Capital Celluloid - Day 265: Saturday September 24

Scorpion (Ito, 1972); Jailhouse 41 (Ito, 1972) & Beast Stable (Ito, 1973):
Cigarette Burns Film Club's Japanese Female Convict all-nighter Rio Cinema, 11.30pm

This is part of the Scala Forever season, a programme of 111 films and events at 26 venues through to October 2 that will celebrate the wonderful Scala cinema at King's Cross which closed in 1993. Here is an article I wrote in the Guardian on the history of the cinema and the season and here are the details of all the movies and special events on offer, via the Scala Forever website.

I think this is a particularly good example of what has been so exciting about the Scala Forever season. The Scala cinema pioneered all-night screenings and this offering from Cigarette Burns is a wonderful homage to the spirit of the Scala - just the sort of triple-bill the programmers at the King's Cross venue would have put together and screened by perhaps the most innovative film club in the capital right now. Those who have urged me to go tonight tell me the trilogy was a huge influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films.

Here's a feature on the hollywoodnews.com website on tonight's screening, Cigarette Burns and Scala Forever.

Here is the Scala Forever website introduction from tonight's host, Josh Saco of Cigarette Burns: ‘Back in the late 1960s the Japanese film studios targeted the growing teenage audience by combining Pinky or soft porn films with the violent Yakuza and Samurai genres, thus was born: Pinky Violence. Directors' and actors’ involvement was often contractual, yielding a genre full of subversion, pushing the stylistic envelope with experimental and adventurous film making. Top of the list is the hugely influential FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION series. We follow Sasori as she is double-crossed and set up by her high-ranking detective lover. A powerful performance by Meiko Kaji creates one of cinema’s most unforgettable women. Imprisoned, defiant and bent on revenge, they call her Scorpion for a reason.’

Here is the trailer for the Rio all-nighter created by Cigarette Burns.