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Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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29 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Two thirds of a great film., 9 November 2004

Author: Latheman-9 from USA

Bille August's "Smilla's Sense of Snow" starts off with great promise. An opening sequence that's a terrific hook segues into an introduction of the character of Smilla Jasperson, played perfectly by the lovely Julia Ormond. Smilla is self-isolated, deeply unhappy, and unapproachable. Her only real friend is the young Inuit boy, Isaiah, who dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, and Smilla determines to uncover the reasons for his death. For the first two reels, this film is a terrific mystery story with good pacing, fine acting, and evocative cinematography. Characters with uncertain motives come and go as the story unfolds, most played by a fine stable of talented actors. But then in the third reel, the film collapses. I'm not talking about a slow descent into mediocrity here; I'm talking about a precipitous nosedive. Out of the blue, the story suddenly switches to an action/thriller format that is poorly written, directed, and edited. New, undeveloped characters are suddenly thrown into the mix, each a deus ex machina as the increasingly unrealistic plot requires. The film's denouement, in which the underlying mystery is revealed, is so scientifically ridiculous both in terms of biology and especially in physics that I felt thoroughly cheated. It's as if the entire enterprise were rushed to completion due to a looming shortage of time, money, and interest. What a pity. Even so, the first two thirds of the film stand up well on their own, and my rating is based on that. Rating: 7/10.

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29 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
I really wanted to like this., 13 August 2005

Author: tippusmaximus from Iowa

I thought the trailer looked great and the acting talent involved really is quite impressive: Julia Ormond, Richard Harris, Tom Wilkinson, and Gabriel Byrne. Not to mention that the story looked interesting. And the cinematography is just amazing--very beautiful, very cold. So, what went wrong? Sadly, the film is crippled by the script. It's the kind of story where the protagonist knows exactly the right bits of obscure information and knows exactly the right people who can give her exactly the information she needs to unravel the mystery. Not only that, she can rappel off the side of a ship like nobody's business. In his review of this film, Ebert said it was "a triumph of style over substance." The style is definitely there, but just before it triumphs, something completely illogical is said or done that breaks the suspension of disbelief the film tries so hard to build up. As for the actors, I got the feeling that they just didn't know what to do with their characters, none of which were very well-rounded. Even Smilla, a unique female protagonist in that she is very intelligent and independent, is not given enough of a personality or a background to inspire the viewer's compassion. And anyway, it's not her intelligence that gets her to the end of the story, it's the fact that she's got more guts than any hero I've ever seen in a movie, male or female. The only truly likable and memorable character is Isaiah, if only because he's just an impossibly cute little kid. In the end, while the movie is aesthetically pleasing, not enough attention was paid to developing a plausible story, well-drawn characters, or a satisfying ending.

P.S.--I almost forgot to mention that Vanessa Redgrave does a very nice job but has to say the line "There is no Mr Lubing. I am the bride of Jesus", which just cracked me up, even though I think it was supposed to be a serious moment.

P.P.S.--The absolute highlight of the movie is a little speech Smilla gives about numbers. It's actually very unique and insightful and, fortunately, it's in the Memorable Quotes section.

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18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Atmospheric Thriller, 18 November 2004

Author: James Hitchcock from Tunbridge Wells, England

n a cold December day in Copenhagen, a young boy named Isaiah falls to his death from the roof of the block of flats where he lives. The official police view is that he slipped and fell while playing on the roof. Smilla Jaspersen, a neighbour of Isaiah and his mother, does not accept that his death was an accident. Isaiah had a fear of heights, so was unlikely to have been playing on the roof; moreover, the footprints in the snow do not support the police version. Smilla therefore decides to start her own investigation to find out what really happened.

Isaiah and his mother belonged to Denmark's Greenlandic minority, and Smilla herself grew up in Greenland, the daughter of a Danish father and Greenlandic mother. She is in her late thirties, and works as a freelance mathematician and expert on the physics of ice and snow, although she has no formal academic qualifications. She discovers, however, that Isaiah's father was an employee of a Danish mining corporation and that he died in mysterious circumstances during an expedition to Greenland organised by this corporation. She begins to suspect that Isaiah's death was also in some way linked to the company, and learns that they are organising another voyage to Gela Alta, a small island off the coast of Greenland, although she does not know what the object of this voyage is. Nevertheless, she believes that the key to the mystery lies on this remote island and joins the crew of the ship as a stewardess, just ahead of the police who resent her interference in the case and are trying to arrest her.

