Written and Directed by Arch Oboler
Starring Robert Stack, Barbara Britton, and Nigel Bruce
Run time 1 hour and 19 minutes
Available from Kino Lorber on special edition Blu-ray here

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief

Back of the box synopsis:
Beautifully remastered for the very first time in 3-D by 3-D Film Archive! The first feature-length 3-dimensional color motion picture in history, Arch Oboler’s eye-popping adventure tale Bwana Devil kickstarted the 3-D movie craze with a roar! When British railway workers in Kenya become the favorite snack of two man-eating lions, the head engineers (Robert Stack and Nigel Bruce) desperately try to cease the slaughter. Big-game hunters are summoned and a vicious battle between man and beast ensues—all in thrilling color and three astonishing dimensions! Filmed using Natural Vision Corporation’s groundbreaking stereoscopic system with the theory “that the 3-D cameras should see and record the scene exactly as the human eyes see it” (cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc), the legendary Bwana Devil now makes the leap from silver screen to home video, promising to put “a lion in your lap” and “a lover in your arms”!

Features that make it special…

• Newly restored in 3-D by 3-D Film Archive - From 4K Scans of the original left/right 35mm camera negative

• 3-D expert Mike Ballew presents The Story of Bwana Devil with archival images, poster art and on-set stereo slides

• Original 1952 Bwana Devil Intermission snipe

• M.L. Gunzburg presents Natural Vision 3-Dimension - original 1952 prologue featuring Lloyd Nolan, Shirley Tegge and Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil from television's Time for Beany

• Includes the 2D, Blu-ray 3-D AND Anaglyphic (Red/Cyan) 3-D Versions with One Pair of Anaglyphic 3-D glasses

• 1953 2D Color Trailer for the 3D Release

• 1954 2D B&W Trailer for the Flat Release

• Optional English Subtitles

• Special edition slip cover

Why you need to add it to your library…

After I popped this Blu-ray beauty into the player and this artfully crafted menu graced the television screen, I knew I was in for a cinematic treat and apparently a lion in my lap!

When I found that the release of Bwana Devil was up for review, what piqued my interest initially was actor, Robert Stack. Earlier last year I had watched a slew of his pictures and enjoyed them, specifically the Douglas Sirk film Written on The Wind (1953). I adored the movie so much so that it even wound up on my Favorite Discoveries of 2023 list. Prior to tumbling down the Robert Stack rabbit hole, I had only known him for his hosting duties on the famed television program, Unsolved Mysteries. Sirk’s Written on The Wind, showed me that, undeniably, Robert Stack was an actor.

After receiving the disc from Kino Lorber I became enamored with this flick upon learning that it was not only the first feature-length film to be shot in 3-Dimension, but that it was also directed by Arch Oboler; one of my favorite motion picture makers. Arch initially started off producing radio dramas and became well known for his show, Lights Out. A mystifying horror-filled program that offered thrills and chills at the stroke of midnight. In 1940, Oboler would make the jump from radio to film when he began writing screenplays for Tinseltown. In 1945 he directed his first motion picture, Strange Holiday starring the illustrious Claude Raines. Oboler was fascinated with the world around him, often dabbling with newfangled special effects, seeking ways to play into audience’s fears, and bring something to the silver screen unlike anything their peepers had seen before. With Bwana Devil he did just that.

Bwana Devil is considered an action adventure B-movie (essentially means low budget) picture and, despite this being based on a true story, the narrative is not the driving factor when considering to watch. Instead, the overall spectacle is the reason to not only view the flick, but to add it to your collection. Filmed in what is referred as, Natural Vision 3-D, the marketing campaign for Bwana Devil boasted that cameras would “see and record the scene exactly as the human eyes see it”. Promises (as shown above) of a lion in your lap and a lover in your arms were used to sell this new technology. It was, in fact, this film that would start the 3-D film trend in the motion picture industry for years to come. In 1952, when the film was released, Hollywood had been on prowl looking for ways to bring audiences back to the cinema due to several years of box office slumps since the proliferation of television. Natural vision seemed like the perfect bait to get people in the seats. This method of filmmaking is accomplished with two cameras in a single unit that photograph on separate film strips. Later, in the theater, the strips are simultaneously projected, which is said to cause no strain to the eye. In order to see the projection properly, audience members must wear a pair of Polaroid spectacles. All of this and more is explained within the features of the Kino Lorber release. I loved seeing the original introduction that played prior to the film, in which actor Lloyd Nolan walks through the entire process and reminds us to put on our “magic glasses”. It is quite entertaining. Particularly the part in which an optometrist states that Natural Vision is “healthy and beneficial”.

Upon its release, Bwana Devil was a critical failure, but due to the excitement of a new cinematic trick, the film scored big with moviegoers. This would lead to more 3-D films to be greenlit. I checked out both the 2-D and 3-D version and have to say that Natural Vision rendition is a heck of a lot of fun to watch. It is clear that shots were taken to utilize this wild innovation which makes for an entertaining experience. I also was quite fond of the original intermission reel that played. What a hoot! One of the tagline boasts, “The Miracle of The Age!” and I could not agree more. First there were silents, then talkies, color, and now 3-D. This film is truly a delight and there is nothing more delightful than viewing Robert Stack’s long legs in Natural Vision!

You can read more about Natural Vision here and if you want to know more about the Master of The Unusual, Arch Oboler, I recommend checking episode 11 of my podcast, Cinematic Crypt in which I conducted an examination of his 1945 thriller, Bewitched. Listen here or find wherever you snag pods.