ByTowne ByTowne Cinema
ByTowne Cinema
325 Rideau St. Ottawa K1N 5Y4
Info Line: (613) 789-FILM
OIAF - Chico & Rita
Print this pageFor more information, please visit www.animationfestival.ca
Showtimes:
No screenings currently scheduled.
OTTAWA PREMIERE!
This lush and nostalgic animated gem from Spanish artist and designer Javier Mariscal and his compatriot, director and music producer Fernando Trueba, feels like a perfect melding of two distinctive sensibilities to produce a single, impeccable piece of craft. A potted history of the golden age of jazz in the 1940s and ’50s underscores a passionate, globe-hopping love story between Chico, a cocky but endearing jazz pianist, and Rita, a honey-toned chanteuse. They first lock eyes in a Havana dive bar, but opportunities for both of them to realise their dreams and take their music across the globe puts a strain on their romance.
Coming across like a homage to the kind of pulp melodramas Hollywood was producing at the time (A Star Is Born especially), the epic sweep of Trueba’s heart-tugging story is anchored in Mariscal’s gorgeous cityscapes: pre-Castro Havana is a cosy tangle of mottled wood and Tropicana rhythms, while the towering skyscrapers of New York and the sprawling soundstages of Hollywood emphasise just how far – artistically and emotionally – our lovers have come.
The music binds the film and gives it a special cachet: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Ben Webster make cameos, and their jazz styles are fondly emulated by Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés. Even Wim Wenders pops up during the epilogue while forming the Buena Vista Social Club. There are moments when a surfeit of in-the-know references tend to overshadow the romance – but you’ll find it too charming to care.
– David Jenkins, Time Out London
Admission for OIAF Screenings is $12 General, $7 for ByTowne members
The ByTowne doesn't have a parking lot of its own, but denizens of downtown can usually find street parking close by fairly easily.
This web site is very useful, but the hard copy of the ByTowne guide still has its merits. People rely on it and love it. Plus, its calendar pages can be pulled out and posted on your fridge door, something that we still can't achieve with the web site. Get your copy today at many local stores, coffee shops and info centres around town! 