In the March 8, 2010 issue of the venerable New Yorker magazine, film critic Anthony Lane has a long story on the state of 3D called “Third Way” and subtitled “The history of 3-D from stereoscope to Avatar.”

Published as Avatar was shattering all box office records, the article delves into the the history of 3D as an art form and poses the tantalizing question:

“Faced with the thought of a 3-D “Casablanca,” one is torn between outrage at such blind desecration and a sneaking wish to know—well, what the hell would it look like?”

Excellent reading and a well-sourced background for anyone considering some of the loftier cultural and historic aspects of 3D.

From the New Yorker. Photograph by Miles Aldridge.