Fragrant films - coming soon?

[basaro]

Anyone see this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060417/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentjapanfilmfragranceoffbeat

"Movie fans bored with hi-tech sound effects and graphics will soon be able to experience cinematic smells after a Japanese film distributor announced it is showing the world's first fragrant films."

This isn't really a new idea, I remember this kind of thing in Disney World when I was a kid. They had a 3D theatre that did this. Do they still do it today?

Anyone want smellivision? Emeril talks about it all the time on his show ;)

[arod1171]

Haven't you ever seen an Adam Sandler film? They all smell. (Okay, okay... that joke was too easy. But I figured I'd be the first.)

[majorjoe23]

I remember some Revenge of the Nerds sequel (III or IV, I think) came with a card that you could scratch and sniff.

[Groucho]

John Waters did this like 30 years ago.

[DRG]

This approach sounds a lot more interesting than the scratch & sniff method. It's still a gimmick, of course, but if used in moderation it could add to a movie's ambience. There are certain movies I would never want to experience in this way (Se7en).

[arod1171]

This approach sounds a lot more interesting than the scratch & sniff method. It's still a gimmick, of course, but if used in moderation it could add to a movie's ambience. There are certain movies I would never want to experience in this way (Se7en).
Hmm. Don't think I'd like Blazing Saddles like this either.

I dunno... to me movies should only smell like popcorn.

[Joe Molotov]

Now filmmakers will finally be able to capture the the sights, the sounds, and the smells of a hard-working rock band, on the road.

[marty888]

Been there.... done that.

From 1960: <b>SCENT OF MYSTERY</b>

<i>"This beautifully photographed mystery/chase film takes its cast through the Spanish landscape, but the real star of the picture is "Smell-O-Vision," a process by which real scents were pumped into the theater. The story, which stands on its own, is about "scrutable" Englishman Elliott, who becomes involved in a search for a mysterious woman who is set to inherit $3 million. Brought to the eyes, ears, and noses of its Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles audiences by Michael Todd, Jr., SCENT OF MYSTERY was originally to have been produced by Todd's father. Cosmologist Hans Laube and the younger Todd equipped Chicago's Cinestage Theater with over a mile of plastic tubing. More than 30 different smells were stored in vials, which dispersed the scents throughout the theater in response to cues on the soundtrack. Seconds after each smell was released, a neutralizing scent was then sprayed. These smells corresponded with the on-screen visuals and included the odor of garlic, gunpowder, wine, peppermint, shoe polish, lemon, seafood, bananas, pipe tobacco, perfume. Occassionally, however, the scent would be the gag; in one instance, Lorre drinks coffee, but the aroma released was that of brandy.
Shortly before SCENT OF MYSTERY was released, a different system, AromaRama, was developed and employed with BEHIND THE GREAT WALL, a documentary on China. This system dispersed its smells through air-conditioning vents. Yet another odoriferous process was first explored by Michael Todd, Sr., who financed research in the hope that the system might be used for AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956). Of course, some two decades later John Waters would make another foray into smelly filmmaking with POLYESTER (1981). In addition to its other technical innovations, SCENT OF MYSTERY featured eight-channel sound. Elizabeth Taylor, wife of Todd and mother of Todd fils, makes an unpublicized and unbilled cameo appearance in the film as the sought-after heiress, identified by the scent of her expensive perfume.</i>"

[eedoon]

iirc the difference between the old & new system is that the new system doesn't try to imitate the smell of gunpowder/garlic etc but they are trying to use certain flower scent to an appropriate emotional scene, a little bit like underscore in the soundtrack.

It's a little bit interesting, but since I love to eat stuff while I'm watching, I'm not so sure I'm going to like it that much. I'm quite certain that I don't want to eat some pizza when I'm being surrounded by those fragrances.