Murder mystery in 3-D

Press, 25 January 1988, Page 19

Murder mystery in 3-D

Television Two will make New Zealand television history this evening, with the first threedimensional movie to be shown on the small screen.

“Gorilla at Large” is a murder mystery thriller set in a fairground, with a dangerous gorilla on the loose to complicate • the investigation. Starring Lee Marvin, Anne Bancroft and Lee J. Cobb, it was made in 1954 at a time when Hollywood was experimenting with 3-

D — or stereoscopic — films, ironically in an attempt to stave off the growing competition from television. Although there were a number of successful 3-D movies made at the time, the technique fell largely into disuse apart from a slight resurgence in the 1980 s, with movies such as “Jaws 3-D." The three-dimensional effect comes from filming the action through two lenses a small distance apart — just as we view

the world through two eyes a short distance apart, each eye getting a slightly different view. During filming, one lens has a blue filter over it and the other has a red filter. Watching the film with special glasses, with one red and one blue lens, ensures that each of the viewer’s eyes see what each camera lens saw. The result is a sense of depth not seen in normal two-dimensional shows. “Gorilla at Large” will

be watchable without the special glasses, but a peculiar red and blue ghosting will be noticeable, particularly in the foreground of the action. The glasses are now available at Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants throughout the country, and, in some areas, at participating Mobil service stations or dairies. They cost $1.99 a pair, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Barnardo’s New Zealand.