SCENT OF MYSTERY was the first and only film released in the Smell-O-Vision process, developed by Swiss scientist Hans Laube at the request of producer Mike Todd, Jr. The system piped in odors via plastic tubing to individual seats, scents being triggered automatically by signals on the film's soundtrack. SCENT OF MYSTERY was written specifically to implement Smell-O-Vision, and many plot points in the narrative were tied to various scents. The film starred Denholm Elliott, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, and Diana Dors. It was directed by the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff, and Mario Nascimbene scored the film. The soundtrack LP was released on CD by Kritzerland back in 2008.
After its initial unsuccessful run in Smell-O-Vision in early 1960, the film was severely cut from its original running time of 125 minutes down to 102 minutes, and re-released in late 1960 under the title HOLIDAY IN SPAIN. For this re-release, the film, which had been shot in 70mm, was optically converted to three-panel Cinerama by Film Effects of Hollywood, so that it could play in Cinerama theaters.
Here's a recreated trailer for HOLIDAY IN SPAIN, which is being restored by Cinerama restorer David Strohmaier.
It is great that this is being restored - I have all Flicker Alley releases of Cinerama too
I would also hope that SCENT OF MYSTERY still exists and could also be put on disc.
I am the Scent of Mystery expert around here. The original negative for Scent of Mystery seems to be lost to the ages. What exists is a 65mm negative of the short Holiday in Spain thing. They are VERY different films. In excising all that footage, they had to have Elliot come back in and do awful narration so that the film at least made some kind of narrative sense. The original intermission place was moved forward by fifteen minutes, where it makes no sense and is awful. The original intermission was one of the greatest intermission points ever. Dave Strohmaier has found some of the cut footage but not much - and it's almost completely faded. He's assembled it back into the film. I've told him where the original intermission happened, but I'm not sure it can be put back - I mean, it can but then there's a problem with where and how the replacement intermission was, which now has a stupid freeze frame, so you'd have to somehow cut around that. But the narration can't be gotten rid of and it KILLS the film unfortunately.
We loved putting out the soundtrack and for those who were lucky enough to get it, they have the one and only booklet in Smell-O-Vision. I have quite a bit of memorabilia on the film - they never did one-sheets for it, only theatrical-sized window cards like they'd do for a play. Holiday in Spain did have posters (I have both SOM and HIS). I have the program, too, which included a little record. I saw the film at the Ritz in LA - that's the ad above. It only played a few weeks and then was gone forever, but I loved every minute of it.
It is great that this is being restored - I have all Flicker Alley releases of Cinerama too
I would also hope that SCENT OF MYSTERY still exists and could also be put on disc.
I am the Scent of Mystery expert around here. The original negative for Scent of Mystery seems to be lost to the ages. What exists is a 65mm negative of the short Holiday in Spain thing. They are VERY different films. In excising all that footage, they had to have Elliot come back in and do awful narration so that the film at least made some kind of narrative sense. The original intermission place was moved forward by fifteen minutes, where it makes no sense and is awful. The original intermission was one of the greatest intermission points ever. Dave Strohmaier has found some of the cut footage but not much - and it's almost completely faded. He's assembled it back into the film. I've told him where the original intermission happened, but I'm not sure it can be put back - I mean, it can but then there's a problem with where and how the replacement intermission was, which now has a stupid freeze frame, so you'd have to somehow cut around that. But the narration can't be gotten rid of and it KILLS the film unfortunately.
We loved putting out the soundtrack and for those who were lucky enough to get it, they have the one and only booklet in Smell-O-Vision. I have quite a bit of memorabilia on the film - they never did one-sheets for it, only theatrical-sized window cards like they'd do for a play. Holiday in Spain did have posters (I have both SOM and HIS). I have the program, too, which included a little record. I saw the film at the Ritz in LA - that's the ad above. It only played a few weeks and then was gone forever, but I loved every minute of it.
Thanks for information, Bruce. How sad that the original negative is lost -- how shortsighted that many 50s films including uncut versions of roadshow films are missing or lost - i.e. BIG FISHERMAN, THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, etc.
