Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)

Certainly offbeat, but quite flat

Thriller about some nonsense involving a meteor and Greenland Eskimos. The female lead has one speed: flat. Absolutely no heat between her and her alleged costar boyfriend. The little boy has a good part, but barely speaks. The plot is silliness. I was tired of Julia Ormond's non-stop anger about 20 minutes into this two hour film. Why didnt she just move back to Greenland if she was so angry about being taken from it? Good riddance! Watch if you have nothing else to do. September 26, 2008

Smilla's Sense of Snow

I came across this movie on late night television by accident and when I saw who was in it I set my VCR to record. I was pleased I did. I now have the DVD. It was the second movie I saw Gabriel Byrne in and I am now a confirmed supporter. Julia Ormond is a treasure and after seeing her with Harrison Ford in Sabrina she can do no wrong. The small boy in this movie should have received a carton of oscars for his effort. Greenland scenery is superb February 19, 2008

The Smilla Cliff Notes

Let me state immediately that while I liked this film, it does not remotely begin to convey the multi-layered density of Peter Hoeg's long, complex novel. This film should be more aptly titled, "Bille August's Cliff Notes of Peter Hoeg's Novel, Smilla's Sense of Snow". Because that, basically, is what this movie is: a sketch of major events from the book, and not even all of them.

Of course, it must be said that bringing all the plots, subplots, twists, turns, and subtleties of Hoeg's novel to the screen in one film was probably impossible. Thus, August, I suppose, is to be congratulated for even trying to convey some sense of the book's primary themes about identity, power, and responsibility.

Fortunately, the film works quite well on its own terms, so if you haven't read Hoeg's novel, this film functions more than respectably in the suspense genre, and features a finely focused performance by Julia Ormond as the protagonist, Smilla Jaspersen. Ms. Ormond is really very good, and it is a pity she spent even ten minutes in Hollywood trying to become a Real Movie Star in silly movies like Sidney Pollack's disastrous remake of "Sabrina", "Guinevere", and, to a slightly lesser extent, "Legends of the Fall". The role of Smilla shows more of her range, talent, and emotional commitment than all three of those films wrapped up together.

Smilla is a half-Greenlandic/half-Danish scientist/mathemetician who has never been able to reconcile her two cultural heritages. Her Danish father, smoothly played by Robert Loggia, is also a scientist, and brought a young Smilla back to Denmark after her Inuit mother died in the Arctic waters off Greenland. And, as Smilla's mother was the love of her father's life, Dr. Jasperson's rage and grief at her loss left little care and love within him for the strong-willed little daughter who was also devastated by the loss. Smilla, who spent her entire childhood in Greenland among her mother's people, has never really adjusted to life in Copenhagen or to a European lifestyle. She misses Greenland's vast snowy expanses and suffers from the horror of small spaces that often afflicts those brought up in Greenland. As the film opens, Smilla is a sad, prickly, conflicted woman in her late thirties, difficult to approach and contemptuous of all systems save mathematics. She specializes in the science of snow, and translates all human experience through the language of mathematics.

The only human being who seems to have pierced her armor, and only after considerable effort, is a little boy who lives in her apartment building. Isaiah is also Inuit, and often takes refuge with Smilla when his widowed mother embarks on one of her long drinking binges. One day, Smilla comes home from work to find Isaiah dead in front of the apartment house, having ostensibly fallen off the roof while playing alone there. One look at his footsteps on the snowy roof convinces Smilla that Isaiah's death was no accident, and she sets out to find out what really happened to him.

As she does so, she uncovers a series of betrayals and multiple levels of corruption at the highest levels of government and scientific research. Her dogged pursuit of Isaiah's murderers puts a cynical and corrupt band of ruthless men on her trail, and places her in considerable danger.

The movie is stylishly produced and well-acted, with plenty of suspense as the destinies of the protagonists cross. Gabriel Byrne as another of Smilla's neighbors who is not quite what he seems; Richard Harris, Tom Wilkinson, and Bob Peck as the villainous conspirators; and a brief but sharply drawn cameo by Vanessa Redgrave as a conscience-stricken company official, all contribute to the high standard of performance in the film.

But the movie is anchored by Ormond's Smilla, whose journey to avenge Isaiah and illuminate the truth about his fate becomes part of her search for the answer to the question of who she is. There are some fine moments in the film, and a beautiful, haunting score. No, it's not Hoeg's novel, but one would probably need three movies for that. This one, however, is still well worth watching.
January 25, 2008

Great mystery!

I had read this book- one of the best I had ever read, particularly about Denmark and Greenland - and it was so well written, I did not want it to end. So, of course, I wanted to see the movie. It was wonderfully done. It handled a complex mystery very well and was a great evening's entertainment. All actors were great and really bought the book to life! July 23, 2007

Read the book first...

This is a great, literal adaptation of Peter Hoeg's novel of the same name. I recommend reading the book first because it is absolutely wonderful. The film follows the novel almost to the letter and Julia Ormond just captures Smilla perfectly. I liked Gabriel Byrne in the supporting role, but his eccentricities seem a little toned down for the movie. Overall, I think the movie is great! Enjoy. July 1, 2007

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