Scala!!!, the incredibly strange rise and fall of the world’s wildest cinema and how it influenced a mixed-up generation of weirdos and misfits is set for a Blu-Ray, digital and BFI player release on 22 January 2024.
Archive footage, eye-popping movie clips, acid-crazed animation and 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 magical and a refuge from the violence of Thatcher’s Britain.
The disc is packed with special features including an audio commentary by the directors, Jane Giles, a former Scala programmer and Ali Catterall, a regular audience member, bonus interview footage shot for the film and a filmed portrait of the cinema from 1990.
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 young minds and create a sense of community for outsiders. A place where everyone is welcome.
Among those interviewed about their own experiences of the Scala are John Waters, Stephen Woolley, JoAnne Sellar, Caroline Catz, Ben Wheatley, Ralph Brown, Mary Harron, Adam Buxton, Peter Strickland, Beeban Kidron, Isaac Julien and Stewart Lee.
A season of the Scala’s greatest hits, Scala: Sex, drugs and rock and roll cinema, runs at BFI Southbank throughout January with selected films on BFI Player.
Special features
· Audio commentary by directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall
· Scala Interviews (2022, 60 mins): previously unseen bonus footage shot for the film
· Scala (1990, 35 mins): a portrait of the cinema made for Cable London
· Scala Cinema (1992, 4 mins): student film shot at the Scala
· Shorts shown at the Scala (1989-1991, 60 mins): a selection of short films seen at the cinema: Relax (Christopher Newby), Flames of Passion (Richard Kwietniowski), and Coping With Cupid (Viv Albertine)
· Animations by Osbert Parker (2022-2023, 4 mins total)
· Cartoons by Viz artist Davey Jones (2022, 3 mins)
· BFI London Film Festival introduction featuring cast, crew and audience participation (2023, 13 mins)
· Scala Programmes 1978-1993 (2023, 12 mins): a closer look at 15 editions
· Cabinet of Curiosities (2023, 18 mins): a guided tour of ephemera, photos and clippings from the Scala archive
· Trailer
· First pressing only Illustrated booklet with an introductory essay and Director’s Statement from co-directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall; Scala Spirit 1993-2023 – former Scala programmers select the films they would have programmed following its closure; an essay by film director and animator Osbert Parker; notes on the special features and credits.
Pre-order your copy of Scala!!! on the BFI website.
Watch the trailer for Scala!!! below –
Bloody Flicks 