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3-D Movies Turn 50 ... Sort Of
jonerik writes "The Associated Press has this article on the 50th anniversary of the release of 'Bwana Devil.' Released on November 26th, 1952, the film would be largely forgotten today if not for the fact that it's generally regarded as the first full-length 3-D movie, kicking off a burst of 3-D filmmaking which lasted into the mid-'50s and which still takes place today, particularly in the adult film industry and on the IMAX circuit where this year's 43-minute 'Space Station 3-D' has brought in about $33 million so far. 'Bwana Devil' utilized the Polaroid method, which used two lenses filming, and involved lightwaves passing in perpendicular planes to the other lens. However, considering that a long string of 3-D films were made as far back as 1922 using more primitive processes, the claim that 'Bwana Devil' was first can be regarded as open to question. Either way, Robert Stack, who starred in 'Bwana Devil,' is somewhat ambivalent about his small part in movie history, saying 'I'm not sure it was anything to be proud of. It's an honor like being the world's tallest midget.'"
The really good 3D movies turn 360.
"Robert Stack, who starred in 'Bwana Devil,' is somewhat ambivalent about his small part in movie history, saying 'I'm not sure it was anything to be proud of."
As opposed to his stellar performance in 'Airplane' (which WAS something to be proud of).
A masterful piece of work full of history and technical details.
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
Nat Deverich's "Power of Love" predates by thirty years. It premiered on September 27, 1922. Using an anaglyphic process developed by Harry Fairall, it starred Terry O'Neil and Barbara Bedford.
It's both. Polaroid developed the method.
More information on this whole subject, including the adult films, can be found here.
I've got this, uh, friend, you know.
He doesn't own a computer, so he thought I should ask Slashdot what, uh, adult movies are 3D, and where he could, uhm, get them, or something.
A couple of years ago I was attending an Apple Computer conference and managed to spend an evening at the Palo Alto Theatre, which was having a 3D festival. I saw "Miss Sadie Thompson" and "Kiss Me, Kate." They were newly struck prints, the projection was good, I had a very good seat--I am sure what I experienced was as good as it would have been when the films were released.
And it seemed gimmicky, like looking into a Viewmaster.
Oh, it had its moments. In "Kiss Me, Kate" you had such a sense of the living presence of the performers that the audience applauded after each musical number. (The 3D process was VERY unflattering to actresses; in 2D, makeup can smooth the contours of the face but in 3D you see the actual contours, makeup or not). It was nice--but it was a gimmick.
In IMAX 3D, the screen looks perfeclty sharp, but it is SO BIG that the edges of the screen are almost out of your field of view. This is very important because ugly things happen at the screen edges in stereoscopic viewing, particularly if the objects you are viewing are "in front of" the screen.
I've now seen four movies in IMAX 3D--"Across the Sea of Time," "Space Station 3D," "Cirque Du Soleil: The Journey of Man," and "Into the Deep." They're fabulous. They give you more of a "you-are-there" feeling than anything else I've ever seen in a movie theatre (and I saw "This Is Cinerama" on its first run). The 3D feels natural. Objects closer than the screen seem comfortable.
Actually, the part of "Space Station 3D" I liked the very best were the scenes filmed on the earth at the Russian Cosmodrome. I was RIGHT there on the gritty pavement, on that walk where they planted a tree for every cosmonaut who had flown in space.
No eyestrain, no motion sickness, just this incredible sense of "really being there."
At least two of the films, "Across the Sea of Time" and "Cirque du Soleil" went beyond a simple travelogue. They weren't exactly narratives, but they were a genuine creative use of the medium.
I hope we see a lot more IMAX 3D. (I hope it isn't going to get killed off by cheap IMAX blowups of 2D 35mm films...)
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
3D House of Pancakes
Oooh, that's scary.
Three years ago, I wanted to do something special for my birthday party, so I tried to find a genuine anaglyphic 3D movie to show during the party.
To my surprise, it's easy to find one, at least here in Germany (so I guess it will be just as easy in the US). Most movie distributors offer a 16 mm rental service mostly used by University film clubs and by tiny home-run community cinemas. They also have the classics and you can rent these movies very cheap for non-commercial showings.
In the end, renting a copy of "Creature from the Black Lagoon" over the weekend, a couple of red/green glasses, a 16 mm projector and a small silverscreen was cheaper than renting a video projector and a DVD player. (Ok, that was three years ago and video projectors are much cheaper now. But still.)
They also had "It came from Outer Space" on rental. And the folks at the movie distributor were extremely helpful and really nice folks to deal with.
If you want a special movie evening, I can only recommend you to ask the 16 mm rental service of the large movie distributors to help you out with a classic, be it 3D or not.
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