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Bwana Devil celebration: It started with a roar
By Sonia Sarró
And it was not that of Leo, the MGM lion.

Bwana Devil has at last been restored for posterity in its original 3D format. The Blu-ray has just
being launched, now is a good opportunity to remember what this picture meant in cinematic
history.

Back in 1952, television was challenging the film industry, compared to previous decades,
movie attendances were in decline and the studio chiefs were now less conservative and
encouraged technical novelties that would make people decide on going to the cinema.

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On 2 of November 1950, Thanksgiving Eve, Bwana Devil had its première at the Paramount
Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles theatres, together seating a total 5,000 patrons. There
was a lot of expectation on whether this technically challenging motion picture, one that had
needed huge custom-made cameras, was going to be a new and exciting adventure and a big
hit, or another experiment that would go no further, and merely a flop.
Shot in NaturalVision, a three-dimensional process, it was announced as an involving
experience which would make the audience feel as if they were part of the story. “A lion in your
lap and a lover in your arms!” read the publicity. Instead of being made in Technicolor, it was
shot in Ansco Color, a softer and much cheaper color film process.
The film failed to impress the critics. The plot was weak and the acting was not outstanding, but
for most of the spectators, the thrill of the three-dimensional images by far overcoming the
shortcomings. Some people complained of a headache or eye strain when leaving the theatre,
yet the new achievement amply full filled cinema-goers´ expectations. Two weeks later, in
mid-December, the picture was grossing $96,000, some 225 bookings had been made by
exhibitors, and the 3D craze had taken off. Jack Warner was so impressed that he licensed the
NaturalVision process, and quickly started making House of Wax, and hired Bwana Devil
cameraman Lothrop Worth to shoot it.

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