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."
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.
