TVOntario’s Saturday Night at the Movies, which has brought classic Hollywood films into living rooms since 1974, is getting a makeover.

It turns out the novelty of screening a double- or triple-feature of Hollywood gems, uncut and without commercials, has worn thin in today’s culture of DVDs and movie channels such as Mpix and Turner Classic Movies.

SNAM will continue to air movies Ontarians might not otherwise see, but it is broadening its mandate to include more indie and foreign-language titles on Saturdays between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m., in part to better reflect Ontario’s changing cultural mix.

‘We will not be exclusively Hollywood. We need to reflect Ontario at large,’ says Thom Ernst, SNAM producer and interviewer.

So expect more world cinema, possibly an Ang Lee movie and a Japanese horror film.

‘I can’t ignore the Asian community. I can’t assume because it’s a difficult film, we can’t show it,’ Ernst says.

In 1974, when SNAM was launched, the major studios were happy to extend a movie’s life by having it air on TV as a classic.

That was then. Today, Hollywood loves a remake to recapitalize on a once-successful film, and possibly spawn the next James Bond or Bourne franchise.

The rub is, as the studios introduce young audiences to classic properties, they tamper with, and possibly devalue the original’s legacy. This is especially true as classics like Jaws and Scarface end up available for download online or on Xbox as an action-adventure game.

So, while this affects the type of content available, SNAM must also answer increased competition in the cinema-appreciation game.

SNAM pioneered interviews with a film’s stars and director and critics for ‘bonus footage.’ But now these pop up routinely on rival classic movie channels and DVD releases.

Ernst says his series will set itself apart from the competition by programming up to its audience, and not down.

‘This is not an [E! News] thing,’ he says of SNAM’s brand of talent interviews. ‘It’s not about the gossip around the screen.’

He says the show will continue to use in-depth interviews with actors and filmmakers to explore and discuss how a classic movie was made, and this will be well after the talent was compelled by a studio to help cheerily market a film ahead of its theatrical release.

‘We don’t have someone with a post behind them. I’m going to talk about a film he or she hasn’t made or thought about in years,’ Ernst says.

The distinction between SNAM and eTalk or Entertainment Tonight is significant, as Ernst insists his team treats viewers not as consumers that might appeal to advertisers, but as citizens who might see their lives reflected in classic movies as TVO renews its focus on education and learning.

‘We have nothing for viewers to consume. We want to give them something they haven’t seen, and see it in a new way,’ Ernst says.