Three-dimensional films existed 80 years ago. Louis Lumière, at that time the creator of the cinematograph, patented a new invention in 1935: 3-D film. For several years, dozens of productions were made using this system, but finally it did not take off. Interestingly enough, one of the first films made with Lumière’s 3-D process was “Chez les Basques”, or in other words, in the Basque lands to the north of the Pyrenees. This is another film milestone to add to the series of documentaries we covered at Punto de Vista 2015 under this heading. On this occasion, it is a cinematographic poem called Euskadi, filmed by René Le Henaff (René Clair and Marcel Carné’s editor), where the Basque landscapes and cultural practices highlight the strength of the recently premiered third dimension on the screen. After being premiered in April 1937 at the Olympia in Paris, the film was forgotten, more than likely due to the difficulties of 3-D film distribution. 80 years later, thanks to research by the UPV/EHU and the collaboration of the Bilbao LORALDIA Festival, Euskadi could be seen south of the Pyrenees for the first time ever.
