A brief history of 3-D technology
1838 (some sources say 1833): Sir Charles Wheatstone invents the stereoscope, a device for seeing pictures in three dimensions. (In Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D, Brendan Fraser's character finds a similar device and says he doesn't know what it is). 1903 (some sources say 1905): Auguste and Louis Lumiere shoot L'Arriv e du Train , a one-minute film. Presented at the World Fair of 1903 in Paris, it is believed to be the first publicly exhibited 3-D film. See it at www.stereoscopy.com,. 1922: The Power of Lov e is filmed in the 'anaglyph process,' an early version of 3-D that involved shooting two views of the same scene, printing the film in different colors, then layering the film on one reel. 1952: Battling upstart TV, studios begin producing films that can only be appreciated in theaters. Bwana Devil, hyped as the first commercially released 3-D movie, begins a wave of '50s 3-D films. 1953: House of Wax, starring Vincent Price, is released, and becomes the most popular of the 1950s 3-D films. It is remade in 2005 in a standard format, although Paris Hilton is in the cast, so you could consider it a 1- D film. 1955: The 3-D craze begins to wane.Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, is shot in 3-D but is barely released in that format (it does well in the standard 2-D format). Arguably the last major 3-D release of the decade is 1955's Revenge of the Creature, Clint Eastwood's first film. 1960s: According to the Internet Movie Database, 10 3-D films are released during the entire decade, as opposed to 74 3-D features and shorts during the 1950s. The Stewardesses, released in 1969, uses a new and more economical single-camera 3-D system, but it is probably the dimensions of the actresses of this then-X-rated film that made this one of the most profitable movies of all time. 1981-83: 3-D movies go through a brief revival with Comin' at Ya!, a spaghetti Western that 'threw' all manner of objects (except a good story) at the audience, and Friday the 13th Part III. Movies such as Jaws 3-D and Amityville 3-D help put a damper on the short-lived revival. 1985: IMAX develops its first 3-D feature, We Are Born of Stars. Two years later, the first permanent IMAX 3-D feature opens in Vancouver, B.C. 1986: Michael Jackson stars in Captain EO, a 3-D short screened at Disney theme parks. 1997: Previous attempts at 3-D TV were misfires, but 3rd Rock From the Sun scores with dream sequences filmed in 3-D. 2007: Pop stars get in on the act with such concert films as U23D and a 3-D version of the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert movie. Sources: Stereoscopy.com; Kansas City Star; Internet Movie Database (imdb.com); Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide; www.imax.com
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