Scala Blu-ray documents the chaotic, influential history of Londons most notorious repertory cinema, a cultural pressure cooker that ran from 1978 to 1993 and screened over 4000 films that reshaped underground film culture. Directed by Jane Giles and Ali Catterall, the documentary captures how the Scala Cinema became a sanctuary for counterculture, cinephiles, punks, artists, activists, and future filmmakers hungry for films that challenged taste, politics, and censorship.

Built from rare archival footage, extensive film clips, and interviews with former Scala staff, audiences, and cultural icons including John Waters, Mary Harron, Ben Wheatley, Kim Newman, Nick Kent, Isaac Julien, Matt Johnson, Jah Wobble, and many others, the film portrays the Scala as more than a movie theater. It was a living organism where midnight movies, all-night horror marathons, banned films, and confrontational programming created a shared cinematic consciousness that still echoes today.

Presented by Severin Films, this massive three-disc Blu-ray edition is a definitive archival release featuring more than thirteen hours of bonus material. In addition to the feature documentary, the set includes rare shorts screened at the Scala, extensive outtakes and interviews, animation experiments, archival programs, and the feature-length documentary Splatterfest Exhumed, exploring the infamous 1990 all-night horror festival that became Scala legend.

directed by: Jane Giles, Ali Catterall
starring: John Waters, Mary Harron, Ben Wheatley, Kim Newman, Nick Kent, Isaac Julien
2023 / 96 min / English

Scala!!! Or, The Incredibly Strange Rise And Fall... [Blu-ray]

Name: Scala!!! Or, The Incredibly Strange Rise And Fall... [Blu-ray]
Brand: Severin Films
Price: 39.99 CAD
Availability: OutOfStock

$39.99

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BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
• 3-disc Blu-ray collection
• audio commentary with co-directors Jane Giles and Ali Catterall
• introduction from the UK premiere at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival
• Scala (1990) and Scala Cinema (1992) with director commentary
• Scala programs 1978–1993
• Cabinet of Curiosities: inside the Scala archive
• extended interviews and outtakes including John Waters, Mary Harron, Nick Kent, and Thurston Moore
• cartoons and animation experiments by Davey Jones and Osbert Parker
• twelve Scala-screened short films including Divide and Rule – Never!, Dead Cat, The Mark of Lilith, Relax, Boobs a Lot, Kama Sutra Rides Again, Coping with Cupid, and On Guard
• The Art of the Calendar (48 min)
• Splatterfest Exhumed (81 min) directed by Jasper Sharp
• Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie with audio commentary by Buddy Giovinazzo
• Horrorshow with audio commentary by Paul Hart-Wilden
• Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter original and producers cuts with commentary by Scott Spiegel
• Mongolitos with audio commentary by Stephane Ambiel
• archival appearance by H.G. Lewis at the Scala
• trailers

Packaging
• limited edition slipcover
• three-disc Blu-ray set

Additional details
Label: Severin Films
Edition: limited edition
Number of discs: 3
Region: Blu-ray region A
Audio: English 5.1 surround
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