Nose Opera

Scent of Mystery, the first picture made by Mike Todd Jr., son and heir of the late producer of Around the World in 80. Days, has been tagged by the Hollywood wisenheimers as "the first movie that ever smelled on purpose." Actually, it is the second smellie released in recent months. Behind the Great Wall (TIME, Dec. 21) beat Todd's picture to Broadway by a nose, partly because "amazing Aroma-Rama" (which breathes the "olfactory effects" in and out of a theater through its air-conditioning system) is simpler to in stall than Todd's "glorious Smell-O-Vision" (which supplies every customer with his very own scent vent).

The hero is a young British airman (Denholm Elliott), on holiday in Spain, who sees a runaway truck miss a pretty girl by inches, smells a rat, sets up as a private nose, and, like a questing Quixote with a paunchy Panza (Peter Lorre) at his heels, sets out to rescue his damsel in distress. In the course of the hero's aro-mantic maunderings, the customer gets quite an eyeful of Spain: the Alhambra, the Alcazaba, the Cathedral at Malaga, the bullfights at Pamplona. He also gets a snootful: apples, peaches, brandy, wine, tobacco, shoe polish, peppermint, roses, garlic, not to mention the local skunks (Peter Arne, Paul Lukas). All in all, everybody will probably have a snorting good time.

The "olfactions" themselves -- supplied from the "library of essences" compiled by "Osmologist" Hans Laube, who perfected the Smell-O-Vision process -- are on the whole no more accurate or credible than those employed by AromaRama, but at least they don't stink so loud. Moreover, the gimmick is backed up by a witty script that at times owes as much to Don Miguel de Cervantes as it does to Scriptwriter William Roos. The Todd 70 Process camera is used to flashy effect, especially when it is mounted on a helicopter. And Hero Elliott is a remarkably sly and appealing comedian. Released as a hard-ticket, ten-a-week, $3.50 attraction. Scent will undoubtedly make millions. But most customers will probably agree that the smell they liked best was the one they got during intermission: fresh air.

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