In the past, Hugo learned acting by watching movies.The first time he watched, he would simply enjoy the film, but by the second or third time, he would gradually start analyzing the plot, filming techniques, and so on, and the Actor's performance was naturally one of them.Hugo would get into the habit of imitating the Actor's performance to figure out the character, and he even fantasized about being one of the people on the big screen, standing in the Actor's position to perform that role.In the process of imitating acting, Al Pacino was naturally someone who could not be ignored.Hugo not only imitated Al Pacino's performance in "The Godfather" but also never missed the famous "scent of a woman".After years of accumulation, Al Pacino's performance achieved a massive explosion in this movie; his high-tension acting brought the violent, arrogant, depressed, lustful, upright, and compassionate Colonel Slade to life brilliantly, enough to leave a mark in the long river of history.Relatively speaking, the room for the character of Charlie to shine was much narrower, and many critics even considered "scent of a woman" to be a one-man show for Al Pacino.However, in reality, the young Actor who played the role of Charlie, Chris O'Donnell, also won much acclaim.He was a newcomer when he starred in this film, contributing a raw yet brilliant performance.Of course, what really allowed Chris O'Donnell to establish himself in the entertainment industry was the TV series "NCIS: Los Angeles" that aired more than twenty years later.Therefore, for Hugo, the work "scent of a woman" was both an opportunity and a challenge.It was not an easy task for Hugo to not lose himself in front of Al Pacino's powerful aura and to make the character of Charlie shine, because Charlie did not have an overbearing personality, not to mention being compared to the headstrong Colonel Slade.But thinking about it from another perspective, Hugo also gained the opportunity to act directly opposite Al Pacino, and this close-range contact allowed Hugo to further learn about acting.During this period after the filming started, almost every scene required both Hugo and Al Pacino to be on set.Hugo could clearly see Al Pacino effortlessly mastering the rhythm of the performance.It was a feeling that could not be expressed in words; he would just unconsciously follow Al Pacino's performance rhythm while acting, and then his emotions would be stirred up by Al Pacino's words, gestures, and movements, presenting the shots that the director needed.This feeling was very strange; on one hand, it felt like Al Pacino was guiding him through acting, but on the other hand, it felt like he had lost himself in front of Al Pacino, which made Hugo appear somewhat conflicted.However, this state of struggle actually brought out the best performance from Hugo, because the relationship between Charlie and Colonel Slade in the movie was just like that, which invisibly allowed Hugo to quickly get into character, causing the filming progress to consistently show a pleasing trend.For Hugo, filming was certainly important, but exploring acting was equally important; he was currently carefully contemplating Al Pacino's performance in the scene just now.Today, the entire crew was filming in the lobby of The Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue.This scene was one of the most classic scenes in "scent of a woman," where Colonel Slade took Donna, whom he had just met, to dance a sexy tango in the hotel lobby.This scene was also one of the most unforgettable scenes in film history: it was rare for a blind man to dance the tango, and the Colonel even displayed the elegance and sexiness of the tango to the fullest, which made it even more rare.The Actor who played the fleeting beauty in the film was Gabrielle Anwar, a British actress who had just entered Hollywood last year.Actually, Hugo was not familiar with Gabrielle because, although she had high exposure in the nineties, Hugo hadn't seen most of her works, and her most famous work was this one, "scent of a woman."But this did not prevent Hugo from admiring her when he met Gabrielle; her exquisite features, smooth long hair, and soft lips were enough to make people marvel just upon meeting.Even though there were three people—Hugo, Gabrielle, and Al Pacino—in the scene that had just finished filming, the rhythm of the acting was still firmly held in Al Pacino's hands.Hugo tried to find his own rhythm, but it wasn't that easy, which made Hugo involuntarily review every detail of Al Pacino's acting in his mind over and over again, trying hard to find a clue.When Al Pacino was acting, there was a sense of naturalness to it; one could not see deliberate carving, nor could one see traces of careful design.Everything was so natural, as if Colonel Slade should be like this at that moment.How was this achieved?Even if Hugo tried to imitate, even if he could imitate to eighty percent similarity, he only had the form but not the spirit; the essence of the entire performance was not grasped, which was truly elusive.Hugo's thinking was interrupted by the elegant tango music in the hall.He knew the next scene was about to start.Only then did Hugo realize that he couldn't even achieve the form, yet he was already thinking about the spirit; it was