Smell-O-Vision 2: The Return

In the apparent belief that if music can enhance emotional scenes in movies, odors can only intensify the experience, a Japanese company is adding seven different smells to parts of The New World when it opens in Tokyo next month. Unlike Mike Todd Jr.'s Smell-o-Vision, which had critics holding their noses when it was introduced in 1960, the new service from NTT Communications Corp. will not try to match the fragrances being emitted under theater seats to the objects on the screen. Instead, the scents are intended to enhance the senses, a floral perfume to accompany a love scene, a mixture of peppermint and rosemary for a sad one, etc. (One wag suggested that the entire movie ought to be accompanied by the smell of roast turkey.) The company is also producing a $620 home version that can be synchronized with DVDs.