THE PELLATT NEWSREEL: THE STORY OF A LIFETIME (Barbra Cooper) Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Though Casa Loma may seem to have been deliberately constructed as a tourist attraction, it was of course Built more as a European estate than an elegant Disneyland, and was only opened to the public after “land ha(d) ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure,” as Oscar Wilde once said. People wanting to know more can learn about it in The Pellatt Newsreel.
Narrated by Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), the short film gives an overview of Sir Henry Pellatt, who began his public life as a racing champion, became a successful financier and died deeply in debt.
The newsreel structure presents archival photos and dramatizations intercut with hilariously anachronistic bits of animation reminiscent of the old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons.
If you’re looking for an in-depth profile, go elsewhere the 23-minute running time doesn’t allow for anything beyond a just the facts, ma’am approach. It’s not meant to be anything but an expanded encyclopaedia entry and an added attraction to the building itself.
The Pellatt Newsreel screens every half-hour daily at Casa Loma.
