Polyvision was the name given to a specialize widescreen film format devised exclusively for the filming and projection of Abel Gance's 1927 film Napoleon. It involved the simultaneous projection of three reels of silent film arrayed in a horizontal row, making for a total aspect ratio of 4.00:1 (1.33:1 x 3). This configuration is considered a largely similar precursor to Cinerama, which would debut a quarter of a century later; however, it is uncertain whether or not it was a direct inspiration, as the Polyvision sequence of Napoleon was cut from the film by its distributors after only a few screenings and was not restored again until Kevin Brownlow compiled his restorations from the 1970s onwards.