This was one of those films that I enjoyed more than the original novel. Peter Hoeg's book was itself in some ways reminiscent of a film. The first half, with its urban setting, its tough, gritty investigator and its suggestion of a web of corruption and wrongdoing in high places, reminded me of a Humphrey Bogart style film noir, and the second part, set on the ship as it makes its way through the Arctic ice, of one of those filmed versions of Alistair MacLean thrillers that were so popular in the sixties and seventies. I found, however, that it suffered from an over-complex plot and was too slow moving to work as a thriller. Bille August's version removes some of the complexity of the plot and moves along at a faster pace. The revelation about exactly what lies below the ice comes earlier in the film than it does in the book- possibly August realized that the book's ending, more science fiction than science fact, was one of its weak points, and wanted to get this detail out of the way to allow the closing scenes of the film to concentrate more on the battle between Smilla and the villains. The film keeps, however, the book's atmospheric sense of place- there were some wonderful shots of Copenhagen in winter and of the Arctic ice.

Julia Ormond seemed to be the cinema's Big New Thing of the mid-nineties. Her role in 'Smilla's Sense of Snow' followed starring roles in three big Hollywood films, 'Legends of the Fall', 'First Knight' and 'Sabrina'. Since then she seems to have disappeared from the radar altogether and I have often wondered what has happened to her.. Her performance in 'Smilla', however, is a good one and she makes an appealing heroine. Rather more appealing, in fact, than Hoeg's original character, who combines a strong sense of justice with a gift for rudeness and sarcasm. Of the other actors, the best was Richard Harris as the chief villain, although he was probably considerably older than the character envisaged by Hoeg.

Although it is very different in its visual style, this atmospheric thriller is perhaps the nearest that the modern cinema comes to old-fashioned film noir. Despite its weaknesses it remained watchable throughout. It confirmed my view (based on 'Pelle the Conqueror' and 'The House of the Spirits') that Bille August is a highly talented director. 7/10

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14 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
As evocative and poetic as the book., 15 March 2001

Author: nmb666 from Belfast, N. Ireland

Based upon the bestseller by Peter Hoeg, "Miss Smilla's feeling for snow", it would have been hard for the movie to disappoint. The performances by all are exceptional, not least Julia Ormonds portrayal of Smilla, as icy as the landscape that involves (and evolves) the movie. The movie has an almost poetic feel, so beautifully is it paced, and the story draws you in steadily as Smilla searched for the truth behind her young friends death. There are enough surprises, twists and turns to keep most people happy, and the warmth of the two leads performances are in great contrast to the snow that provides the story. I couldn't recommend this story enough to fans of the book, or anyone who is interested in seeing a movie that is not your ordinary run of the mill hollywood movie, but one with depth, character and genuine emotion.

Superb.

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12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Gives the book good credit, 5 October 2004

Author: rainynight65 from South Africa

I read the book before I watched the movie. Usually I am not too fond of films made after a book. This is one of the rare exceptions.

The makers succeeded well in capturing the complexity of the book's characters. Julia Ormond does remarkably well as the moody, unpredictable Smilla Jaspersen. So does Gabriel Byrne in the role of the rather secretive Mechanic. The brilliant Richard Harris is in here too, one of the many movies he probably said that it would be his last. The rest of the cast fits in well. Nice to see that they didn't try to get all big names, but rather actors who can fill a role appropriately.

Of course the movie isn't perfect, but in order to give that book full credit, they would have had to make a 4 hour film. Especially the second part, with all the events on the ship and in Greenland, is rather condensed. Those scenes could have used a bit more air to breathe, less pace.

Nevertheless I really like this movie, I have been watching it several times already. And now I think I am going to read the book again... (8/10)

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Doesn't stand up...., 11 October 2007
Author: robwealer from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Parts were good but does not stand up on the whole. Very unrealistic and un-researched, asking the audience to swallow a lot of basic inconsistent crap, something that would get most continuity people fired in today's market. Eg. Why are they simply standing around an un-fenced off pool of deadly organisms in a pristine lab setting, not to mention that it's surrounded by slippery ice. Also, what was this GM's crime anyway? (He was likely doing what would have been done anyway by his own employees but with government regulation and observation.) The infection of the boy was not intentional. Not disclosing it was illegal but the child was treated/observed. Nowhere in this film is it mentioned or even properly implied that the boy might have been an experiment or that treatment was withheld purposefully so that they could watch the organism evolve in a human subject. It was implied though that the disease was untreatable and fatal in every case, that to disturb the "worm" was to invite catastrophe. That the boy was necessarily misused was not clear at all. Nor was it necessarily communicated that any kind of haste or greed was ultimately responsible for what happened, not at all. Director and screenwriter were asking a lot of the audience that should have been delivered by them. This also struck me as an exercise of moralization by people who were over their heads in the subject matter and taking their first run at it, making a lot of mistakes along the way and aimed at an audience whose level of candor/maturity was not up to the more rigorous detail and syllogisms of genuine ethical debate.

