Jane Giles and Ali Catterall's documentary about the iconic Scala Cinema paints a vivid image of a time when movie houses, such as this one in London, were the cornerstone of a community's entertainment scene. Unorthodox yet influential, Scala was a cinema that dared to be different. Frequented by renowned cinema enthusiasts such as John Waters, Ben Wheatley, Ralph Brown, Mary Harron, Beeban Kidron, and Isaac Julien, Scala showcased a distinct, dynamic range of films that defined an era.
Situated in the now gentrified King's Cross, Scala was applauded for its audacity to challenge norms and audiences alike, screening the avant-garde alongside the underground and championing pro-union and LGBTQ+ themed films, eventually becoming a beacon for many pertinent movements during its time. It presented the works of trailblazing directors like David Lynch, as well as blurred genre boundaries with films like Curt McDowell's "Thundercrack."
![Scala!!! (2024) - Documentary Review](https://lb.athomedaily.com/maxresdefault_ca6f09d265.webp)
Over its 15-year run, Scala also played a significant part in nurturing rising UK fan cultures. It was a hotspot for the eccentric filmers of John Waters and Russ Meyer, hosting pivotal social events like the first Avengers convention and The Shock Around the Clock festival, becoming not just a movie theatre but a testament to a golden era of film-viewing.
Although it battled financial issues and, eventually, legal disputes which led to its demise, Scala's legacy transcended beyond the tangible and left a lasting imprint on all who came across it. Today, in an era where the physical medium of film is dwindling, Scala's story becomes a nostalgic ode to the dying art of traditional film-making, a place that lived and thrived on the silver screen's magic. The documentary, based on Giles' 2018 book 'Scala Cinema 1978-1993,' pays an exciting, exhaustive tribute to this unique venue - captured not as a cinema, but a living, breathing entity that hosted a universe within its walls.