We realized last fall when we showed I Am Divine how intense the love for John Waters and Divine really is, so we are pleased to screen John Waters’ 1981 classic Polyester in a new digital transfer, beginning Friday, September 5, complete with Odorama scratch-and-sniff cards.

Produced, written and directed by Waters, Polyester is a comic tale starring Divine as Francine, a housewife driven to the brink of insanity by her nightmarish husband, children, and mother. She finds true love with Todd Tomorrow (’60s heartthrob Tab Hunter), a handsome man driving a white Corvette. The film also stars many of the Dreamlanders, as Waters’ troupe of regular actors is known, including Mink Stole, Edith Massey, Mary Vivian Pearce, Cookie Mueller, and Pat Moran, among others.

Courtesy of Warner Brothers, Odorama cards, exactly the same as those circulated with the 1981 release, will be available. As in the original theatrical showings, scents are arranged by number, with audiences encouraged to scratch the card when the corresponding number flashes onscreen.

Waters designed Odorama to highlight Francine’s particularly keen sense of smell, which plays an important role in the film. His concept was inspired by William Castle’s 1960 film Scent of Mystery, which used a similar device called Smell-O-Vision. Polyester in turn inspired Nickelodeon to use something similar for Rugrats Go Wild in 2003.

Polyester is also Waters’ tribute to director Douglas Sirk, whose melodramatic 1950s “women’s pictures” provided the inspiration for editing choices, lighting techniques, and even film equipment used in the making of the film.

The low-tech interactivity of scratch-and-sniff plus the genius of Mr. Waters, Divine, and the Dreamlanders guarantees a unique, fun, and memorable experience.

Polyester
Comedy, satire – R – 86 min – Tickets $10 – Get tickets online
No passes or discounts
Fri, Sept. 5: 7:15 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 6: 7:15
Sun, Sept. 7: 7:15
Mon, Sept. 8: 9:30
Tues, Sept. 9: 7:15
Wed, Sept. 10: 7:15
Thurs, Sept. 11: 9:30