Gave me a large headache.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
More like Smilla's magic lipstick, 27 March 2005

Author: creeda1 from Ireland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The only mystery was "whatlipstick is our heroine wearing?" It is a wonderful color, softly shining and lasts throughout - except at the climax when it starts to fade! Contrasts nicely with Smilla's beady eyes (admittedly quite large) as she stares at the camera. There are so many questions - why am I watching this (rainy evening), what is the role of the police in the plot (surely it is unusual in Denmark for the police to enter an apartment and sit in the dark waiting for the owner to return), how much money does an unemployed person in Denmark get (Smilla's haircut did not come cheap!), how does a worm live in a meteor, what was Smilla looking at through her microscope......... All the old stalwarts are there - Gabriel Byrne, obviously trying to remember where he is; Richard Harris, mercifully silent so just playing with his hair; Vanessa Redgrave, doing a wonderful imitation of Ingrid Bergman in "Murder on the Orient Express". We have the Deus ex Machina - just like in Diva - here is it the Father - kindly, wise, wealthy, with the answer to all questions; he does however enliven his days with the only amusing character, a ballet dancer.

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11 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
a woman takes on an evil organization, 17 April 1999

Author: helpless_dancer from Broken Bow, Oklahoma

A scientist who heads up a mining company in Greenland discovers a way to make money and garner power. However, in doing so he endangers others. After a child supposedly commits suicide, a woman who has doubts about the death begins an investigation in behalf of the dead boy. Her life is then threatened, but she never gives up. Eventually, she comes face to face with her enemies on a lonely ice floe far to the north. At times the story was hard to follow, and I felt it had a few holes in it. Sometimes it just didn't make sense. Still, it was worth the seeing.

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13 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
High Hopes Dashed By Horrible Last 40 Minutes, 9 August 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This is a fairly low-key for a crime story, a tale about a woman trying to find out why a young boy fell from a rooftop to his death. I had high hopes for this movie but the last 35-40 minutes were so disappointing that I'd never watch this again. That ending had so many holes to it, it was mind-boggling.

I like Julia Ormand, who plays the lead character, but she's a bit surly and rough with this character. I also enjoyed seeing scenery in Denmark and Greenland, not the normal sites for crime film movies. Few films, I imagine, have been made in Greenland with its brutal temperatures. (There is a fascinating very short featurette on Greenland that comes with the DVD.)

Perhaps worth a rental, but only with a discount coupon, meaning don't spend more than $3 to look at this. Heck, you can buy it for $5 most places, which tells you something.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
There's Something Rotten In Denmark, 9 December 2003

Author: sol from Brooklyn NY USA

*****spoilers***** Long drawn out story about an Inuit/Eskimo boys seemingly accidental death from a fall from the roof of the apartment building in which he and his mother lived in Copenhagen and ending up in the icy northern waters off Greenland with an explosion that put an end to a 30 year quest for an energy producing meteorite.

This meteorite crashed into that cold ice capped sea some 150 years ago that carried on in an pre-historic worms. These alien worm came to life when the meteorite hit the waters and some 150 years later infected and killed four men from the expedition, including the boys father. This happened when they came in contact with the melt water around the meteorite.

The movie "Smilla's Sense of Snow" held one's interest up to a point with Smilla, Julia Ormond, a mathematician coming home one afternoon and finding out that the boy Isaiah, Clipper Miano, who Smilla befriended was killed from a fall from the roof of the building. Taking a personal interest in the boys death Smilla checks out clues that leads her to the Greenland Mining Company which employed Isaiah's father in that expedition.

Smilla soon learns that Isaiah was being monitored by the company monthly to see if he was infected by the worms that killed his father and his three fellow workers. That's because Isaiah also went into the melt water himself to try to save his father but nothing seemed to have happened to him. The movie starts to get confused and falls apart when Smilla begins to overcome odds on top of odds with bodies falling all around her as she gets to the meteorite crash site with the chief villain Tork, Richard Harris, with him not having a clue to who Smilla was and what she was up to until the very end.

Smilla wasn't exactly that secretive about her intentions with every one, the police the Greenland Mining Company as well as the hospital staff that attended the boy ,knowing about her intentions. With the unexpected hero, besides Smilla of course, turning out to be her wimpy and weird neighbor Mechanic, Gabriel Byrne. It was Mechanic who in the end turned out to be a James Bond type undercover man who was both undercover as well as under the covers with Smilla during the entire movie.

In the end Tork, as well as the confused theater audience, gets the story straight to what really happened to the young Eskimo boy from Smilla just before the whole expedition site exploded and with Tork himself deep sixths in the cold icy Arctic waters.

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