like trying to imagine himself running when he couldn't even walk.Hugo couldn't help but smile, temporarily putting away these complex thoughts in his heart, and looked up to watch the filming of this classic scene.The music chosen for this scene was the famous tango song "Por Una Cabeza," released in 1935.Because of its noble and moving melody, it was hailed as one of the ultimate representatives of tango.The dashing and smooth tune presented the joy and passion of tango, as if it were a lover's whisper.At this time, the rehearsal had ended.Al Pacino held Gabrielle and stood at the end of the dance floor.With Martin's shout of "Action," the Colonel gently brought Donna into his arms, placed her left hand, which was on his waist, onto his right shoulder, and then took steps amidst the elegant melody.The Colonel was seen taking steps carefully; his strides were not large, but there was no sign of awkwardness at all, which allowed Donna to gradually enter the state from her initial nervousness, dancing along with the music, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.Feeling the relaxation of Donna's muscles, the expression on the Colonel's face became more and more focused, and he would occasionally show a brilliant smile, but then immediately became fully immersed in the music again, as if this were the most wonderful moment in the world.The Colonel was quietly tapping the beat with his tongue.People who were not familiar with him could not detect that the Colonel was actually blind, but one could vaguely begin to feel the Colonel's slightly reserved steps, which revealed the fact that his world was in darkness.However, the Colonel did not let this little difficulty hinder his tango steps.His flowing, cloud-like movements unfolded freely on the small dance floor along with the ups and downs of the melody.The perfect combination of dance and music made Donna completely relax, and her silver-bell-like laughter shuttled back and forth amidst the strings of "Por Una Cabeza," which revealed a subtle, imperceptible tenderness on the Colonel's slightly stiff face.Watching this scene, inexplicably, Hugo's eyes became moist.He was moved by the focused happiness on the Colonel's face.He clearly remembered that the Colonel was so eager to have someone by his side, and his obsession with women also revealed the loneliness in his heart.At this moment, the scent of Ogilvie Sisters Soap on Gabrielle and the clearest laughter of an innocent girl made a smile appear on the Colonel's serious face.Happiness was just that simple; Hugo just felt his heart suddenly filled with an inexplicable emotion.At the same time, a smile curved up on the corner of Hugo's mouth, because the Colonel's light yet slightly difficult steps were so beautiful.Perhaps he was not a technically excellent tango dancer, but at this moment, he was the most infectious dancer, pulling Donna's soft body to enjoy the beauty of the music, carefully protecting Donna, who was experiencing tango for the first time in her life.This tenderness released the softest happiness deep in Donna's heart.Tango is said to be a secret dance between lovers, filled with the tacit understanding between the dancers in every gesture.At this moment, even though the Colonel was blind and the Colonel and Donna had just met, this tango was so beautiful that it was intoxicating.The dance ended, and Martin called "Cut."He walked over to Al Pacino and Gabrielle and began to explain the pros and cons of the filming just now; the filming of this scene was not going to end that quickly.But Hugo still had not snapped out of the play; he was completely immersed in Al Pacino's brilliant performance.Al Pacino not only perfectly performed the Colonel's blindness, with his nervous, careful, and cautious steps being subtle so that others could not see it, yet delicately conveying this information.At the same time, Al Pacino also used his dancing to lead Gabrielle, easily bringing her into the acting state.Her smile, voice, and movements all perfectly met the director's requirements and even stunned the whole audience.In addition, Al Pacino's delicate expressions had no traces of carving at all.Hugo could feel the complexity in his heart just by watching—joy, happiness, worry, focus... This fusion of emotions quietly made the character of the Colonel three-dimensional.It is hard to imagine that this was the shock brought by one scene.And when Martin called "Cut" and it ended, Al Pacino still had not walked out of the "blind" state.His dull eyes still could not see anyone.This was true acting—making it impossible for people to separate this character from the Actor, while also being able to influence other Actors and bring them into the drama.Watching Al Pacino's performance up close and experiencing this perfect tango performance on site, the shock in Hugo's heart was incomparable.This was the highest goal for an Actor and the direction Hugo had always been striving for.Therefore, Hugo's eyes were moist; therefore, a curve appeared on the corner of Hugo's mouth; therefore, when Martin's "Cut" sounded, Hugo stood up without any hesitation, clapping his hands vigorously, using applause to express the excitement in his heart.This was for the brilliant tango just now, and also for the great Actor, Al Pacino.
