''The Power of Love'' is an American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

and the first 3D feature film worldwide. The premiere was on September 27, 1922, at the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles. The 3D version of the film is presumed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. The film was later shown in 2D as ''Forbidden Lover''. This 2-D version is also believed lost.

Plot

Don Almeda promises his daughter Maria to Don Alvarez because of his financial trouble. Maria does not love Don Alvarez and falls in love with Terry O'Neal. He is a stranger who has been wounded by robbers associated with Alvarez and later he takes Alvarez's place at a

masquerade ball A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...

. Alvarez robs an old padre of some pearls and stabs him with O'Neal's knife and accuses O'Neal of the murder. Alvarez tries to shoot him, but wounds Maria instead, because she has thrown herself in front of him. Maria recovers and after proving that Alvarez is a thief and a killer, marries O'Neal.

Cast

* Elliot Sparling as Terry O'Neal * Barbara Bedford as Maria Almeda *

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

as Don Almeda *

Aileen Manning Aileen Manning (January 20, 1886 – March 25, 1946) was an American film actress. Manning was in demand as a character actress in silent films. She was known for her roles in silent and early talkie films, including ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1927) ...

as Ysabel Almeda *

Albert Prisco Albert Prisco (January 28, 1890 – ?) was an American actor born in Naples, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of ...

as Don Alvarez *

John Herdman John Herdman (born 19 July 1975) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager who is the head coach of the Canada men's national soccer team, Canada men's national team. Coaching career Early career Herdman beg ...

as The Old Padre

Background

The film utilized the red-and-green anaglyph system for the 3D experience and also gave the audience the option of viewing one of two different endings to the film (in 2D) by looking through only the red or green lens of the spectacles, depending on whether the viewer wanted to see a happy or tragic ending. ''The Power of Love'' is the only film released in the two-camera, two-projector Fairall-Elder

stereoscopic Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stere ...

format developed by Harry K. Fairall and Robert F. Elder.

Reception

The film was not a success in 3D and was only screened one time again in this version for exhibitors and press in New York City. The film received a decent review in ''

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

''. Despite other rave reviews, it was not booked again by other exhibitors in this format. In July 1923, the film was acquired by the new Selznick Distributing Corporation and widely distributed in 2D as ''Forbidden Lover'' in 1923–24.

References

External links

* *
''The Power of Love''
at silentera.com *

at silentera.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Power of Love, The American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1922 films 1920s 3D films Haworth Pictures Corporation films Lost American films 1922 lost films 1920s American films