The Power of Love is a 1922 American silent film directed by Nat Deverich.

The film is most notable

for being the very first 3D feature film in the world. The premiere was on September 27, 1922, at
the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles.

The film itself was a melodrama revolving around a girl named Maria betrothed to a criminal, and falls
in love with a man he wounded.

This was the only film released in the two-camera, two-projector Fairhall-Elder stereoscopic (3-D)
process developed by Harry K. Fairhall and Robert F. Elder.

The film was only publicly shown twice in 3D, once on September 27, 1922 in the Ambassador Hotel
Theater in Los Angeles, and only once more in December 1922 at Rivoli Theater in New York City.
Unfortunately the film was not a success in 3D.

Another uniqueness of this movie was that, it was also the first movie to have an alternative ending,
and the viewers could choose between the happy and sad endings (both shot in 2D) by looking through
only red or green lens of the spectacles.

However it’s a sad fact that the fate of the film is unknown, and is most likely lost to the ages after it's
only showing, and not even publicity stills seem to exist.

The film received a decent review in Moving Picture World. Despite other rave reviews, it was not
booked again by other exhibitors in this format.

Following only being shown twice in 3D, the film was acquired by Selznick Distributing Corporation
and re-released and widely distributed in 2D in July 1923 under the title "Forbidden Lover".

It is not known whether the 2-D version of the film currently survives.

Some Technical Aspects

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

After 62 Years

Though world’s first 3D movie was released on September 22, 1922, it took almost 62 years for a 3D
movie to be made in India. The first Indian 3D movie “My Dear Kuttichathan” (My Dear Little Ghost),
a Malayalam movie directed by Mr. Jijo Punnoose and Produced by his father Navodaya Appachan
(Jose Punnoose) was released on August 24, 1984.