Lady in Dream (1968) [No 3D Blu-ray]

[BleedOrange11]

Apparently, in 2013, the Korean Film Archive re-discovered elements of their country's earliest 3D movies and began the process of scanning and restoring them. A Man of Great Strength: Im Ggyeok-jeong and Lady in Dream, were both released in Korean cinemas in color scope 3D in 1968. The former was first, but the latter is of greater significance because it was made by director Im Kwon-taek, who is a legend in Korea with currently 102 film directorial credits and still active today. It seems that Lady in Dream was also created with stereo sound, which no longer survives. Cinematographer Jang Seok-jun, who passed in 1980 with an equally long list of credits and Korean film awards, was responsible for the 3D photography of both, and from what I can gather, shot three total 3D films during the 60s and 70s. None of them are available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Here are links to a couple of interviews with the Korean Film Archive. Part 1 details the history of Koreas first 3D films, and Part 2 details the plot and use of 3D in Lady in Dream, providing unrestored screen captures.
Part 1
Part 2

Video is available of Lady in Dream's film print here:

몽녀 필름 ��� - YouTube

It is difficult to assess the current quality of the elements and their restoration status due to the language barrier. However, if you go to each movie's page at the KMDB, you can see that a "Digi-Betacam" exists for both films, made from a dupe negative and release print. You can also find 100 B&W stills from the set of each movie (Lady in Dream, A Man of Great Strength). The KMDB site claims to have original camera negatives, both eyes for The Devil and the Beauty (1969) and only one eye for Hong Kil-dong (1976). Jijiharu's Black Sun (1971) may not be in their possession.

Lady in Dream is a combo gangster crime drama and supernatural horror movie. Here is the plot synopsis:

Spies murder a wealthy industrialist and his daughter in order to claim their estate, only to be haunted into confessing their crime by the daughter's vengeful ghost.

Given that it was shot by acclaimed filmmakers and the KMDB site seems so interested in it, I bet it is quite entertaining and would be very keen to see it and the rest of these features in 3D if they are ever made available.

Here are selected film print pictures from their interview (click the "Part 2" link above to see the rest):
lim101_14_13.jpg
lim101_14_25.jpg
lim101_14_27.jpg
(Same train tracks as in Memories of Murder (2003), no?)
lim101_14_28.jpg
lim101_14_30.jpg

[BleedOrange11]

From the stills gallery:
NKF003827.jpg NKF003915.jpg
NKF003918.jpg NKF003960.jpg
NKF004062.jpg

[Richard--W]

Whoa! Nice detective work.
Thanks so much for posting this information, BleedOrange11.

I had no idea these Korean 3-D films existed.

Money burns a hole in my pocket for these 3-D films.
Let's hope someone releases them on blu-ray sooner rather later.

[Richard--W]

I vaguely remember Chris Condon saying something about the Stereovision lenses he had sent to Korea. And the projection lenses. Do you know if these films were shot with Stereovision lenses?

[BleedOrange11]

I don't know. They do offer this picture, if that helps. The article suggests that the camera may come from Russia (nothing about lenses).

lim101_13_06.jpg

Edit - KOFA is calling this a "Panscope" 3D camera, assembled by by cinematographer/director Jang Seok-jun to shoot 35mm dual-strip 3D, printed as 2.35:1 35mm single-strip over/under 3D for release for A Man of Great Strength (1968), Lady in Dream (1968), and Jijiharu's Black Sun (1971).

[Richard--W]

Again -- whoa!

I haven't seen a 35mm 3-D camera like that before. Those are 35mm magazines each one behind a lens twin-mounted on a single camera body. The bar with the turnstile and a knob is probably to adjust convergence. It's not a Stereovision rig, but it's infinitely more interesting.

[BleedOrange11]

For completeness sake, the KMDB lists more Silver Age 3D, apart from Ape.

