French film company Pathé is planning an unusual cinema experiment that will use hypnosis to temporarily remove movie memories. The project, called Pathé Rewind, will involve 30 selected film enthusiasts who will attempt to experience a familiar movie as if they were watching it for the first time.
Pathé has partnered with hypnotist Victor Kraemer for the experiment. The aim is to examine whether hypnosis can change how audiences experience films they have already watched. Registration for the event has closed. Applicants were selected based on their film interests, personal reasons for participating, availability and willingness to take part in the promotional activity. Those chosen will first attend individual online hypnosis sessions with Kraemer. They will then undergo another hypnosis session shortly before the cinema screening. The experiment will take place on Monday, November 9, at Pathé Buitenhof in The Hague, Netherlands.
Pathé is looking at four films for the experiment: The Matrix, Se7en, La La Land and Interstellar. The company will choose one film based on which title the 30 selected participants know best.
The experiment will test whether hypnosis can help participants forget what happens in a film they have watched before. The aim is to let them watch the same movie again without remembering its main scenes, characters or story. However, Pathé has warned that the experiment may not work as planned. The company has also clarified that hypnosis may not have the expected effect on participants.
“Through this experiment, Pathé is investigating whether hypnosis can contribute to a new cinema experience,” the company said. Pathé also stressed that it does not guarantee hypnosis will successfully remove memories. Its disclaimer states, “Pathé accepts no liability for the outcome, the effect, or any other consequences of the hypnosis sessions.”
The experiment could provide a new way to understand how memory affects the way people watch films. However, its success will depend on whether participants can watch a movie they already know and experience it as if they are seeing it for the first time after hypnosis.
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