Tenor Andrea Bocelli performs the tango song “Por Una Cabeza” from Scent of a Woman (1992). The song, comparing an addiction to horse racing with an attraction to women, was written in 1935 by two men central to tango in Argentina: singer and composer Carlos Gardel and lyricist Alfredo Le Pera.
Strong influence of European classical dance music, including minuet, flamenco, polka, mazurka, and contradanza. Additional influence from Argentine folk music, including the payada and milonga styles, and Uruguayan folk music such as pampas. Spanish-language lyrics (although instrumental tango music is common)
Where was the tango scene in Scent of a Woman filmed?
When Al Pacino danced his way to an Academy Award in 1992, the storied Cotillion Room at The Pierre Hotel in New York provided the backdrop for the now-iconic tango scene.
As per per The story behind the Tango song " Por una Cabeza" by Gardel & Le Pera, some of the most iconic movies that have used “Por Una Cabeza” as a song for tango scenes or as ambient music are: Scent of a Woman starring Al Pacino, The critically acclaimed Schindler's List. True Lies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Tango - Scent of a Woman (4/8) Movie CLIP (1992) HD
What is the most famous tango?
"La cumparsita" (little street procession, a grammatical diminutive of la comparsa) is a tango written in 1916 by the Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, with lyrics by Argentines Pascual Contursi and Enrique Pedro Maroni. It is among the most famous and recognizable tangos of all time.
The title “Por una Cabeza” means “with a head (of a horse)” in Spanish. The title offers reference to Horse Racing and laments a comparison between “losing a women” and “losing at the racetrack.”
Tenor Andrea Bocelli performs the tango song “Por Una Cabeza” from Scent of a Woman (1992). The song, comparing an addiction to horse racing with an attraction to women, was written in 1935 by two men central to tango in Argentina: singer and composer Carlos Gardel and lyricist Alfredo Le Pera.
Paul Pellicoro, who was one of the people who taught Al the tango, has his studio just blocks from Al's westside office. Al visited the studio for his lessons.
British and American actress Gabrielle Anwar was just 19 years old when she played with Al Pacino, she gained worldwide fame after the film was released.
Gardel is the most famous popular tango singer of all time and is recognized throughout the world. Described variously as a baritone or tenor because of his wide vocal range, he was known for his rich voice and dramatic phrasing.
Tango dance music has a time signature of 4/4 and 2/2, meaning you can count four or two beats per measure. This structure allows you to recognize when the musical phrases begin and end, making it easier to match your movements with the music.
According to an alternative theory, tango is derived from the Spanish word for "drum", tambor. This word was then mispronounced by Buenos Aires' lower-class inhabitants to become tambo, ultimately resulting in the common tango.
How long did it take to film the tango scene in Scent of a Woman?
Al Pacino was helped by a school for the blind in his preparation for this role. He said that he made himself appear blind by not allowing his eyes to focus on anything. Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar rehearsed their tango for 2 weeks. The scene took 3 days to shoot.
The film was shot primarily around New York state, and also on location at Princeton University; at the Emma Willard School, an all-girls school in Troy, New York; and at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City.
In 1935, Carlos Gardel sang “Por una Cabeza” in the movie titled “Tango Bar.” It is a mellow side of tango that offers a distinct rhythm which makes it a suitable dance number. Due to this characteristic, it was prevalently utilized and recorded by the majority of the orchestras in the 1940s and 1950s.
While Anwar has been asked to tango by numerous strangers since, no trip around the dance floor will ever compare to the thrill of the original. "It was a very romantic situation," she says. "We were filming at [New York's Pierre hotel], and it was just very fantastical."
Aside from acting, actor Robert Duvall's grand passion is tango dancing. He combined those two loves in the “Assassination Tango” movie (2002), playing a hit man in Buenos Aires. Quite the expert tango dancer, Duvall once remarked that it takes 15 minutes to learn a tango pattern, and 15 years to learn how to dance.
He studied acting at HB Studio and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. De Niro also studied with Stella Adler, of the Stella Adler Conservatory, where he was exposed to the techniques of the Stanislavski system.
Pellicoro first came to national attention as the dance choreographer for the film "Scent of a Woman" (1992), for which he trained Academy Award winner Al Pacino for the notable (and arguably, most memorable) scene of the film, wherein Pacino dances the Argentine Tango with actress Gabrielle Anwar.
Womanizer and drinker, blindness accentuated his other senses, especially the sense of smell. Even from a distance the presence of attractive women is perceived by scent, which leaves him ecstatic, making a perfect analogy to the title of the film: Profumo di Donna (Scent of a Woman).
It can be used as a sexual insinuation, but it may simply mean come here without any connotation as well. In fact, in that sexual context that you intend, it would probably include a preposition to make it sound more slangish: ven p'acá shortened of ven para acá, literally “come for here”.
