gcbma

Why are none of the classic 3D films available on DVD in 3D format? A couple that come to mind are Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" and Vincent Price in "House of Wax"? Is it a technical reason (e.g., that the 3D effect not work on DVD formats or that the 3D prints of the films no longer exist) or is it simply a lack of willingness on the studios' part?

emhello

Been waiting for Friday The 13 Pt 3 in 3D as well but looks like it will never happen.

Ed Wood Jr

The 3-D worked fine on "Spy Kids 3"'s DVD. It even used the old red-and-blue glasses, so I assume the old ones would work just fine. Personally, I'd love to see some of the 80's schlock 3-D flicks again: "Treasure Of The Four Crowns", or "Spacehunter".

Mike Lowrey

I remember a TV station running 3D versions of "Ape at Large" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" back when I was in the 2nd or 3rd Grade back in the very early '80s. Quality of the 3D effect was pretty bad compared to today's standard.

darkside

Most of those classic movies did not use the red/blue lens type of 3D. They used the much higher quality polarized 3D. Polarized can not be duplicated on a DVD as originally shown in a theater, but there is another process that can do it. Studios don't seem interested in spending the money on new transfers to do it though. Guess they figure the 3D is too small of a market to go after.

Too bad, I would love to see a movie like Creature From the Black Lagoon or Dial M for Murder in 3D.

Shap

I have the Atomic Bomb Collection which has a red/blue 3D special feature of an atomic explosion. Sounds way cooler than it actually looks; I'm thinking it wasn't originally shot that way, but had the 3D effect added afterwards.

Also, unless you have a freaking huge TV, the 3D effect doesn't look so great with a small picture.

I'd still like to see a larger market of 3D movies on DVD.

Bill Needle

I have the same movie, and I think you're right about the post-3D additions. It was pretty sad, and I watched it using a projector. Size didn't help.

Anaglyph 3D (like Spy Kids 3D) makes me naseous if I watch too much.

There is a shutter-glasses system for home use 3D. I haven't used it though, so can't speak to how good it is. I would like to try that on the big screen.

davejt1

Santa vs. the Snowman just came out on DVD with 3-D glasses included:

http://www.imax.com/santavsthesnowman/flash.html

IIRC, the original 13 Ghosts on DVD is in 3-D, but I'm not positive on that one.

EDIT: Oops...you were looking for CLASSIC films. My bad - I have to pay more attention!

gorgo99

I've got the original "The Mask" (from the 60s) on VHS and it's 3-D... works great with the red/blue glasses.

And I can't BELIEVE someone just mentioned Treasure of the 4 Crowns! I thought I was the only one who remembered that. I remember seeing that back in the 80s, my friends and I were laughing so hard at how bad it was... "here are the keys to the car..." (hand thrusts the keys into the camera for full 3-d effect)!

chemosh6969

My shutter glasses version works great for me

Steve Phillips

NONE of the fifty-one classic 3-D movies released in 1952-55 used the inferior red/blue anaglyph system. Neither did 99% of the 3-D movies that have come since, including 20+ in the 80s. Only a tiny precentage of 3-D movies have used it, and those were almost all ordinary flat movies with a short 3-D sequence such as THE MASK or FREDDY'S DEAD, or cheap porno film. SPY KIDS 3-D is very much the exception in that it was widely shown in anaglyph.

Studio exectives were smart enough to realize that anaglyph wasn't suitable for movies, since it produces distorted colors in color moves, pink tones in B/W movies, blurry images, double images and ghosts, and that most gimmicks don't work. There is simply no way Hollywood would have produced 51 films in 3-D in 18 months had the system in use been that bad.

Don't be confused by the abysmal "downconverted" anaglyph versions of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and others that have shown up at midnight screenings and on TV. These are simply awful, and look nothing at all like the original 3-D versions.

The trend continues, with the recent R2 DVD of AMITYVILLE 3-D being converted to an unwatchable anaglyph version, and now even IMAX 3-D movies are being converted like SANTA. Shudder!

Bottom line, if you are wearing red/blue glasses for a 3-D movie, you really aren't seeing 3-D at all.

Anaglyph is possible on TV, and works better on computers and HD, but it is still a mess. You DON'T want to see downconverted red/blue versions of HOUSE OF WAX, DIAL M FOR MURDER, KISS ME KATE, FRIDAY THE13TH PART 3 or any other 3-D movie meant to be seen through clear polarized glasses. Better to watch the movies flat than see that.

