Some thoughts on movie theatres...

[dewline]

I originally wrote this up as a letter to the editor - and the responsible reporter - on the subject of some changes in the works for movie theatres here in my neighbourhood of Orléans. Strongly suggest that you read that article, linked in the first paragraph...

After reading the front-page article of the new edition regarding
Empire Theatres' plans for the Orleans region, I'm concerned about
the future of the existing Orleans Town Cinema near Place d'Orleans.

I'm worried that it won't be permitted a future.

This would be a shame, given the opportunity to address a need - or
at least a good-sized want - for a decent repertory cinema complex
in the East End. Second-run films, art films of unusual subject matter
or length, first-run Canadian films that would otherwise not get any
chance at all outside of the First Weekend Club, all of these would be
available to Orleans audiences if the right financial supporters
were to step forward now to take the Orleans Town Cinema off of
Empire's hands.

It may be a pipe dream, but the Bytowne and Mayfair alone surely can't serve
the entire repertory market of the Ottawa region.

Reactions? IS my idea completely out to lunch?

Comments

[steve-roby.livejournal.com]

As nice as it would be to have something like a Bytowne of the east, I doubt there's enough local support for it, and Orleans is just too far into Terra Incognita for a lot of people in Ottawa to come out to a theatre. (I've had people seriously ask me how I can survive here if I don't speak French. Other people think Orleans is twice as far from downtown as Kanata is.)

The Orleans theatre is probably best suited to becoming something like the Rainbow at St Laurent. Whether the east half of the city can support two such theatres... I dunno.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Well, the people asking such questions ought to know better. Come to think on it a moment, the way things look in Orléans these days, it's a wonder to my eyes that the francophones that do still live here manage to hang on. I don't think they get nearly the level of service en français that they deserve.

As for the distance...well, the perception is reversed from here, isn't it? One good thing about pushing ahead with LRT expansion(which deserves a post of its own) should see the end of that line of thought for a generation once it's built.

Back on topic, though.

I sent off that note to the paper in question mainly to raise the discussion. I don't know if they'll do anything with it, if they've already started doing something about it...and I wouldn't put that last possibility past them. I've already put forward what I'd prefer to see happening, but I don't yet know if it's doable.

Let's find out.