Cinema: A Sock in the Nose

Behind the Great Wall (Continental), according to its promoters, is just about the most important cinematic event since the first talkie: the first smellie that really smells right. That is to say, it is a motion picture that permits the audience not only to see and hear but also to smell what is happening on the screen. The process is called AromaRama* ("You must breathe it to believe it"), and it could be guaranteed, on the basis of its first showing, to turn even a good movie into something of a stinker.

The picture...