First sound movie First stereo sound movie First colour sound movie First colour stereo sound movie
First 3D sound movie First 3D stereo sound movie First 3D colour sound movie First 3D colour stereo sound movie

First 3D sound movie

1. The technology

2. The human subject


First 3D sound movie of a person speaking (or singing)

Audioscopiks (1935)

This eight-minute anaglyphic 3D film, directed by Jacob Leventhal and John Norling, was first screened on 26 December 1935. It was a short documentary showcase for 3D itself. Though a sound movie, much of the audio is voice-over. However, one segment featured the Spanish flamenco singer Eva Soba performing a traditional song. [Zone; Hayes; the 3D on the YouTube version is rather poor]

It's possible that this is predated by an outtake of a ski scene on a hill slope, which may have included a person speaking, from the 1935 film L'Ami de monsieur, apparently included in Stefan Dröẞler's touring lecture show on 'The History of 3D'. The Stéréoscopic Lumière film was directed by Pierre de Cuvier. [The 3D Revolution]

 


 

First 3D sound movie of a man speaking

Nozze Vagabonde (Beggar's Wedding), 1936

Shot in black and white in Italy in 1936 (and released there on 30 June that year), with the Gualtierroti stereo camera, for the Societa Italiana Stereocinematografica, and projected in polarised format. Producer: Sante Bonalde; director: Guido Brignone (1886–1959); photography: Anchise Brizzi. [Zone; Hayes]

The IMDB cast list includes four men in credited roles; it's presumed most or all of these had speaking parts.

 


First 3D stereo sound movie showing a person

A Solid Explanation, 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. One of these was the 10 minute black and white Pathé documentary A Solid Explanation, released by the British Film Institute in May 1951, and later included in the 1953 compilation 3-Dimension. It was a humorous illustration of the principles of stereoscopy, intercut with animal scenes shot at London Zoo. The release date is so close to that of Distant Thames that there's certainly a possibility that it was filmed earlier. [Zone; Hayes]

The only cast member listed was Desmond Walter-Ellis (instructor).

 


 

First 3D stereo sound movie showing a woman

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 and Phyllis Kirk.

It is now available in 3D Blu-Ray.

 


 

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

Little significant information yet located. Charles Halton (1876–1959) appeared in the 1953 The Moonlighter, and seems to have been the oldest person to appear in any 3D sound film up to that date.

 


 

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

Little significant information yet located. Helen Wallace (1889–1970), who appeared in 1953's The Glass Web, seems to have been the oldest woman to appear in any 3D sound film up to that date.

 


 

Earliest-born person whose voice was recorded in a 3D 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 stereo sound film of 1953–1960.

 


 

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

No significant information yet located. Riza Royce (1903–1980) seems to have been the oldest woman to appear in House of Wax or any other 3D stereo sound film of 1953–1960.

 

Full references for printed works

R.M. Hayes (1989) 3-D Movies. A History and Filmography of Stereoscopic Cinema

James M. Limbacher (1968) Four Aspects of the Film

Ray Zone (2007) Stereoscopic Cinema & the Origins of 3-D Film, 1838–1952. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky

 

© 2010–2023 Benjamin S. Beck

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This page was last revised on 2021-05-10.