‘Society with Spectacles’: Cultural Memory,Business Risk and the Revival of 3D

Abstract

The revival of 3D film and television has engaged media retailers and analysts in discussion of the risks associated with novelty viewing, and the likely barriers to wide acceptance. Research by the University of Southern California shows that purchasing decisions are shaped by perceptions of the history of 3D, and its association with ‘kitschy photos of ‘50s movie-house audiences’. In this article, I reflect on one of the most well known of these photographs, in relation to other depictions of the novelty viewing experience of the early 1950s. I suggest that both industry and scholarly analysis might benefit from a more nuanced account of ‘the spectacle’, based on the contribution of qualitative micro-research into the social nature of the audience experience, and argue that the 3D revival offers a valuable opportunity to develop this research.