From the New York Times, November 5, 1922, 98.
D. W. Griffith, who may be counted on to be interested in any new cinematographic development, whether he himself is responsible for it or not, has become interested in the possibility of motion pictures with three dimensions, and when asked to give his ideas on the subject, commented as followed:
“Motion pictures will never realize their ideal effectiveness until they are stereoscopic. In every art where there is an industrial feature to it, the industrial part develops more rapidly than the artistic. That is because we are an industrial nation and have more minds trained that way.
“With a real stereoscopic effect, however, motion pictures could be made so vivid that they would drive the audience from its seats. Our public is trained to the utmost resource of the voice. We can scream on the stage, explode weapons, shriek and agonize, and the audience is prepared. But if a powerful dramatic scene were put into a film with absolute stereoscope vividness, I don’t believe an audience could stand it.
“For instance, suppose we were to show a dagger thrust driving into the very faces of the audience; what would happen? If we were to show some figure coming toward the audience a figure that we consider forceful with our present photography, it would be appalling.
“The true stereoscopic effect will add a mighty force to motion pictures. It will make them beyond any comparison the most powerful medium of expression of which any one has dreamed.
“We are, of course, in what will be called the experimental stage of such development. When the effect depends upon individual mechanism for each spectator, it is of course a complicated arrangement, and difficult to reduce from a novelty to popularity.
“And before the stereoscopic film is generally used, it will be necessary, it seems to me, to have a period of preparation for audiences, which will take many months, if not years.”
Some of the pictures in Mr. Griffith’s One Exciting Night, now at the Apollo, would surely shiver your timbers is they were stereoscopic. You don’t exactly sit still watching them as it is.