Field sequential 3-D is the closest thing to the original 3-D possible at home. A $30 set up (incuding LCD shutter glasses) is required though, and most studios are unwilling to put movies out in that format. Several IMAX type movies are out though, but if you get one of these make sure the DVD you buy is a real 3-D movie. SOme flat movies are being processed and sold for use with the glasses with the claim that they have been converted to 3-D, but this is a total scam. Buyer beware.





13 GHOSTS isn't a 3-D movie. Never was. The "Illusion-O" viewers were used to expose or hide ghosts, and were made of red and blue material, but they didn't produce a 3-D effect.

abbatazappa

If some of those "51 classic" 3D movies were available, in polarized format (ie shutter glasses), then I would gladly shell out the initial $30 for hardware. The currently available content, however, is not worth it IMO.

I truly wish some major studio would jump on this, as I believe there is a vast untapped 3D fanbase. It would seem right now would be the best time ever...with the incredible popularity of DVDs and catalog titles, combined with the ever growing TV size and home projection systems.

Mike Lowrey

Anybody remember that 3D Superbowl Half-time show from the late '80s (I think)? It used polarized glasses. Pretty good effects it had. In fact, the glasses seemed to work somewhat on regular TV broadcasts by basically pronouncing the difference in focal lengths of each shot. Watching NFL Football with the glasses was especially cool. I'd love to see what polarized glasses do with ordinary HD broadcasts.

littlefuzzy

There are several collections called "The Ultimate 3-D" whatever (Collection, Horror, I-Max) that come with 2 pairs of shutter glasses. These run about ~$65, and come with around 3 movies.

Here is a description from one (taken from the Deep Discount DVD listing):

The Ultimate 3-D Horror Classics Collection:
Three of the most haunting horror classics are included in this special 3D collection. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1961), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), and DEMENTIA 13 (1960) are all presented in the zDVD format with a 2D option. Also included is a special 3D viewing system with high performance, H3D wired shutter glasses. See individual titles for descriptions.

The Ultimate 3-D Collection (I-Max) has HAUNTED CASTLE, ALIEN ADVENTURE, and ENCOUNTER IN THE THIRD DIMENSION.

The Ultimate 3-D Horror Collection has ZOMBIE CHRONICLES (2001), CAMP BLOOD (1999), and HUNTING SEASON (2000).

I haven't picked any of these up yet, although I have been tempted.

Steve Phillips

STAY AWAY from flat 2-D movies like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD being advertised as converted to 3-D! Doesn't work! A total rip-off. YOU ARE WARNED!

The Super Bowl half time wasn't really 3-D at all, and the glasses weren't polarized. They simply tried to exploit a naturally occuring depth effect which can accidentaly occur during camera movement called "Pulfrich Illusion". No special camera or lens is needed. You can play around with this with any camcorder by shooting out of the passenger window of a car moving about 25 MPH. Because the camera is moving in one direction and the background in another, an illusion of depth occurs in resulting 2-D tape. This effect becomes more pronounced when the viewer covers the left eye with a dark lens (sunglasses will do) but leaving the right uncovered. Many people can simply squint their left eye and see the illusion! Not real 3-D at all, and it only works for short segments with precise camera movements, but it can be fun. Many, many TV shows, music videos, cartoons, even soft core porn have tried to use this effect, usually with little success.
You can use a sunglass lens or a pair of glasses made for Pulfrich and see 3-D illusion in TV sports, action movies, or you own home videos if the camera moves just right. Try TWISTER!


Polarized glasses won't work on TV either.

Field Sequential 3-D uses LCD shutter glasses (not simple polarized glasses) which interface with a driver box either by a wire or in the case of wireless units, via an IR transmitter.

I absolutely agree, most people aren't going to run out and get a FS 3-D set up to see a few lame IMAX movies. I wish Hollywood would consider releasing some DVD versions of the backlog of 3-D movies made in the last 50 years (lots more than you think, and they aren't all crap either) but they are slow to do so.

Many of these (mostly 80s stuff like FRIDAY THE 13TH and JAWS 3-D) were released officially in Japan in FS 3-D years ago on the old VHD videodisc format. These days, illegal copies of those abound. Why the studios don't put out legit DVDs and make the $$$ themselves I don't know.

