brucebox
Joined Jan 2001
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Reviews5
brucebox's rating
Sent Of Mystery is not a bad film, though basically the answer to a trivia question it's still fun.
Over the years there had been various attempts at filling a movie theater with smells linked to the film being shown. Around 1915, a silent exhibitor distributed a tinted newsreel of the Rose Parade that came with Flit guns of rose sent so that the theater ushers could walk the isles pumping perfume while the film was being shown. In 1940, the Clark Gable & Spencer Tracy vehicle `Boom Town' subjected certain unfortunate audiences to the smell of crude oil pumped into the theater's ventilation system. This went over so poorly, that nobody tried anything like for years.
The `Smell-o-vision' used in Sent Of Mystery was an elaborate system that had vials of several scents within a rotating drum beside each theater seat. These drums were rotated on silent cues actually recorded onto the film's magnetic soundtrack. Each sent was puffed at the patron via compressed air, and in the system's real innovation, each sent was then nullified by another puff of fresh air when the scene was over. It was an elaborate gimmick that would have made Mike Todd Sr. or William Castle proud. In the film, it was used to great affect to identify the killer with a particular kind of pipe tobacco and at the climax the audience is were alerted to his presence before he is seen on screen! Unfortunately this crucial scene is meaningless without the scent and one is left to wonder how the hero is able to identify him, but at least the film does have a fun cameo by Liz Taylor at the end.
Scent Of Mystery later went into wider release under the more pedestrian title of `Holiday In Spain', and under that name it was eventually sold to TV. Around 1983 the film surfaced again when it aired in several US cities and on MTV as part of a cross-promotion with 7-11 convenience stores, which was when I saw it. The 7-11 stores sold a package containing coupons and a foldout card that came with a sheet of scratch-n-sniff decals. As broadcast, the film's `scent points' were marked with a flashing number at the bottom of the screen, which was the viewer's cue to peel & paste the corresponding decal onto their card, which was decorated with images from the film that could be followed like a board game. This included the peach blossoms, the cask of wine, the cooking onions, and the distinctive tobacco. Unfortunately, this broadcast gimmick blew the films surprise by making it more like the `Odorama' used in John Waters' `Polyester.'
Other than the aforementioned John Waters film, the only other use of scented cinema that I'm aware of in recent years is in an attraction at Disney's California Adventure theme park. Those experiencing the Omni-max film `Sorin' Over California' experience a pine scent as they `fly' over the Sierra forests and an orange scent as they `glide' over orchards of the Central Valley. It seems the `Smellies' are just one of those ideas that will never catch on.
Over the years there had been various attempts at filling a movie theater with smells linked to the film being shown. Around 1915, a silent exhibitor distributed a tinted newsreel of the Rose Parade that came with Flit guns of rose sent so that the theater ushers could walk the isles pumping perfume while the film was being shown. In 1940, the Clark Gable & Spencer Tracy vehicle `Boom Town' subjected certain unfortunate audiences to the smell of crude oil pumped into the theater's ventilation system. This went over so poorly, that nobody tried anything like for years.
The `Smell-o-vision' used in Sent Of Mystery was an elaborate system that had vials of several scents within a rotating drum beside each theater seat. These drums were rotated on silent cues actually recorded onto the film's magnetic soundtrack. Each sent was puffed at the patron via compressed air, and in the system's real innovation, each sent was then nullified by another puff of fresh air when the scene was over. It was an elaborate gimmick that would have made Mike Todd Sr. or William Castle proud. In the film, it was used to great affect to identify the killer with a particular kind of pipe tobacco and at the climax the audience is were alerted to his presence before he is seen on screen! Unfortunately this crucial scene is meaningless without the scent and one is left to wonder how the hero is able to identify him, but at least the film does have a fun cameo by Liz Taylor at the end.
Scent Of Mystery later went into wider release under the more pedestrian title of `Holiday In Spain', and under that name it was eventually sold to TV. Around 1983 the film surfaced again when it aired in several US cities and on MTV as part of a cross-promotion with 7-11 convenience stores, which was when I saw it. The 7-11 stores sold a package containing coupons and a foldout card that came with a sheet of scratch-n-sniff decals. As broadcast, the film's `scent points' were marked with a flashing number at the bottom of the screen, which was the viewer's cue to peel & paste the corresponding decal onto their card, which was decorated with images from the film that could be followed like a board game. This included the peach blossoms, the cask of wine, the cooking onions, and the distinctive tobacco. Unfortunately, this broadcast gimmick blew the films surprise by making it more like the `Odorama' used in John Waters' `Polyester.'
