Tag: revue cinema

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Restricted: Ontario film censorship in the 1950s

Eric Veillette

While rummaging through the Revue Cinema’s projection booth in preparation for a recent Silent Sundays screening, I found this old “Adult entertainment” sign buried under some obsolete  electronics. As we recently examined, Ontario was the first Canadian province to enact “Adult entertainment” film designations, reflecting the public’s reaction to the changing mores in Hollywood and European film-making. With their playful italics and authoritative bold type, these signs dangled underneath a theatre’s marquee or canopy — seen here at the Mavety Theatre showing The Tender Trap in 1956 — leading pre-pubescent boys to imagine what restrictive fun they were missing out on unless … Continue reading Restricted: Ontario film censorship in the 1950s

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Silent Sundays presents The Thief of Bagdad

Eric Veillette

The Thief of Bagdad (1924) Directed by Raoul Walsh Written by Achmed Abdullah & Douglas Fairbanks Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Anna May Wong, Julanne Johnston 16mm | 140 min. Silent Sundays, our long-running celebration of silent cinema, returns to the Revue Cinema with Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad on Sunday, January 16 at 4:00 p.m.  Douglas Fairbanks produced and starred in the 1924 silent fantasy based on an Arabian Nights tale. The movie is rich in special effects: flying carpets, monsters, a cloak of invisibility, the lithe and athletic Fairbanks as well as a brief appearance by Anna May … Continue reading Silent Sundays presents The Thief of Bagdad

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Early Toronto Newsreels at the Revue

Eric Veillette

Come out to the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles on Wednesday night for a glimpse at some of Toronto’s rarely-seen visual heritage with Early Cinema Screenings, presented by the Domitor Association. I’ve been attending the 11th Domitor Conference on the study of early cinema this week, and needless to say, I’ve become a giant sponge, taking in all the information from the lectures delivered by worldwide academics, some whose work I’d admired for a long time, and some whose work I will now follow. The title to this year’s conference is Beyond The Screen: Institutions Networks and Public of Early Cinema. … Continue reading Early Toronto Newsreels at the Revue

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The Lost Films of the Loew’s Theatre

Eric Veillette

With the inaugural Toronto Silent Film Festival currently underway, it’s safe to say that a healthy silent film renaissance is underway in Toronto the Good. The last year has been rife with various celebrations of silent celluloid: Nuit Blanche, Luminato, the Danforth Music Hall’s 90th anniversary, outdoor screenings during TIFF, the Cinematheque’s various offerings — not to mention the semi-monthly Silent Sundays retrospective I run at the Revue Cinema — have all contributed to an amazing revival of the genre. For the TSFF, whose programming varies from Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances (accompanied by Clark Wilson on Casa Loma’s roaring Wurlitzer!) to … Continue reading The Lost Films of the Loew’s Theatre

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Creepy Classics presents Frankenstein!

Eric Veillette

Creepy Classics Returns on March 25, 7pm! The Revue’s examination of early sound horror films continues with Boris Karloff’s defining performance in James Whale’s Frankenstein! In 1931, two indisputable horror classics were released. While Tod Browning’s Dracula (shown here in November) may have thrilled audiences, it was James Whale’s Frankenstein that truly frightened them. The film even began with a disclaimer spoken by one of its stars, Edward Van Sloan. It’s a stark, gothic affair, drawing parallels to the German expressionist films of the previous decade.  Boris Karloff, gaunt, ghostly and cadaverous thanks to Jack Pierce’s masterful makeup, played the … Continue reading Creepy Classics presents Frankenstein!

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Creepy Classics Presents Bela Lugosi in Dracula!

Eric Veillette

Dracula (1931) Directed by Tod Browning Written by Hamilton Dean (based on Bram Stoker’s novel) Starring Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, David Manners, Edward van Sloan PG | 75 min | 35mm Call it the Anti-Twilight double bill – Creepy Classics returns to The Revue Cinema on December 3 with Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931 – 7pm), followed by the recent telling of the Victorian tale with Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992 – 9:15). Away from Toronto screens for far too long, Bela Lugosi’s performance as the Transylvanian Count helped usher Univeral’s horror films into the sound era. Several films … Continue reading Creepy Classics Presents Bela Lugosi in Dracula!

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Lecture on Toronto Theatres at the Revue Cinema

Eric Veillette

Above image from January 1929 shows Yonge St. facing north from Queen St. On the bill at the Loews Yonge St. is a Buster Keaton film, probably Steamboat Bill. Source: Toronto Transit Commission. Ten-cent admission, newsreels, adventure serials and slapstick. That’s what you would find if you could return to the early days of movie-going. As this site, dedicated to preserving the stories of our varied theatres, nears its first anniversary, I am partnering with Toronto’s Revue Cinema on a new lecture series chronicling the history of local movie theatres. On August 22, the first lecture, “Toronto Movie Theatres: Palaces … Continue reading Lecture on Toronto Theatres at the Revue Cinema