{"id":11317,"date":"2015-01-20T23:03:04","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T04:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aforgrave.ca\/detritus\/?p=11317"},"modified":"2021-06-21T10:23:04","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T14:23:04","slug":"a-bit-of-history-and-ten-little-noirs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aforgrave.ca\/detritus\/2015\/01\/20\/a-bit-of-history-and-ten-little-noirs\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bit of History, and Ten Little Noirs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"New-Nostalgic-B&W\"<\/a>

2013-era Screening Room at Kingsway Theatre, Toronto, based on an original image<\/a> (CC BY-3.0) by Jason Whyte<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 Nostalgia<\/h4>\n

Decades ago, when I was going to school in Toronto, there was a great repertory cinema called the Nostalgic Cinema<\/strong>. Rather than screening newer films, the Nostalgic stuck to older 16mm films, mostly black & white — Alfred Hitchcock’s work was regularly featured to the extent that there was a framed list posted outside the screening room that identified his role and cameo for each film in his body of work.<\/p>\n

The screening room itself was small, located on the second floor of the Kingsway Theatre<\/strong>, and featured perhaps three plywood risers each holding perhaps two rows of maybe five or six seats. Wonderfully cosy, (I think I remember bead curtains on the two entry doors off the second floor hallway, and drapes on the walls for ambiance — and soundproofing), it was a great place to get introduced to all those old films. Limited information located tonight<\/a> suggests that the Nostalgic sat perhaps an audience of 25-30. Sadly, I was unable to find barely a mention of it on the net.<\/p>\n

\""Kingsway,<\/a>

“Kingsway, coloursplash,” by @aforgrave, based on an original image<\/a> (CC BY-3.0) by kingswaytheatre<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

At the time (early 80s), the Nostalgic Cinema and the downstairs 700 seat Kingsway theatre were part of the Festival repertory theatre chain (perhaps 5-6 theatres total throughout Toronto), each of which offered up two different movies each night of the week, plus matinees on the weekend. Admission for a movie at the time was $2 (with your membership card, which perhaps was a one-time fee of $2?) and was as close as you could get back then to Netflix today. This was pretty much before VHS and video-rental chains took off.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few years after, but on the opposite end of the Toronto, I found a video rental shop that stocked an inventory of classic films (we’re talking VHS cassettes at the time) — it was there that I was able to source out a copy of the original The Day The Earth Stood Still<\/a> (1951), directed by Robert Wise<\/a>. Having seen the film once years before, I knew that it would be a perfect focus for a paper I was writing on the 1950s fear of nuclear power\/aliens\/other\/cold war. Being able to call up the store (on a landline, mind you) and then rent a copy at the time pointed out how valuable it was to have such resources at hand. We’re talking LONG before the Internet.<\/p>\n

Fast Forward to Today*<\/h4>\n

*Pardon the magnetic tape reference.<\/p>\n

So yes. Now we live in the age of Netflix and internet delivery of a wide range of cinema (and television) content. Some aspects of access have certainly changed. But old films and television shows are still a treasure!<\/p>\n

Last season (during the late summer and the fall run up to #Wire106<\/a>), I located the wonderfully stocked Classic Video<\/a> rental shop (40,000 discs packed into two floors!) about an hour’s drive away in the next town over. In addition to providing rental access to the complete 5 seasons of The Wire<\/strong>, I was able to access some great television series from my childhood and from across the pond.  They even have a great video telling their story! Check it out …<\/p>\n