Re: [photo-3d] Field sequential movies

["John A. Rupkalvis" <stereoscope@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"The Bubble" was re-released theatrically by StereoVision under the title
"Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth" ("FIPE" in the trades).  It is still
being distributed under that title.  I have a VHS copy that is in the
over-and-under format for viewing with prism glasses.

JR

----- Original Message -----
From: "E R Swanson" <ers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 4:43 PM
Subject: [photo-3d] Field sequential movies


>
> I'm a film buff with a set of Virtual I/O (I-glasses) and enjoy watching
> 3D movies. The I-glasses aren't perfect, but because there are individual
> monitors in the units, and they retain the image longer than a liquid
> crystal shutter system, there's virtually no image flicker. (The flicker
> caused by the 15 image per second refresh rate in standard field
> sequential systems give me a headache. There are higher speed shuttering
> systems for computer applications, but they don't work with the old
> movies.)
>
> To date, I've managed to round up the following 3D movies in varying
> quality copies (many are 3DTV originals); most are fairly decent:
>
> Outlaw Territory
> House of Wax (I have the 3DTV cropped version and the real one with the
> Japanese subtitles)
> Spacehunter
> 3 Stooges
> Star Chaser (heavy metal style animation)
> Metalstorm
> The Stewardesses (true field sequential, not the anaglyph)
> Dial M for Murder (I have the 3DTV cropped version, and the real one with
> the Japanese subtitles)
> Sam Space (puppettoon short)
> Jaws 3D (no main titles)
> Cat Women of the Moon (I repaired the fake "color" by converting it back
> to the original b/w it was supposed to be)
> Route 66 (Japanese crew shot a goofy nude short film along Route 66 in the
> US)
> (and in transit Rottweiler, Friday the 13 3D, Treasure of the 4 Crowns,
> and Parasite. I bought the anaglyph Comin' At Ya and am working on getting
> a field sequential copy.)
>
> Many of the 3DTV titles have 25% of the image lopped off of the bottom of
> the frame to mask the Japanese subtitles, which is a real shame.
> Fortunately some of the films like Spacehunter are anamorphic using the
> 3DPix or similar horizontally split frame system, and the subtitles are
> mostly below the image area.
>
> The majority of these features were originally on the obsolete RCA
> videodisc system and issued in Japan in Engligh with Japanese subtitles.
> Many were dubbed to VHS masters and marketed in the US, which means that
> you're already down to a 3rd generation copy.
>
> Two of the real classics were issued on anaglyph 3D in 1980-- It Came From
> Outer Space, and The Creature from The Black Lagoon-- and they are
> virtually impossible to watch. Both were quickly withdrawn from sale. I
> have ICFOS, and it's pretty poor, though with massive tweaking of the
> colors you can sort of get 3D in some shots.
>
> Friday the 13 3D was actually issued on laserdisc in field sequential, but
> I've never seen an original laser copy offered for sale.
>
> There have been copies of some of these films in VHS on recent ebay
> auctions-- all are video copies, not commercial releases-- that have sold
> for insane prices.
>
> The Bubble, an Arch Oboler film, was issued by 3DTV as The Zoo, or
> something similar (it's currently available in anaglyph DVD, which is
> marginally 3D). I've been unable to locate a field sequential copy.
>
> Does anyone actually have any of the original Japanese field sequential
> videodiscs (not laserdiscs) of the field sequential feature films? I'd
> sure love a complete copy of Jaws 3D with the opening credits, among
> others.
>
> Better yet, does anyone have DVD versions or SVCD versions of 3D feature
> films? (Standard VCD won't work for field sequential.)
>
> Admittedly, there's a pretty small base of interest, and the films are
> mostly exploitation types, but they're so fascinating...
>
> It would be great if whoever it is in Japan (they were released by
> both Columbia and Warner Home Video in Japan, and maybe others through
> JVC also called the Victor Corporation) that has the original master
> recordings would license and release the movies as a limited edition of
> field sequential DVDs. I'd love to see these films in the best possible
> quality for the few surviving flicks that remain in their 3D format.
>
> As a kid I remember the impact of seeing It Came From Outer Space in
> tandem 3D, with crystal clear images, and watching kids dive for the gross
> theatre floor as rocks seemed to rain down all around us after the
> spaceship crashed. Mom wouldn't let me see House of Wax... ;(
>
> Some people are marketing some very nice modern field sequential material,
> but it's the feature movies that have the allure...
>
> Elliott
>
>
>
>
>