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

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Alan W Subtitled 'the incredibly strange rise and fall of the world's wildest cinema and how it influenced a mixed-up generation of weirdos and misfits', I cannot think of a more apt description for Ali Catterall and Jane Giles' documentary feature. Based on Giles' 2018 book, the Scala was a (in)famous and influential repertory cinema in London which showed obscure, often sexually explicit, arthouse-y films and niche cult classics at a time when they weren't as easily accessible as they're nowadays and where the audience were as strange and eclectic as their programming. After a quick history lesson about the origins of the cinema, the majority of the film proceeds to tick off a list of things that people associate with this phenomenal venue, including their chaotically designed monthly programs, the in-house cats, the infamous Thundercrack, and the all-nighters they regularly threw, amongst others. Via a bunch of talking heads, some from people who used to work there and some from attendees who are now well-known filmmakers, musicians or comedians, regaling their stories and anecdotes about the cinema, these experiences coalesce into a portrait of an unique and extraordinary place where art, films and bohemian camaraderie come together to nurture a generation of creatives and artists that we have today. The fact that the end came about over the showing of a film is a bittersweet irony befitting the shambolic and daring-do essence and legacy of Scala that this documentary manages to perfectly encapsulate. Primarily a love letter to a cultural landmark which thrived in the 80s and early 90s, it also serves as a cinematic historical record for this quintessentially London institution that's no longer with us anymore. As for me, who had the great fortune of experiencing the magic that was Scala, it's a beautiful nostalgic trip down memory lane. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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

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