This time last year, Toronto film critic Thom Ernst took a break from his role as host and producer of the venerated classic-film weekly TVO program Saturday Night at the Movies to visit the Gorge Cinema for a rare screening of the 1958 masterpiece thriller Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock.
Vertigo had just been named the “Best Film of All Time” by the British Film Institute, displacing Citizen Kane, a film that had deservedly held that lofty title since 1962.
Thom Ernst had made local headlines when he proclaimed the Gorge Cinema to be one of the “Top 5 Repertory Cinemas in Ontario” and it made perfect sense to cinema owners John Chalmers and Deidra Whittaker to invite Ernst to the cinema to discuss what he knows best, classic film.
Taken by the warm reception he received in Elora, Ernst agreed to return again this winter and on Feb. 2 at 2pm plans to discuss the film accomplishments of celebrated American directors Ethan and Joel Coen and their latest film Inside Llewyn Davis.
Inside Llewyn Davis tells the fictional 1960s tale of a Dylanesque folksinger grinding it out in Greenwich Village and is a sometimes comic, always authentic look at a musician’s life during the heady days of folk music.
Elora’s Acoustic Café, now in its 5th successful year, will be providing a period vibe with live music prior to each screening on the film’s opening weekend and patrons can enjoy a half hour of music that will set the stage and transport all back to the ‘60s.
The film’s story tracks a week in the life of a young folk singer (Llewyn Davis played by Oscar Isaac) as he works to establish himself in the New York (Greenwich Village) folk scene of the early 1960s. This is very close to the heart of the EAC as the Café was started up with the 1960s Coffee House concept in mind – providing a live music opportunity for singer / songwriters to perform to a live audience.
Tickets for Thom Ernst, Llewyn Davis and the Coen Bros. are $12 each and can be purchased in advance at the Gorge Cinema or at the door before 2pm on Feb. 2.