A 1979 animated super hero feature, Taekwon Boy White Eagle, available on 2D DVD, potentially made from a similar process as Starchaser

Also Festival of Fear (1986) (lists original negative, 3D)

[Richard--W]

That camera design fascinates me. There's no beam-splitter or mirror. It's more compact than either the Duning or the Norling, the American cameras which were three times the size. I wish we could see how the claw and shutter mechanisms are placed inside the housing.

[BleedOrange11]

The article seems to discuss their trouble building a custom lens for the projector to play back the 3D, but I can't make much sense of it.

I'd love to see these movies get some help with restoration and distribution. Funding and awareness are probably the biggest issues holding them back. Lady in Dream especially looks like it could be right up Criterion's alley. Too bad they don't have its original negatives. Would restoration from a dupe negative give comparable results as long as the film isn't destroyed by vinegar syndrome or other methods?

A Man of Great Strength says that it is available as VOD from the KMDB website, but I couldn't find it upon searching. They have countless old Korean movies available in full for free as "VOD" on their YouTube channel.

[BleedOrange11]

A Man of Great Strength "Panscope" 3D camera rig:
A Man of Great Strength Camera.jpg

Festival of Fear 3D camera rig:
Festival of Fear Camera.jpg

[Zivouhr]

1968 classic 3D, thanks for all of the details BleedOrange.

[bavanut]

That Festival of Fear device looks a heckuva lot like Optimax III, but not identical. Note the fact that the left-eye lens is lower than the right-eye lens.

[BleedOrange11]

Found an update regarding Korean Silver Age 3D films. The Devil and the Beauty (1969), the third Korean 3D film, has a 3D DCP, created from a 2K scan of the original camera negatives in 2014 by the Korean Film Archive with 3D work supervised by the Munich Film Archive. The first two reels are missing for one eye, so the first 20min are 2D only. It screened in 3D at KOFA's “Celebrating the 100-year Anniversary of Korean Cinema” program on May 8, 2019. It was shot 35mm dual-strip, presumably for 1.66:1 (in screenshots). It was a low-budget horror movie originally released in second-run Korean theaters in single-strip red-green anaglyph. A streaming 2D 1080p VOD version is available for members at the KOFA website.

https://blog.naver.com/kds941014/222415829903 (lots of screenshots)
http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news...e=VIEW&seq=364
https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/s...d=ART002490432
https://www.kmdb.or.kr/story/10/5427 (Review in KOR)

Calling 3-D Film Archive, calling Kino Lorber, can we please look into licensing this for Blu-ray 3D?

CONTACT Korean Film Archive:

[Show spoiler]Tel +82 2 3153 2001
Fax +82 2 3153 2080
Email kofa@koreafilm.or.kr

[BleedOrange11]

Interestingly, Dan Symmes saw the animated Korean Silver Age film, White Eagle, the Taegeuk Boy, in 3D. In American Cinematographer's July 1983 issue, p. 115, he writes:

July of 1979 brought the Korean release of a Japanese full length 3-D cartoon (made in Korea), WHITE EAGLE. Even though the projection was poor, I could see the stereoscopic aspect of the film was quite good. Since, there has been another, COBRA SPACE ADVENTURE (Toho/Towa, 1982), of which I have little information.

There is a KOFA 2D DVD of White Eagle, which seems to be a 4:3 cropped VHS port, possibly all that's left of the film. Space Adventure Cobra (1982) is not a 3D film although the font on the original poster certainly jumps out like one.

[syjourn]

Originally Posted by BleedOrange11

Space Adventure Cobra (1982) is not a 3D film although the font on the original poster certainly jumps out like one.

Are you certain about that? I see several posters mentioning 3D, including the one on IMDb(hard to see, but it’s near the top in the very center). My Japanese is rusty but I’m seeing reviews mentioning the 3D, and how they layered the background and foreground cels

[BleedOrange11]

I'd like to attempt organizing these films and their surviving elements, according to the Korean Film Archive's holdings.