Me? I've been watching FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3, HOUSE OF WAX and DIAL M FOR MURDER in 3-D in my living room for 15 years now, via a rickety old VHD videodisc player!

3-D is just too complicated all around! In theatres, at home.....I wish someone engineer could make it simple!

When done right though, it is amazing. I saw 35 of the 51 3-D movies from the 50's at the World 3-D Film Expo last year in Hollywood and it was amazing. All shown in the original dual projector polarized 3-D, the effect was excellent and peope were amazed at how good 3-D can and should look. Still, they had like 9 projectionists for each show to make it run smoothly, not something which is practical for the local multi-plex!

I think when Digital projection REALLY becomes the norm, 3-D will be a lot simpler.
.

sracer

It wasn't "polarized" glasses. It had lenses of different darkness. It took advantage of the "Pulfrich effect"... that is, the human eye takes a small amount of time longer to process a darkened image than a lighter one. Those Superbowl glasses will work with any video source that features "left to right" motion. Since the brain is receiving slightly different images (the eye with the darker lens will lag slightly), it processes them as 3D.

I still have those glasses and they work great for certain scenes in auto racing, basketball, track, and soccer. But only when the motion goes "left-to-right". Some films like Predator look fantastic as they run in the jungle.

This 3D effect gives "Viewmaster-style" depth... nothing appears to jump OUT of the screen.

Steve Phillips

A series of YOGI BEAR Cartoons used Pulfrich Illusion the best I thought. Each show had a little 30 second segment animated in the correct way to show a 3-D effect . Yogi would cue the kids when to don the glasses.

IMHO, the Half Time Super Bowl was among the worst attempts. They didn't get it at all.

Hendrik

...and you can order those "glasses" right here... (they may be just the ticket for watching football, ice skating, marathons, basket ball, the Indy 500, etc.)

. . . . . .

BizRodian

Yeah, if you want 50 of them.

I remember when ABC did a week or something in supposed 3d.

headrippa

I recall seeing a Three Stooges show that was in 3d as well...

Steve Phillips

Two Three Stooges shorts were shot and released in 3-D in 1953. Titles are SPOOKS and PARDON MY BACKFIRE. These were from the Shemp years.

Of course like all of the 3-D material in the 1950's these were shown in polarized format with clear glasses. (I just saw them that way last year and they were quite well done, especially the second one. )

In later years, these shorts were converted to red/blue anaglyph versions for 16mm rental and 8mm for home use, and as stated above were also shown on TV in anaglyph. Again, the results were sad to see and the films looked nothing like the original 3-D did. Seeing the real polarized versions last year was a revelation, as I had only seen the bastardized anaglyph prints previously.

As for the pulfrich effect, you don't have to buy the glasses to have fun with that. Use any old pair of sunglasses, just remove the right lens or hold them so that only your left eye is covered.
I don't even bother with the glasses at all, I can just squint my left eye a slight bit and see it. Kind of weird, now and then I find myself doing that during an action film and watching little scenes in accidental 3-D.

darkangel5

I have the shutter system and quite a few 3-D dvds including Spacehunter and Friday the 13th Part 3. The shutter glasses work great and is truly 3-D (watched on a 60" screen). The only problem is that after the first hour, I seem to get a headache!

D.

OldBoy

i was just gonna mention that one as well. what a doozey that was. my first foray into the 3-D world!

Steve Phillips

TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS.....hilarious. This was the second 3-D film from the same production team, the first being the bizarre spaghetti western COMIN AT YA!

I wish they had gone on to make the third 3-D film they planned...ESCAPE FROM BEYOND. That one never got beyond pre-production.

Those films were awful and not especially well photogrpahed, but they were still fun.

I think the WORST 3-D movie of the 1980's period is undoubtedly THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE starring Steve Guttenburg. What a lame idea.....a 3-D movie about an Invisible Man? It was a painfully unfunny "comedy".

Overall the 3-D movies in the 1980's were pretty bad. They used the effect only for "poke them in the eye with a stick" type gimmicks for the most part. The 1950's films were much classier as a whole, and much better photographed.

I think FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 and AMITYVILLE 3-D were the best ones.

sracer

I enjoyed that short run of 3D films in the 80's... starting with Parasite, Treasure of the Four Crowns, MetalStorm: The Destruction of Jared Sin, and Friday the 13th Part 3, Jaws 3, .... I missed out on Amityville 3D.