3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney-themed venues. 3D films became increasingly successful throughout the 2000s, peaking with the success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009, after which 3D films again decreased in popularity. Certain directors have also taken more experimental approaches to 3D filmmaking, most notably celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard in his film Goodbye to Language.
Anaglyph 3D is the stereoscopic 3D effect achieved by means of encoding each eye's image using filters of different colors, typically red and cyan. Anaglyph 3D images contain two differently filtered colored images, one for each eye. When viewed through the "color-coded" "anaglyph glasses", each of the two images reaches the eye it's intended for, revealing an integrated stereoscopic image. The visual cortex of the brain fuses this into the perception of a three-dimensional scene or composition.
Dark Secrets is a 1923 American silent feature drama film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Dorothy Dalton. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
Conquering the Woman is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by King Vidor. A print of the film exists at the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique in Belgium.
The Gentleman from America is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and featuring Hoot Gibson and Louise Lorraine. It also featured a young Boris Karloff in an uncredited bit part. The screenplay was written by George C. Hull, based on a story by Raymond L. Schrock. The film's tagline was "This might be called the story of a fighting American in sunny Spain - with flashing senoritas and romance in the background! It's something new for Hoot Gibson - but you'll like it, and so will your patrons!" It is considered a lost film.
Lady Robinhood is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince, starring Evelyn Brent, and featuring Boris Karloff.
Under the Yoke is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. It is based on the short story "Maria of the Roses" by George Scarborough. Under the Yoke is now considered to be a lost film.
The Spanish Dancer is a 1923 American silent costume epic starring Pola Negri as a gypsy fortune teller, Antonio Moreno as a romantic count, and Wallace Beery as the king of Spain. The film was directed by Herbert Brenon and also features a five-year-old Anne Shirley, appearing under the name "Dawn O'Day." The film survives today.
The Man from M.A.R.S. is a 1922 silent U.S. science fiction film. It is notable for using the 3-D process called Teleview, similar to today's alternating frame 3-D systems. Shown in 3-D only at the Selwyn Theater in New York City, it was previewed as Mars Calling at a trade and press screening on October 13, 1922, premiered as M.A.R.S. on December 27, 1922, and ran through January 20, 1923. A 2-D version was distributed as Radio-Mania in 1923–1924. The film was directed by Roy William Neil and photographed by George J. Folsey.
My American Wife is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. The film was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
In the Palace of the King is a 1923 American silent historical romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by F. Marion Crawford. Directed by Emmett J. Flynn, the film stars Blanche Sweet, Pauline Starke, and Edmund Lowe.
The Beloved Vagabond is a 1923 British romantic drama film directed by Fred LeRoy Granville and starring Carlyle Blackwell, Madge Stuart, Jessie Matthews and Phyllis Titmuss. The film is based on the 1906 novel The Beloved Vagabond by William John Locke.
The Cheat is a 1923 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and is a remake of Cecil B. DeMille's 1915 film of the same name using the same script by Hector Turnbull and Jeanie MacPherson. This version stars Pola Negri and was directed by George Fitzmaurice.
The Brat is a 1919 American silent drama film produced by and starring Alla Nazimova and directed by Herbert Blache. The film was released by Metro Pictures, who had Nazimova under contract, and is based on Maude Fulton's 1917 Broadway play in which she starred. It was remade as the 1931 film The Brat with Sally O'Neil in the lead role. The film is lost.
The Primitive Lover is a 1922 American silent drama film produced by and starring Constance Talmadge and distributed by Associated First National. Sidney A. Franklin served as the director of the movie and Frances Marion wrote the scenario based on a play, The Divorcee, by Edgar Selwyn. This film survives and has been released on DVD.
Betrayed is a 1917 silent drama film directed and written by Raoul Walsh, starring Hobart Bosworth, Miriam Cooper, and Monte Blue, and released by Fox Film Corporation. It is not known if the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
Don't Call It Love is a 1923 American silent romantic comedy film directed by William C. deMille and written by Clara Beranger and Julian Street based upon the play Rita Coventry by Hubert Osborne. The film stars Agnes Ayres, Jack Holt, Nita Naldi, Theodore Kosloff, Rod La Rocque, and Robert Edeson. The film was released on December 24, 1923, by Paramount Pictures.
The Woman Under Cover is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by George Siegmann and starring Fritzi Brunette. It was based on a play by Sada Cowan and produced and distributed by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company.
Harry K. Fairall was an American camera operator, inventor and producer, and founder of the Binocular Stereoscopic Film Company, of Loas Angeles, California. He is known for his effort to establish stereoscopic movies in the 1920s, obtaining a series of patents covering the technologies to produce binocular films. His patents covered the process of exposing a celluloid based film reel, covered in a gelatine based emulsion, to a series of images intended for the left eye, through a colour filter, applying a second emulsion coating, and repeating the process for the images intended for the right eye, through a different colour filter. The resulting film, if later projected and viewed through binocular goggles, with matching left and right eye, coloured, lenses, to those used in its production, achieved a simulated 3D experience.
Toilers of the Sea is a lost 1923 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lucy Fox, Holmes Herbert and Horace Tesseron. It is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same title.
