I can't wait to see this - I practically lived at the Scala from 1983 to 1993, and its impact on my cultural worldview has been pretty much incalculable. Without my teenage years being shaped by the Scala and 1980s-era Channel 4, I might well have turned out very differently. In fact, I nearly got a chance to see it last week, when Sight & Sound asked if I'd like to review it, but ethical concerns intervened - not only have I known co-director Jane Giles for more than 33 years, but I'm an actual investor in the film!Archive footage, eye-popping movie clips, acid-crazed animation and some famous names collide to tell the story of London’s infamous, influential Scala cinema. With its cracked marble floors, resident cats and mysterious, extrasensory rumblings, the Scala was magic and a refuge from the violence of Thatcher’s Britain.
Hilarious, irreverent, and ultimately heartbreaking with a fabulous original score by Barry Adamson, SCALA!!! is more than mere nostalgia, it’s an X-rated love letter and a universal shout-out to the power of cinemas to inspire impressionable young minds and create a sense of community for outsiders. A place where everyone is welcome.
Presented in High Definition
• Audio feature commentary by directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall (2023)
• Best of the Rest (Jane Giles and Ali Catterall, 2023): essential outtakes from SCALA!!!
• Scala (Michael Clifford, 1990, 30 mins) an intimate portrait of the cinema in its later years, originally made for Cable London
• Scala (Ali Peck and Victor de Jesus, 1992, 3 mins): the Scala’s projectionist at work
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show Sampler (tbc mins): essential Psychotronic interviews with some Scala-favourite filmmakers
• Osbert Parker’s Animations (2023): animations from the film
• Davey Jones’ animations (2023): the Viz cartoonist creates a piece of artwork for the film
• Festival Introduction (2023, 13 mins) Jane Giles and Ali Catterall’s London film Festival introduction
• Scala Programmes (2023) Jane Giles selects favourite Scala programmes
• Cabinet of Curiosities (2023): images, ephemera and true stories from the cinema’s history
• Theatrical trailer
• Audio description for the blind and visually impaired
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring a statement from the directors, new writing on the film and archive writing about the Scala
(And I didn't think twice about it - Jane's book on the history of the Scala is an absolute wonder, even if I have to keep it balanced on the top of a bookcase because it's too big to fit the shelves.)