150 Years of Going to the Show in Ottawa-Gatineau
Alain Miguelez – Archives of Canadian Arts, Culture, and Heritage
Excerpt from Penumbra Press
AFTER READING THIS BOOK you will never again go anywhere in Ottawa or Gatineau without glancing around to note ancient façades that were once movie houses. From peep shows and nickelodeons to movie palaces and modern megaplexes, Miguelez tells the story of 150 years of “going to the show” with passion. Profusely illustrated with 315 vintage photographs and five period maps, A Theatre Near You reflects the author’s insatiable quest for precision and detail.
Alain Miguelez has always been a movie buff; with rare investigative skills, he brings to light the whole story of every motion picture theatre that ever existed in the area of the nation’s capital on both sides of the Ottawa River. Writing about these historic buildings and everything in them and everyone involved—from the moguls and ushers to the patrons and their communities—is a labour of love for Miguelez.
You will meet the architects of these buildings and discover all the reasons why they built them as they did. Miguelez celebrates glittering opening nights in the movie palaces, along with the disasters that sometimes bring them down. You will share the enthusiasm and excitement of entrepreneurs who build dreams that fade with the changing times, and you will see the important roles played by TV and suburbia in the story of cinema in the nation’s capital, as they do across the nation.
A preeminent example of popular research exploring the arts, culture, and heritage in the nation’s capital, A Theatre Near You is also a rich archival source and entertainment for people of all ages.
More about this item:
Preface and Introduction
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