A Man of Great Strength: Im Ggyeok-jeong (90min)
Release Date: 2/8/1968
Shot on: dual-strip 35mm (Panscope), color, mono
Released on: 2.35:1, single-strip over/under 35mm
Survives: release print
Preserved: 35mm dupe negative of release print, Digital Betacam x 2
Restored: 2D VOD (SD from Digital Betacam?)

Lady in Dream (85min)
Release Date: 8/1/1968
Shot on: dual-strip 35mm (Panscope), color, 4-track stereo (lost)
Released on: 2.35:1, single-strip over/under 35mm
Survives: release print (mono)
Preserved: 35mm dupe negative of release print, contact print from dupe negative, Digital Betacam x 3

The Devil and the Beauty (75min)
Release Date: 4/10/1969
Shot on: dual-strip 35mm, B&W, mono
Released on: 1.66:1, single-strip red-green anaglyph 35mm
Survives: original negatives (missing first 2 reels of one eye)
Restored: 3D DCP (2K scan of OCN, 20min of 2D), 2D VOD (1080p)

Jijiharu's Black Sun (80min)
Release Date: 4/8/1971
Shot on: dual-strip 35mm (Panscope), color, mono?
Released on: 2.35:1, single-strip over/under 35mm
Survives: nothing, lost film

Hong Kil-dong (80min)
Release Date: 9/8/1976
Shot on: single-strip over/under 35mm?, color, mono
Released on: 2.39:1, single-strip over/under 35mm?
Survives: original negative (of one eye only???)
Restored: 2D trailer (SD) only

White Eagle, the Taegeuk Boy (65min)
Release Date: 7/15/1979
Shot on: 2D animation, 35mm?, color, mono?
Released on: 2.39:1?, single-strip over/under 35mm?
Survives: 2D VHS (4:3 cropped)
Restored: 2D DVD, 2D VOD (SD): VHS ports

Festival of Fear (95min)
Release Date: 8/30/1986
Shot on: single-strip over/under 35mm (Optimax III derivative), mono
Released on: 2.39:1, single-strip over/under 35mm
Survives: original negative, 3 release prints

[BleedOrange11]

Originally Posted by syjourn

Are you certain about that? I see several posters mentioning 3D, including the one on IMDb(hard to see, but it’s near the top in the very center). My Japanese is rusty but I’m seeing reviews mentioning the 3D, and how they layered the background and foreground cels

I'd be happy to be wrong. A flat version has been restored and released on 4K UHD. It's an awesome, psychedelic anime. Let me know if you see substantial evidence of stereoscopy besides the poster. Sometimes advertisements claim a 3-D effect for flat processes like 3D CGI or widescreen or large format film.

[syjourn]

Originally Posted by BleedOrange11

I'd be happy to be wrong. A flat version has been restored and released on 4K UHD. It's an awesome, psychedelic anime. Let me know if you see substantial evidence of stereoscopy.

It’s not hard evidence, but I saw this from a movie reviewer that talks about the 3D: https://cinehunt.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-190.html. Translation should give you an idea. I’ll have to look into it more later.

[BleedOrange11]

The selling point was that it adopted the first "4ch Dolby Surround and the special visual effect "3D 3-D method". The "three-dimensional 3D method" is basically a kind of "multiplane" if there is no mistake in memory, and there are multiple places that are usually shot with "background + cel" between the cameras. A mechanism that creates depth and stereoscopic effect on the screen by arranging the cels and moving them at different speeds and timings. It can be said to be a cinematic technique that adds an element of physical distance (space) to a flat picture.

Sounds like they are crediting moving things in different directions at different speeds on multiple planes as making the film stereoscopic. That is manipulation of monocular depth cues to create a greater sense of depth for a flat picture, rather than the traditional definition of stereoscopic 3D, having two discrete images of each scene, one for each eye, that provide binocular depth. Hard to say definitively, but I think this is a case of false advertisement.

[syjourn]

Yes, I looked into it more, looks like it was an attempt at glasses free 3D. It was billed as being 3D, but just ended up being flat layers. Sure, you can tell the layers are behind others, but….