Other than the aforementioned John Waters film, the only other use of scented cinema that I'm aware of in recent years is in an attraction at Disney's California Adventure theme park. Those experiencing the Omni-max film `Sorin' Over California' experience a pine scent as they `fly' over the Sierra forests and an orange scent as they `glide' over orchards of the Central Valley. It seems the `Smellies' are just one of those ideas that will never catch on.
I put off seeing this film until 2 for 1 night at my video store, and even at this price I felt ripped off. I'd read the novel this is based on years before and wondered how something so talky and philosophical could be made into a film? The answer is, very very badly. The filmmakers wisely played down the philosophy, but were left with nothing more than a tangled & lame sci-fi tale that was dated when it was new.
Now I'm a sci-fi fan and cut my favorite genera flicks a lot of slack, but here different sequences seem to have been done by different directors, as the tone shifts from bad to worse with awkward scatterings of forced humor. These shifts seem an attempt to disguise a confused screenplay that would have us believe that everything from paper books, to Harrier jets and atomic weapons will function just dandy after a millenium of neglect. This comes after we've seen that a few sessions on a teaching machine will enable an ambitious aboriginal and his pals to teleport atomic bombs and destroy entire planets. We also learn that humanity has sunk to the tribal edge of extinction and speak in `Me Tarzan' phrases that also include `Piece of cake' and `Get the hell out of here'. It all feels cut down from a much longer film, which could only have been worse then this one. The bombastic score tries to make us care about characters that we've never been introduced to, and tell us Johnny is doing something important while leaving us to only guess what that could be. Such important points are lost as we hear a lot of people talk about the importance of `leverage'. The special effects are a bright spot, as they are up to industry standards, however they hardly justify sitting through this film.
What does justify you seeing this film is John Travolta's wondrously bad performance as the villainous alien Terl. With his beehive hairdo and giant high-heel shoes, Travolta looks like an outer space drag queen, which must be why he tries to be evil but only comes across as bitchy. His entire performance is delivered in an exaggerated effeminate manner that will remind you of some evil queen in a fairy tale, or of the cult classic `Vegas In Space'. Alas, it doesn't make `Battlefield Earth' bad enough to be fun, it only makes it very very bad, so bad that you have to see it to believe it.
Now I'm a sci-fi fan and cut my favorite genera flicks a lot of slack, but here different sequences seem to have been done by different directors, as the tone shifts from bad to worse with awkward scatterings of forced humor. These shifts seem an attempt to disguise a confused screenplay that would have us believe that everything from paper books, to Harrier jets and atomic weapons will function just dandy after a millenium of neglect. This comes after we've seen that a few sessions on a teaching machine will enable an ambitious aboriginal and his pals to teleport atomic bombs and destroy entire planets. We also learn that humanity has sunk to the tribal edge of extinction and speak in `Me Tarzan' phrases that also include `Piece of cake' and `Get the hell out of here'. It all feels cut down from a much longer film, which could only have been worse then this one. The bombastic score tries to make us care about characters that we've never been introduced to, and tell us Johnny is doing something important while leaving us to only guess what that could be. Such important points are lost as we hear a lot of people talk about the importance of `leverage'. The special effects are a bright spot, as they are up to industry standards, however they hardly justify sitting through this film.
What does justify you seeing this film is John Travolta's wondrously bad performance as the villainous alien Terl. With his beehive hairdo and giant high-heel shoes, Travolta looks like an outer space drag queen, which must be why he tries to be evil but only comes across as bitchy. His entire performance is delivered in an exaggerated effeminate manner that will remind you of some evil queen in a fairy tale, or of the cult classic `Vegas In Space'. Alas, it doesn't make `Battlefield Earth' bad enough to be fun, it only makes it very very bad, so bad that you have to see it to believe it.
Like it's literary namesake, this film is a campy relic from the dawn of the sexual revolution. However unlike the aforementioned book, this film is a whole lot of fun! Natalie Wood manages to hit her stride, squeezing the maximum humor from a deadpan delivery. Tony Curtis is smarmy, smug and loving it. Henry Fonda is having a ball, and Lauren Becall is the undisputed queen of droll comedy.
These performances are the highlights of a sophisticated romp, early 60's LA style. Mel Fererr's martini dance should be an inspiration to lounge swingers everywhere. From the cartoon credits, to the Sexy Sox showroom, to the hilarious freeway chase scene, it's all winking nodding blur of couches, crewcuts and cocktails. Great fun viewing for single girls and guys.
These performances are the highlights of a sophisticated romp, early 60's LA style. Mel Fererr's martini dance should be an inspiration to lounge swingers everywhere. From the cartoon credits, to the Sexy Sox showroom, to the hilarious freeway chase scene, it's all winking nodding blur of couches, crewcuts and cocktails. Great fun viewing for single girls and guys.