What if I told you $10 could get a film, a music performance, free condoms and a $6 threesome? No? Okay - what if I told you all proceeds would go to Head & Hands for HIV/AIDS awareness? Ah, now you're listening. Cinema l'Amour is celebrating forty years of selling $1 kleenexes to its clientele. To mark the occasion and to attract a new generation of sexploitation film fans, it's having a 9pm-midnight party this Wednesday. So begins a new dawn for one of Montreal's oldest theatres.

The film playing this Wednesday was the first exploitation film shown at the theater after its turn from a Yiddish-themed (no, really) to a sex-themed venue. Russ Meyer's 1965 film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is about three buxom strippers, one of whom murders her boyfriend before hightailing it to the desert for some sexy kidnapping, karate chops, nude bathing and awkward dialogue. While not the first sexploitation film (so-called for unabashedly exploiting mature subject matter, including sex and violence, to sell itself), it is one of the best remembered. The whole recent grindhouse/exploitation revival can be attributed to Quentin Tarantino's films, which are heavily influenced by the 60s/70s genre. It's even been rumoured that Tarantino is remaking Pussycat with Britney Spears in the lead.

To bring a little bit of civility to the evening, the Hellbound Hepcats will be playing. These local rockabilly celebrities are best known for their usual stints at Honey Martin's pub in NDG.

A little more about Cinema l'Amour and its importance to Montreal cinematic history:

Initially, a combination theater hall/movie house, the CINEMA L'AMOUR started out in 1914 under the name "Le Globe" and has since managed to survive as an independent theater. Located in the heart of Montreal's Jewish community, "Le Globe" was the main venue for watching Yiddish films during the 1920's and the 30's. Renamed "The Hollywood" in 1932, the building maintained its reputation as an internationally renowned theater / movie house. As years passed and the social climate changed and evolved, the decision was made in 1969, to transform "The Hollywood" into "The PussyCat", a cinema featuring strictly explicit, adult-themed movies. The theater is now, since July 1981, known under the name "CINEMA L'AMOUR", and focuses exclusively on adult entertainment X-rated films. The cinema has the distinction of being the oldest movie hall of its kind in Montreal, yet the interior design remains virtually unchanged since its opening almost a century ago. As shown in the photo, the aisles, classic ornamentations, and the horseshoe balcony remain intact. (source)

Cinema l'Amour, 4015 St-Laurent (corner Duluth), $10, 9pm. Learn more about the event and join the group on Facebook to hear about future Grindhouse Wednesdays.

Disclaimer: The above term "threesome" for this event only represents a meal combo of 2 beers and a popcorn for $6. No kleenex included.

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