Light reflecting three-dimensional display system

A display system (10) receives from a light source (12) a sequence of images, each representing a different depth plane of a subject, and selectively reflects each image from its corresponding one of plurallight direction modulators (16 and 18) to synthesize a three-dimensional image of the subject. Each modulator is positioned along an axis (20) at a location that corresponds to a different depth plane. Each modulator reflects the first Image incident to it and transmits the succeeding images in the sequence. In a display system having N+1 depth plane images, each of N modulators comprises a variable optical retarder (34) and a liquid crystal chiral cell (36). The N modulators reflect left-circularly polarized light and transmit right-circularly polarized light. An N+1 modulator preferably comprises a liquid crystal chiral cell and reflects light incident to it. An alternative embodiment (50) develops full color images.