Re: Here we go again

[P3D Marvin Jones <72657.3276@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Many don't like wearing glasses, especially the
> red/blue kind. Despite the fact that polarized type of projection is better
> overall, the additional cost caused most presentations to go with the lesser
> quality of red/blue.  Despite a few special effects in the movies that did
> get made, none of them really used 3D to the potential that it inherently
> provides. None of the 3D movies from that time were high quality productions
> to begin with. Star Wars represented a quantum leap in movie presentation.

We're supposed to be 3D-knowledgable here. Let's get it straight--throughout the
3D fad of approximately 1953-1956 not one single solitary feature film was EVER
released in anaglyph format!!! To the best of my knowledge, the same can be said
of the shorts. No early 1950s audience EVER looked at a 3D movie through
red/blue glasses! Period. As for whether any 3D film was a "high quality
production," film historians generally regard Kiss Me Kate as one of the best
musicals ever produced; Dial M for Murder is certainly not prime Hitchcock, but
is a far cry from a potboiler; House of Wax is simply one of the best horror
films ever produced; The Glass Web is often cited as a superior film noir entry;
and Creature from the Black Lagoon and It Came from Outer Space are excellent
sci-fi movies in their own right. Not all 3D movies were Fire Maidens from Outer
Space! Whatever reasons 3D keeps failing in the movies, in the 1950s is was NOT
for a lack of good movies and MOST DEFINITELY NOT because audiences didn't like
the red and blue glasses!

I might also argue with the idea that Star Wars was a "quantum leap in movie
presentation." It was brilliantly edited and really, really loud, but the main
distinction of its special effects was their recognition of the trajectories of
flying objects in the real world. In fact, a lot of the matte work was a tad
sloppy, betraying the film's relatively limited budget. There was nothing
unusual about the film's presentation except its lack of foresight. In
Hollywood, 20th Century Fox had stuck it in at the Chinese Theater for only
three or four weeks to fill up time until their huge blockbuster hit of the
universe, Sorcerer, could open there. When Star Wars surprised them, they had to
hustle to find another theater for it to continue its run.


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