First 3D colour stereo sound movie

This page was last revised on 2009-06-08.

NB Full references to printed sources may be found at the foot of this page.

First 3D colour stereo sound movie

Distant Thames, 1951

For London's Festival of Britain, in 1951, a futuristic cinema was constructed - the Telecinema - at which four stereoscopic films were presented in stereophonic sound. Two of these were animations, so not considered here. Of the others, one was in colour. This was the 9½ minute International Realist documentary Distant Thames, released by the British Film Institute on 30 April 1951. It was later retitled Royal River, and included in the 1953 compilation 3-Dimension.

Director: Brian Smith; cameraman: Stanley W. Sayer; Stereo Techniques technology: Raymond and Nigel L. Spottiswood; stereo sound: Ken Cameron. [Zone (2007); Hayes (1989); 3-D Revolution]

First 3D colour stereo sound movie showing people of both sexes, and first 3D colour stereo sound feature film

House of Wax, 1953

The American horror film House of Wax was released on 25 April 1953. It was directed by André de Toth (1912-2002), and starred Vincent Price.

House of Wax, originally titled Waxworks, was Warner Bros. answer to the 3D hit Bwana Devil, which had been released the previous November. Seeing something big in 3D's future, WB contracted the same company, Natural Vision, run by the Gunzberg Brothers, Julian and Milton, to shoot the new feature. The film is ultimately a remake of the studio's 1933 film, The Mystery of the Wax Museum, which in itself was written and based on Charles Belden's three-act play, The Wax Works.

Among the scenes featured in the film that make the best use of 3D are a museum fire, a paddleball man, and can-can girls. [Wikipedia]

Filmed in (polarised) Natural Vision 3-Dimension (dual 35mm); presented in Widescreen (cropped 1.50:1). Hayes (1989), pp214-8, says:

There have always been two thoughts on House of Wax: one, it is a classic film of the horror genre, and two, it is claptrap exploitation of the worst kind. There seems to be no middle ground. Everyone either loves or hates this film. Even if one followed the middle ground, House of Wax has to be considered better than just good. It was expertly mounted, staged and photographed. The 3-D was wonderful, the surround sound engrossing, the story thrilling. It was old but but it wore extremely well, and today it is still an exciting film. Stepping beyond the middle ground, it certainly is a classic not only in the horror vein but also of stereoscopic cinematography. It is a must-see in 3-D.

[The Sensorama was one of the earliest exemplars of immersive, multi-sensory (now known as multimodal) technology. Morton Heilig (1926-97) detailed his vision of multi-sensory theatre in his 1955 paper entitled “The Cinema of the Future”. In 1962 he built a prototype of his vision, dubbed the Sensorama, along with five short films to be displayed in it. The Sensorama was a mechanical device, which still functions today. It displayed stereoscopic images in a wide-angle view, with body tilting and stereo sound, as well as having tracks for wind and aromas to be triggered during the film. Heilig was unable to obtain financial backing for his visions and patents, and the Sensorama work was halted. [Wikipedia]

As there is no evidence that the body tilting, wind and aroma effects were anything more than simulated, it has to be regarded as a 3D colour stereo sound movie, with supplemental simulated VR effects.]

Earliest-born person whose voice was recorded in a 3D colour stereo sound film

No significant information yet located. Leo Curley (1878-1960) seems to have been the oldest person to appear in House of Wax or any other 3D colour stereo sound film of 1953-60.

Earliest-born woman whose voice was recorded in a 3D colour stereo sound film

No significant information yet located. Riza Royce (1903-80) seems to have been the oldest woman to appear in House of Wax or any other 3D colour stereo sound film of 1953-60.

© 2009 Benjamin S. Beck

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