Revue Cinema
Encyclopedia
Roncesvalles Avenue
Roncesvalles Avenue is a north-south arterial street in Toronto, Canada. It connects Queen Street West, King Street West and runs north to Dundas Street West. Roncesvalles Avenue takes its name from the Battle of Roncesvalles, which took place in the Roncesvalles gorge in Spain in 1813...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Built between late-1911 and early-1912, it is a designated 'heritage' site and is Toronto's oldest standing movie theatre in use for showing movies. It operated continuously as a movie theatre from its opening until June, 2006, making it the oldest continuously running movie theatre in Ontario. When news of its closure became public, a grass-roots community movement sprang up in order to save the cinema. After a great deal of effort, the movement was ultimately successful and the Revue reopened in October 2007. It is now operated by the not-for-profit Revue Film Society.
History
The cinema was built between 1911 and 1912 by the Suburban Amusement Company. At the time, Roncesvalles Avenue was on the suburban western edge of the City of Toronto. The area was being developed intensively and the local population was increasing. The cinema was successful and operated as a first-run theatre from its opening date until 1972, when it became a repertoryRepertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
cinema.
In the 1980s, the Revue became part of the Festival Theatres chain of repertory cinemas in Toronto, which also included the Fox, Royal and Kingsway theatres. In 2004, the Festival Theatres founder died, and in April 2006, the founder's family announced their intentions to close all of the theatres except the Fox. The family found it financially impossible to continue due to the rise of DVDs and the shorter period of public exhibition of films available to repertory cinemas. The last show of the Festival era was on June 30, 2006, showing "Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
."
When news of the Revue's closure became public, a grass-roots community movement sprang up in order to save the cinema. The movement founded the Revue Film Society to explore ways to re-open the cinema for film showing. The building's owners put the building up for sale, with the intent to sell to new owners prepared to re-open the cinema.
While the theatre was shut, the marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
, known for its tendency to hold water and snow, collapsed on February 19, 2007, most likely due to the weight of a recent snowfall. Portions of the marquee were placed in storage for eventual restoration.
The movement to save the cinema was ultimately successful. On June 12, 2007, a press conference was held in front of the Revue Cinema, announcing the purchase of the Revue by local residents Danny and Letty Mullin. The Mullins lease the Revue building to the Revue Film Society to operate. The cinema re-opened on October 4, 2007 with a screening of "Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
."