End of an Era

[przed]

Just got back from the very last screening at the Royal cinema. The Royal was one of the Festival Cinemas, a mini-chain of second run theatres in Toronto. Unfortunately, the owner who kept the chain alive as a labour of love died two years ago and his family have finally decided to pull the plug on the business. When I heard this news, several weeks ago, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The theatres have been an important part of my life since I was a teenager and the Sweetie and I usually see at least one or two films a week at them.

To celebrate the passing of the Festivals, all the theatres were showing classic films tonight. I was torn. The Revue was showing Lawrence of Arabia; The Royal, on the other hand was showing 2001: A Space Odyssey. Lawrence is my favourite film ever, but the Royal is the theatre where we've spent the most time, where we know the staff best, in a neighbourhood we love (Little Italy). So, I sacrificed seeing El Aurens one more time in favour of the HAL 9000, and I'm glad I did.

Tim, the house manager and a really nice guy, did a very nice tribute to the staff of the theatre and I actually got a little misty-eyed. And one of the sons of the former owner was there to say thanks to the audience and to let us know that they've sold theatre to a company who's going try to keep it open as a theatre. (They're turning it into a post-production house for during the day, and showing films at night.) Fingers crossed that they do as good a job programming films as the staff of the Festivals did.

And shayheyred, this is just for you: sitting directly behind me for the screening was...Don McKellar! Weird. And he's a seat-kicker. (So, what do you say in a situation like that? I loved you in The Drowsy Chaperone and Slings & Arrows, but could you please quit kicking my seat?)

Comments

Sigh....

[(Anonymous)]

I'm with ya there, P. It's a sad state of affairs when the art house and rep films close in major city. These are the film palaces that are dying. Not only do they run the classics and the envelope-pushing movies but they are also the last of the big architectural tributes to what film once was. My favourite was the Eglinton. Not only because it was in the neighbourhood of my childhood but also because it's a glorious example of Art Deco. It's an event theatre now. The last movie that ran there was LOTR- Fellowship (J and I went there on the next to last day). Appropriate somehow that the fellowship of LOTR disbanded to fight evil Mordor in a cinema that lost to the corporate equivalent. Ya think Viggo would consider taking up this fight?
Nads

Re: Sigh....

[przed.livejournal.com]

We're developing quite a collection of pictures of the two of us in now-defunct theatres. We were at the last showings of the York, the Uptown, the last Kung Fu Friday and now the Royal. And we saw LotR at the Eglington about a week before it closed. (I miss the Eglington too, but at least the building is still standing. Unlike the Uptown.)

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHAHAH!

If you're a New Yorker, you turn around, pull a knife and say, "Look, ya freakin' weirdo, one more kick and da foot comes off -- capeesh?!"

[przed.livejournal.com]

Ah, so I just have to channel my inner New Yorker rather than my inner Canadian. *g*

At least it wasn't Atom Egoyan. He sat beside Don at Cinemtheque last year and he's a squirmer.

[sooguy.livejournal.com]

That is sad news indeed. If I wasn't working until 1 am last night I was thinking of checking out 2001 at the Royal.

The Festival Cinemas hold a fond place in my heart too. I spent most of the 90s going to rep cinemas with Don.

Let's hope someone can resurrect something from the ashes.

Did I ever give you my copies of the pics from the closing of the Uptown?

[przed.livejournal.com]

Well, the Fox is staying open for now (great, since it's in our neighbourhood) and there's an effort afoot to keep the Revue going, possibly as a non-profit thing, so we'll see.

I might have gotten your pics from the Uptown, but I'm not sure.