Want to see Gregory's Girl? Follow your nose..

Published on Monday 13 July 2009 10:59

THE smell of sweaty socks and teenage aftershave wouldn't be the obvious choices to improve a trip to the cinema.

This hasn't stopped one team of smelly chefs from dreaming up a scratch 'n' sniff card to accompany the Scottish classic Gregory's Girl for a special screening on Festival Square's new big screen.

Bompas & Parr, most recently seen dishing out aphrodisiac marshmallows at Hendrick's Horseless Carriage of Curiosities on Bristo Square over the weekend, have designed eight scents to accompany the film.

Scratch 'n' sniff cinema was pioneered by American director John Waters in his 1981 film Polyester, and he termed it "Odorama".

Bompas & Parr decided to revive the experience during a small adults-only screening of Peter Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover earlier this year, using the scents of dusty books and rotting meat.

For this first outdoor, all-ages presentation, the scents will remain a surprise until the screening on Sunday, 26 July.

However, Sam Bompas has given audiences a tantalising whiff of some of the smells they should expect. He said: "A lot of the action takes place on the playing field so you may expect to experience the fresh smell of the outdoors, followed by the fug of the locker room and maybe some romantic smells in there too.

"Dorothy, the love interest with the fancy footwork, will have a signature smell to accompany her scenes. We had originally considered pumping the smells into the crowd as the action unfolded but it wouldn't have worked.

"It would be fine getting the smells out there but the problem would be getting them to disperse in time for the next one.

"Without some way to clear the previous smell you'd just end up with a strange cocktail of smelly socks, cut grass and perfume hovering over the square."

Bren O'Callaghan, manager of the Big Screen Edinburgh, revealed that Gregory's Girl was the overwhelming choice for the scratch 'n' sniff experience, picked by a cross-section of people from the city's schools, colleges and art galleries. He said: "I've been touring these institutions for the last six months to canvas opinion, and whether I was talking to a teenage schoolboy or a mature city artist – all of them said Gregory's Girl was the one."

The screenings are part of the London 2012 Open Weekend, a series of events across the country showcasing excellence in the arts, culture and sport.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, city festivals and events champion, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Festival Square transformed into an open-air cinema with a difference."

Your Say: Do you think scratch 'n' sniff cinema will catch on?

Ian Baxter, 51, bookkeeper, Bonnyrigg: "I can't see it catching on really."

Paul Thompson, 30, professional fundraiser, Stockbridge: "I would definitely go. I suppose it depends on the quality of the films whether it caught on."

John Gray, 54, estate agent, Stenhouse Drive: "It's dead in the water. It's nonsense. I don't understand the logic – it's a stupid idea."