User reviews

Extraordinary look at a notorious London cinema that was uncomfortable, smelly and with a lousy sound system. It was though a focal point for thousands and thousands of different folk who could go there, often drunk, stoned or both, whoever and whatever they were without judgement. Its choice of films was deeply varied showing many classics but could always be relied upon to screen near to the knuckle films. Hence festivals could be as varied as Laurel and Hardy to kung fu and soft porn. As a documentary it is largely a series of interviews with people who had great memories of the place up to those whose lives were shaped / influenced by what to many of them was a second home, interspersed with many many clips.

Not remotely pretentious or full of itself it is just an interesting record of an extraordinary piece of social history. Sadly the great days of the Scala have ended although I must say, in part because of rather freewheeling misguided decision to screen a banned film / break the law. Well worth seeing, particularly for film lovers.

Scala!!! Tells the story of the titular cinema, which, in its most famous incarnation, sat on a corner in a fabulously grand building in London's King's Cross. The building still exists and now hosts a nightclub and music venue of the same name, but is a very different proposition to the film club, which existed there between 1981 and 1993, having moved from its earlier location, where it showed films from 1978.

This documentary tells the story of story of the club, and how it offered a haven to misfits of all stripe: lost boys and girls, gay, straight, punk, greaser, new romantic... even eccentric old ladies! It was a place to watch films, be educated, get messy, and engage in amorous pursuits. The King's Cross area has been transformed in the 21st century, but in the 1980s it was a seedy, edgy place, with a diverse community. Despite the off-putting environs, the cinema itself drew people from all across London, and beyond, those aforementioned misfits who found a place of welcome amid the depredations and social changes wrought by Thatcher and co.

The film, co-directed by Jane Giles (who was programmer at the cinema) and Ali Catterall (who was a punter), manages to capture the character and appeal of the cinema. They achieve this by interviewing a wide selection of people who once came, or worked there, including John Waters (whose own cult films were of course part of the programming), Barry Adamson (who provides the excellent soundtrack too), Ralph Brown (who reprises his famed Danny persona from Withnail and I for the occasion), Mark Moore (S'Express), Caroline Catz, Mary Hannon, John Akomfrah, Jah Wobble, Stewart Lee, Beeban Kidron and many others.

Between them they have some serious anecdotes, from being freaked out by the prowling resident cats slipping past their legs in the dark to finding a body. Woven throughout is a taster of the film club's remarkably wide-ranging programming, which included classics, arthouse, grindhouse, porn (soft, like Russ Meyer, or not so much, like the legendary Thundercrack), science fiction, horror and even plenty of mainstream films (like Alien and Predator), often lovingly crafted into all-nighters, offering the club members a place to stay warm and away from whatever woes their real lives presented. The programmes were published on distinctive posters, and their design style overarches the film.

Scala!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits, to give it its full title, is not only a wild ride, and an entertaining, frequently hilarious, watch, it's also an essential bit of history - both film history and social history, capturing a lost London experience that remains unique to this day.

"SCALA"...Doc on the legendary much missed London repertory/cult Cinema is fun, lively, heartfelt, nostalgic & packed with entertaining tales & reminiscences (& cool movie clips). Good interviews too (thank God for the blu-ray extra ones). Essential for Cult movie fans, esp ex-Scala punters like myself. Main criticism is the short shrift given to the Events. Especially as the last thing hosted there before it closed (last day "King Kong" showing aside) was the fabulous 'Full Contact with a Killer' Chow-Yun-Fat festival (with the lovely man himself as guest of honour), a GREAT moment in my life, but it gets no mention.

Nor do they mention the 'Film Extremes' festivals that were personally my main time spent there.

In fact an afternoon screening of "Cafe Flesh" was my only (I think) visit to 'The Scala' that wasn't an Event/Festival.

A sad lack of live footage of the mural covered Cafe/Dealer room too, another solid memory of my time there.

It also calls "A Clockwork Orange" banned & hints that's why they got into trouble for showing a 'pirate' print. But it wasn't 'banned', Kubrick withdrew it from distribution in Britain himself after much hassle over its supposed effect on crime. But Kubrick didn't do anything to help The Scala himself over this costly trial & should've got a bit of criticism here, but there's nothing (not a surprise really).

And of course, it just too short to cover such a long period of time at such a fascinating place. But, in general, it's very good, lots of fun (with genuinely emotional moments) & a real gift for fans. Great memories from a great time.

Get that blu-ray!

It's a rather good documentary and it is a decent spilt between the short clips of the films and the people who came to watch, the musicians, the film makers and those like me who also wanted to see those films. Actually I was a bit older than most and during the middle of the sixties towards the end of the seventies instead of Scala it was Time Out that was my bible. Every week I would read every film listing and find where I could go and see all those very strange films that I couldn't see anywhere else. Usually it would be the NFT (now BFI) on the South Bank, in Camden at the London Film-makers' Co-operative and then some fleapit cinema or maybe some that had all-nighters and of course the film clubs. Watching this today it really takes me back and I think everyone should have a look and see just how good it was and also those amazing posters. But now, not just has the Scala cinema gone, but also the films. We can watch those old ones again but where are any new ones of those 'incredibly strange' or have they really gone for ever?

Many people have their own memories of the Scala and my most vivid one is of a Werewolf all-nighter - if "vivid" is really a good word for an evening where I fell asleep during at least two of the six films!

This excellent documentary captures many others' reminiscences of the place and the programmes, and features a wide range of contributors from various branches of the arts, illustrating how influential the place was and how it provided a gathering place for all sorts of misfits, many of whom felt marginalised not just by society but also by the legal framework of the time.

Ironically, in these days of multiple streaming platforms, it is now much easier to see some of these banned and/or rare films in the comfort of one's own home and thus I suspect would undermine the business model for anyone who tried to recreate such a club today. But let's be grateful we had the Scala while it lasted...