Jolts of recognition for Ottawa movie-lovers
Reel Ottawa
by Dan Lalande. Ottawa Press and Publishing, 2021.
Review by Bruce White
To watch a movie – the correct way, in a cinema – is a contradictory experience. On the one hand, it is a perfectly solitary activity. Connecting with the characters on the screen does not require companions or collaborators. In fact, it’s one of the few social activities that does not require you to communicate at all with the person or people you came with.
On the other hand, the collection of people in the auditorium with you, most of whom you would not recognize in the light of day, is vital. The shared laughter, astonishment or anticipation give body to the two-dimensional events before you. A good film becomes a good memory, more vivid because it was shared.
A memoir like Dan Lalande’s Reel Ottawa is another individual experience that works best when it is shared. We can marvel at an author’s account of adventures we have never had or learn new things that the author’s life might reveal to us, but a memoir gets richer and more resonant when the narrative steers close to home.
So let’s check your qualifications. If you grew up in Ottawa, came of age in the ʼ70s and ʼ80s, or have ever fallen in love with the movies, Lalande’s bumper-car path through life will frequently sideswipe yours. The jolts of recognition can be lots of fun, occasionally exhilarating and, like the carnival ride, assuredly non-life-threatening.
Lalande constructs his memoir, mostly chronologically, around a lifetime of going to the movies. Starting in Ottawa, then bouncing to Montreal when his parents separate, then back to the capital for his teens, young Lalande finds shelter at the movies. In short vignettes, he recalls an outing with his beloved grandmother, playing hooky with a school chum, a first-time-ever solo excursion across town, and many other mini- and mis- adventures – all with the common destination of a cinema.
His recollection of movies is both emotionally and geographically extensive. The glee of making mischief at an afternoon show of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is as palpable as his rapid pulse during a first date. The specifics of the balcony at the Somerset are as vivid as the demeanour of the sharp-eyed usher at the Capitol Square, always alert to Lalande’s attempts to, ahem, subvert the tyranny of admission policies.
Some other aspects of Lalande’s memoir fall short of total recall. In an introductory walk-past of his cinematic touchstones, he places the Phoenix somewhere in the blocks between the Somerset and the Capitol Square, and his aversion to naming most of the people who populate his anecdotes leads him into what Daffy Duck would call “pronoun trouble.” I frequently had to reread paragraphs to figure out which he or she was his antecedent. But memory is an elastic thing and getting bounced around is part of the fun.
And let’s get one more quibble out of the way: Lalande’s publisher, Ottawa Press and Publishing, could have invested a bit more time and effort into proofreading prior to going to press. In addition to a few obvious and forgivable typos, there are times when autocorrect did the opposite of correcting (“bonified” instead of “bona fide”). A pair of human eyes would have improved the presentation.
Moving on: A love of movies – complemented by his quick, wisecracking sense of humour – led Lalande to a career in writing ads, writing comedy, writing a play and writing independent screenplays. As his memoir progresses to his adult years, there are some amusing backstage tales of famous and semi-famous personalities who have crossed his path. These light moments are well balanced with reflections on his grown-up relationships. His serious bonds, with romantic partners, aging parents, and his daughter, are gingerly revealed to us via the movie memories he shared with each.
Reel Ottawa concludes with a personalized description of the Ottawa cinemas that formed the architecture of Lalande’s life. Almost all downtown, the movie houses of his youth have been repurposed, relocated or shut down as they bumped up against the realities of 21st-century developments. But Lalande’s love of movies keeps him steady. When you get to the end of the ride, you feel as though you’ve bonded, through him, with all of Ottawa’s movie fans. You may feel like you want to get back in line and buy another ticket. Or maybe slip back through the turnstile without paying when the attendant isn’t looking. Lalande would approve.
Bruce White has written many a movie blurb in his former role as programmer of the ByTowne Cinema. This is his first book review, so take that for what it’s worth.
If you grew up in Ottawa, came of age in the ’70s and ’80s, or have ever fallen in love with the movies, Lalande’s bumper-car path through life will frequently sideswipe yours.
