Cinema: HOW REAL CAN MOVIES BE?

Movies try to "can" dramatic events and dish them out later for distant audiences. They can never be perfect reproductions of reality, but the margin between the original scene and the projected one has narrowed step by step. The new devices—3-D, wide screen, stereophonic sound—are further steps toward reality.

The early movies showed light and shade. Human eyes see a great deal more: they are sensitive to color, and are also rangefinders. When both eyes look at the same object, they "toe in" slightly. The brain measures the converging angle, and from it, estimates...