The future of 3D movies might be described with a famous line from the film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The inimitable actor Gene Wilder, as chocolatier Willy Wonka, told his mesmerized and terrified guests: “You have to go forward to go back.”
So Hollywood is going forward for big plans for 3D movies. Ticket sales have shown that 3D has more fans that some critics give them credit. For instances, the 3D versions of movies such as “Meet the Robinsons” and “Beowulf ” sold twice as many tickets as their 2D counterparts. (In the case of “Beowulf,” what red-blood male could resist the opportunity to see Angelina Jolie’s naked body rise out of a pool? But we digress…)
Another touted success was Disney’s 3D film, “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.” The movie shattered records for a film in limited release. Again, how much was the 3D format and how much was the popularity of the actress? Nobody knows for sure, but the combination of the two certainly seems to be a box-office winner.
Major technological advances since the 1950s are drawing more and more producers and directors to the process.
Dream Works, the film company founded in part by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, has invested heavily in the 3D process. Dream Works’ top executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is a major cheerleader for high-definition 3D, such as that used for its 2008 animated hit, “Kung Fu Panda” starring the voice of comic Jack Black.
In addition to Katzenberg, Academy Award-winning directors James Cameron (”Titanic”) and Peter Jackson (”Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”) have embraced the 3D process. Previews of Cameron’s “Avatar” were screened to rave reviews from participants at the major 2009 fantasy-science fiction convention, Comic Con in San Diego. Meanwhile, Jackson is produced another J.R.R. Tolkien classic, “The Hobbit,” with Guillermo del Toro in the director’s chair.
Hollywood heavyweights such as Katzenberg and Cameron insist that a new golden age of anaglyph 3D film making is under way. However, because of the costs of the process, it appears likely that in these earliest stages, only major blockbusters, such as 2008’s Batman film, “The Dark Knight,” will benefit from the 3D touch.
Be that as it may, many film buffs are investing in high-tech plastic-framed anaglyph 3D glasses in hopes the new techniques will lead to a revival of some classic 3D films from the golden era of the 1950s. Among the films later released in flat versions that film buffs would love to see refurbished are such Columbia Pictures features as “House on Haunted Hill” and “The Tingler,” both starring the “King of 3D,” Vincent Price.
Some fans clamor for John Wayne’s 3D “Hondo” or the MGM musical “Kiss Me, Kate,” starring Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson. Others say they waiting for remastered high-definition DVDs of their favorite 3D actresses, the flame-haired Rhonda Fleming and the sultry brunette Patricia Medina. Fleming starred in 20th Century Fox’s only 3-D feature, “Inferno,” along with “Those Redheads from Seattle” and “Jivaro.” Medina starred in “Sangaree,” “Phantom of the Rue Morgue” and “Drums of Tahiti.”
Going forward with the latest technology of 3D films may indeed be a gateway to 3D classics of the past. Better get your anaglyph 3D glasses and your home theater set up soon!
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