April 10, 2020
What are we thinking about today? Music.
On April 7, the music world lost a hero, John Prine, and our hearts go out to all his fans and family. While film has been called "the most important art," even we pause at that claim, because where would we be without music and musicians?
Film is essential for us, but so is music. Over the years, the Princess has played host to many beloved musicians: Willie P. Bennett, David Francey, Harry Manx, Lynn Miles, Jonathan Richman, Garnet Rogers, Eliza Gilkyson, Kelly Joe Phelps, Tony Bird, Messenjah, Sneezy Waters, Scott B. Sympathy, Connie Kaldor, Danny Michel, Rita Chiarelli, Shari Ulrich, The Rheostatics, Paul MacLeod, the Skydiggers, Stephen Fearing, Scott Merritt, Fred Eaglesmith, Old Man Luedeke, Rose Cousins and most recently, Ferron. There truly is nothing like live music to connect communities and lift spirits.
Right now, musicians across the country have lost their income. Some of them are streaming live concerts. Take a moment and check out some live-streams and, if you can, make a donation. Go to their websites and buy a cd or a download. It will soothe your soul. Maybe it's time we take to our porches and, when we are clanging pots and pans for our amazing front-line workers, include some clangs for ALL the artists out there because for us, they are essential. They bring beauty to our lives, and for that, we are eternally grateful.
While we are on the subject of streaming, some folks have asked us if we intend to offer tickets to some films that are being streamed via "virtual cinema." At this point, we do not plan to get on board that particular train. Firstly, we don't feel streaming is a good way to watch movies. Right now, movies are on hold for us and we will wait patiently until we can all gather together again at the cinema and watch them the way they are intended to be watched. But the main reason we are not hopping on the virtual cinema bandwagon is that none of these companies are Canadian. If a Canadian company emerges to offer this streaming partnership with cinemas (ideally, one with whom we have worked in the past and know), then we might reconsider.
One resource we can endorse heartily is the National Film Board of Canada's online library. Now is a great time to pore over their vast collection of films, both short and feature-length, which are there for you to watch for free! Here are some NFB recommendations from John Tutt, the Princess' programmer for the last 35 years:
- The Company of Strangers [1]
- Waterwalker [2]
- Project Grizzly [3]
- Leonard Maltin's Animation Favourites from the NFB [4]
- Stories We Tell [5]
- Mon Oncle Antoine [6]
We hope you all have an uplifting Easter weekend and you can find ways to connect with loved ones and that which sustains your spirit. Until we meet again!
In love, hope and solidarity,
~ Your friends at the Princess
p.s./ A great way to keep connected with the Princess community is through our social media. There is lots of activity on our Facebook [7], Instagram [8] and Twitter [9], so please join us there!
p.p.s./ Our fabulous Spring Sale continues through the month of April. It's a fantastic opportunity to buy discounted movie passes now for when we open up again! See the link below: