitska.

acquadiparmacolonia_bornunicornNext to it, there’s Acqua di Parma Colonia, the first fragrance of the Italian brand, created in 1916.

niveacreme_bornunicornThe blue tin unmistakably contains Nivea Creme, a product created in Germany but incredibly popular in Italy.

acquadiroseroberts_bornunicornAnother quintessentially Italian product is Roberts Acqua distillata alle rose, a toner first created in 1867.

gloriavanderbiltperfume_bornunicornLast but not least, there’s a bottle of Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt, a huge commercial success created by Sophia Grojsman in 1982. It’s impossible not to have a memory of it, if you were born in the 1970s/1980s: this white floral fragrance was everywhere!

Picture source.

Death on the Nile (1978)

deathonthenile_bornunicorn.pngLinnet Ridgeway’s bedroom/boudoir is lavishly furnished in white and decorated with colorful glass, mirrors and marble. Several French perfumes are sitting on her vanity, a natural extension of her flawless style.

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lanvinmysin_bornunicornThe first bottle that has caught my attention is the Lanvin boule on the left. It’s unclear what perfume it contained, because the French maison used the same bottle for two different perfumes, Arpege (created by Andre Fraysse in 1927) and My Sin (called Mon Péché in French, created by the mysterious Madame Zed in 1924). The film is set in the 1930s, so it’s plausible for both to sit on that vanity.

lanvinarpegetalc_bornunicornThe same thing can be said for the black bottle on the right, containing Lanvin talcum powder. It could be Arpege or My Sin.

shalimarvintagead_bornunicornThe Guerlain chauve souris bottle unmistakably contained Shalimar, created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925.

guerlainliu_bornunicornGuerlain Liu black flacon tabatiere with gold accents is in tune with the Art Deco vibe in Linnet’s bedroom. The perfume was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1929.

Thanks to Karen Hatch for the id.

Death on the Nile (1978)

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guerlainflaconmontre_bornunicornI wonder if Monsieur Poirot (Peter Ustinov) noticed the massive Guerlain flacon montre sitting on a shelf in Linnet Ridgeway’s bathroom, while inspecting the heiress’ cabin on the Karnak steamer. Too bad the front sticker was scratched out: we will never know what cologne she used.

Using a flacon montre here is not 100% accurate: if we assume the novel is set before 1937 (year in which it was published), the choice is not accurate because this bottle was introduced on the same year. In any case, this is another example of “partial inconsistency:” this bottle was not available at the time in which the story was set, but it was at the time in which the film was shot.

Boogie Nights (1997)

There are three bottles of Oscar de la Renta Esprit de Parfum on Amber’s dressing table. This is likely to be a historically accurate choice: Oscar, the first Oscar de la Renta fragrance, was created by Jean-Louis Sieuzac and launched in 1977.

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The Esprit de Parfum was launched in the 1980s, so it’s possible it was on the market in 1984, year in which the last scenes of the film are set.