The three-dimensional technology in movies today isn't so much a revolution as a revival. Though it's true that the distinctive red and blue lenses once required to create the in-your-face experience have been replaced by a far cooler monochrome version of the specs, the concept that the thrown ball, flying fist or slow, lingering kiss can appear to end up in the audience's lap is unchanged.

The original 3-D era was short-lived, with most of the films using the technology released in 1953 and 1954. Audiences probably appreciated the effort, but they soon grew weary of the novelty and the headaches that often accompanied a 3-D screening.

The perception of these movies is that they were strictly low-budget films that used the technique as a marketing magnet. The awful Robot Monster (1953) is a prime example of this.

Truth is, the film industry thought this was an idea that might actually take off, and it spent money shooting prestige projects using the technique. Below is a list of five of the more successful 3-D outings:

HONDO (1953): John Wayne stars as an Army dispatch rider thrown together with a woman and son who live in uneasy peace with a local band of Apache. This interesting Western, usually shown in 2-D, reveals its 3-D history only during requisite shots inserted to exploit the 3-D effect.

KISS ME KATE (1953): This film used 3-D as a way to give musical numbers depth and dimension. The desire by director George Sidney to fully explore the possibilities of the technology meant that much of the movie centered on the bickering couple's throwing objects at each other and the audience.

DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954): Alfred Hitchcock was a director endlessly fascinated by gimmicks, so it's no surprise that he would choose to experiment with 3-D. Dial M for Murder is interesting because Hitchcock managed to use the techniques in creative and interesting ways. One of his favorite tricks was to shoot from low angles with objects between characters and the audience.

HOUSE OF WAX (1953): This kinetic horror movie starring Vincent Price as a demonic wax museum owner was not the first 3-D film nor the first shot in color. It was, however, the first to use a stereo soundtrack, which would have been the audio equivalent of 3-D at the time.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954): A classic Universal creature feature -- a genre Universal did better than anyone -- this movie was promoted heavily as being a 3-D wonder. In reality, it hardly needed the gimmick. The film remains a fun, creepy monster movie.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.