This movie stinks--literally

If someone describes a movie as "sweet," or calls it a "stinker," you might want to get them to elaborate, at least if you're in Japan. In a story posted all around the Web, The Associated Press is reporting a Japanese movie theater audience will test out a new service from NTT Communications Corp. that synchronizes seven different smells to parts of "The New World" starring Colin Farrell.

For example, "a floral scent accompanies a love scene, while a mix of peppermint and rosemary is emitted during a tear-jerking scene," the story said. The oil-based scents waft from a special machine under the back two rows. Theaters will be able to download scents for other films from the Internet, the story said.

Like the recently reported idea of screening 3D sports events, perhaps Smell-o-vision technology, which others have tried before, will help boost a beleaguered industry facing problems ranging from cell phones to Napsterization.

While some bloggers like the idea, others aren't so sure. Either way, they had fun imagining the extreme smells in certain films, like the toilet scene in "Dumb and Dumber." I, for one, wouldn't mind watching "Chocolat" with some olfactory assistance.

Blog community response:

"Think I remember seeing something like this in one of those Looney Toons 'look in the future' cartoon years ago...Of course this means you'll have to be more selective about what movies you go to in the future. Can't imagine what that toilet scene in 'Dumb and Dumber' would smell like."
--Bennelli Brothers

"Has entertainment had to go to such lengths to get us there and hold our attention that they have to perfume the experiences now?...Though when I mentioned this to one of my friends, the first thing they said was, COOL! Am I missing something here? My first thought was, OH MY GOD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So who knows, this will probably take off everywhere and be a huge success and in 10 years it will be in all homes across America."
--Sarah on MySpace

"This idea really isn't new, going back to the 1960s for Smell-o-vision, or the scratch-n-sniff cards that accompanied the 'Odorama' version of John Water's 1982 film Polyester, and it's hard to see how the idea's got any more appeal these days...Theaters will also be able to download additional smell-tracks, and NTT Communications, the company behind the service, also sells a home version. Wonder if they complain about rogue smelltrack-sharing sites where pirates download hijacked copies?"
--TechDirt