There is a common saying that when it comes to popular culture, things usually happen in Canada five years after they happen in the United States. There's also the maxim -- I think it's in Paco Underhill's book, "Why We Buy" -- that people waiting in line have a threshold of about 10 minutes before they feel like they've been in line for years.
It is in the spirit of waiting that I can now proudly say that Canadians with a digital box finally have Turner Classic Movies. It's actually been available to Canadians since 1998, but only on the upper reaches of satellite systems. Since December, it's been available in Ontario to subscribers of digital cable (and I believe those in Western and Atlantic Canada can get it too).
Anything I would tell readers of this blog south of the border would be, like, so ten years ago. However, permit me to point out a couple of things: Robert Osborne and Molly Haskell do a great job on "The Essentials"; I love the idea of the guest programmer -- the last one, I think, was David Mamet. A month of Oscar nominated films leading up to this year's festivities spotlighted two films I've been meaning to see but for various reasons never got around to seeing. One is "The Battle of Algiers," a film that is so smart, so well done, and so powerful. The other is "North by Northwest." Yes, I've never seen it until now. In addition to the obvious brilliance of Hitchcock films, "North by Northwest" offers some of the finest tributes to modernist architecture I've ever seen, from the early scenes at the UN to the cantilevered Frank Lloyd Wright-style house perched on Mount Rushmore at the end. Don't take my word for it -- it looks like starchitect Daniel Liebskind agrees.
I'm with David Bordwell when he says "Some day Ph.D. students will be writing dissertation on the contribution of Turner Classic Movies to US culture." This contribution isn't just through the reshuffling of the archive every programming day for domestic consumption. TCM does an incredible job of recirculating various discourses about movies. The TCM website has an incredible database with movie clips, trailers, posters, and -- of course -- the chance to buy the film on DVD. It has a pretty good blog. Its Young Composers competition, which gives the opportunity for young talent to re-score silent films, is an interesting way to reinvigorate the early history of motion pictures. The Cinematheque Quebecoise in Montreal used to stage events where composers would perform live accompaniments to silent films. I regret never having the chance to go to one of those evenings while I lived in la belle ville. The tributes to old cartoons and movie trailers are pretty great too.
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