Scented Movies?

[fauntastic]

I was just reading towards the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader just now, and a silly thought came to me. I was thinking about all of the wonderful smells that are described in the story, particularly as they draw nearer to Aslan's country. There is the "dim, purple kind of smell", as Lucy describes it, before they meet Ramandu and his daughter, and then the smell in the Silver Sea described as "sweet - yes,but not at all sleepy or overpowering, a fresh, wild, lonely smell that seemed to get into your brain and make you feel that you could go up mountains at a run or wrestle with an elephant."

Besides all these beautiful smells that Lewis spends some time describing (I assume they must have been important to him, and he imagined it very strongly), just the sea itself has so many wonderful smells! And I realized it was such a shame that while we can experience this book on the big screen, we don't actually get to smell what the characters would be smelling.

This made me think of "Soarin' Over California", the ride in California Adventure Park (I understand there is something similar at the Epcot, although I've never been to Disney World). My favorite part is flying over the Ventura orange field, where there's the apparent scent of orange blossoms. In the mountain scenes you can smell evergreens and when going over Malibu there is a sea breeze scent. (My least favorite part of the ride is when that stupid golf ball comes flying toward you...it scares me EVERY TIME! )

Just imagine if they were able to do something similar with VDT!! Obviously, it'd be a hassle to set up a system in every theater across the world, but what if they had one theater, with a special showing of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, that included scents? sort of like the equivalent of the Kodak theatre for Disney or something.

This is just purely a "what if" topic, since I doubt this will ever happen (but it'd sure be awesome!!) But, I mean, watching movies in 3D makes them come more to life, and wouldn't having scents and smells also contribute to that?

[-queenSUSAN-]

That sounds amazing!! I would LOVE to be a part of that viewing. My only concern is, some of the scents might give people headaches.

On another note, what could a "dim, purple kind of smell" actually smell like? I always thought of it as something that would be put into armoires and such, like moth balls except smelling really good...but still musty, sort of. Make any sense?

It would be amazing to experience VDT this way!!

~~

[Lady Courage]

Do you mind my laughing? Haha! That would be hilarious! AND really cool!

However, I wouldn't want my preconceptions of those smells damaged. So, I guess I wouldn't pay the extra money that they would surely charge to see- ahem, smell it...

[Pattertwigs Pal]

That sounds amazing!! I would LOVE to be a part of that viewing. My only concern is, some of the scents might give people headaches.

I'd be willing to bet I'd be one of those people. My eye's burn in craft / fabric stores and I have a terrible time walking by the perfume sections of stores. I usually get a bit of a headache then (and that is even on allergy medications). Though it would be an interesting option for those who would want to it. They would also have to figure out a way to clear the smells from the air before the next one.

[Movie Aristotle]

I've been an advocate for aromatheatre for years! Pattertwig's Pal is right. Clearing the smells from the room is the biggest problem. Getting them to fill the room in the first place is the next biggest problem.

I think the reason that no one has invented the smellavision yet is because scents are particles while sound and light are both waves. Waves dissipate rather quickly while particles stay around for a while.

Plus, there is also the possibility of someone abusing the power of scent-movies. Imagine what a Boggle would smell like, or Shasta and Bree as they cross the desert, or Tash. Yuck.

Still, I'd be game to try scented movies if someone is willing to make them.

[Liberty Hoffman]

smell-vision! scented movies!!!!! awesome idea!!!!! that would be so cool!!!!!!
yes, this is a great idea for the good smelling parts of the story.....but what about parts like Eustace as a dragon? that would smell really bad.....lol!!!!!

[NaiadWaker]

Good point, Liberty, that WOULD smell really bad.
But I wonder how they would make the LotGK fire enchantment scene... That would be coolio!

[princess_of_narnia]

Wow! That would be a really cool experience. But what about the slave prison scenes, and Eustace vividly describes the smell of the ship in his journal. Those parts wouldn't be very fun in a smell-a-vision movie. But really cool idea!

[EveningStar]

I hate to tell you but smell-o-vision existed. Yes.

There were two different approaches to it. The first involved adding chemicals to the theatre ventillation system which were then dispersed with a wave of fresh air. This never caught on. The second involved scratch-and-sniff cards. It was an expensive fad that never caught on.

It gets worse. There was a movie called "The Tingler" and the seats in the theater were wired with electrodes. You got a mild shock at some scary parts. You could pay a little extra to have your seat switched off. I actually saw "The Tingler" a few years back but of course by then the equipment was long gone.

Weirdness in the theatre was the result of Vladimir Zyworskin. No, he didn't make movies, he made TELEVISIONS. That little box with the rabbit ears that let people stay home and watch old reruns of The Maltese Falcon instead of going to The Flickers and getting one's feet stuck to the floor as a baby cried behind you and a lady with a tall hat sat in front of you. Ultra wide screens like Cinemascope and even ghosts pulled along the theatre ceiling on wires (during the movie 13 Ghosts) vied for your pocket change. Now they try to compete with elaborate surround sound, but some home theatres even steal that thunder.

[-queenSUSAN-]

There was a movie called "The Tingler" and the seats in the theater were wired with electrodes. You got a mild shock at some scary parts. You could pay a little extra to have your seat switched off.

Ouch!! Who would want to see a movie like that?

And the scratch & sniff cards? LOL.

Anyway....I never thought about the prospect of ugly scents, I was only thinking about the lovely DT smells.....

[Movie Aristotle]

I'd heard about shocking seats. Let's hope that doesn't catch on again.

I think we should give scented Narnia a try. Why should we wait for Hollywood? We could share what scents we like to use at what point in the movie. With a little experimenting, we could make up an official NW "scent track" for LWW and PC. What do you think? Anyone willing to try it with me?

[fauntastic]

But wouldn't the bad smells add to the story? It'd make it seem SO much more realistic!
Only joking, you guys are right. That'd be just awful to have to smell some of the gross scents that Liberty Hoffman and princess_of_narnia were talking about. I, like -queenSUSAN- was only referring to the good smells!

EveningStar, these shock-seats sound awful and remind me of the Bug's Life Theater, once again at Disneyland in California Adventure (can anyone else tell that I am going through a lack-of-Disneyland meltdown or something? ) where they have airpockets or something in the seats and puff them out at you to make it seem like bugs are crawling under you...it gave me nightmares the first (and last) time I saw the 3D movie they offer ):

But I'm all for making a scent track with you, Movie Aristotle! It's a clever idea!

[-queenSUSAN-]

I'm with you too!! Where shall we start?

~~

[fauntastic]

Probably the beginning, with LWW. *thinks*
Well, let's start with the smell of rain when they are playing hide-and-go-seek. I suppose there can be that musty smell when Lucy first steps into the wardrobe, then a smell of evergreens and..snow? Does snow have a smell? (I live in Arizona so you'll have to excuse me! haha). The smell of a warm summer's day could be next, when the children are playing cricket.

[-queenSUSAN-]

I don't think snow has really a smell...it's more of a sharp, fresh cold that invades your nostrils.
Definitely mothballs for the wardrobe!!
I LOVE the smell of rain! And evergreens! But I always thought they were playing cricket in the fall...so there would be that fresh fall smell...
I think Tumnus' cave should smell like old books, hot chocolate, and a little smoky from the fire.

Edit: feel free to debate me on the snow part.

~~

[Bother Eustace]

.....but what about parts like Eustace as a dragon? that would smell really bad.....lol!!!!!

Haha, I thought the same thing
It's a sweet idea though, I've thought of it before myself. And then all we would need is a way to taste all the wonderful food on Ramandu's table, or the food the Duffers serve, or the sweet waters at the end of the world... Or maybe they could just invent a sort of virtual-reality world where the 'viewer' becomes a 'partaker' and can be in the story in every way possible!!! HA HA!!!

...sorry, I got carried away. Perhaps we should just focus on Smell-a-vision for now.