Step into the Scala Cinema and be transported into another world. Situated around a ten-minute drive away from city hotels and resorts such as Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, this theatre possesses a lot of old world charm, primarily because, it is in itself a lost sliver of a world long forgotten. Lovers of all things retro and vintage should definitely add this destination to their list of things to do. In case whatever incarnation of a Bangkok city guide you are using doesn’t feature an entry for this already, you can find it as you drive down Rama I Road in Siam Square Soi 2. Alternatively, it is just a five minute walk away from the nearby BTS station in Siam. As you enter the theatre, you will be greeted with a massive sculpture that documents the country’s history.
Once you make your way inside, you will be confronted with an old fashioned double staircase, a massive chandelier swinging low from the ceiling, and a series of artsy wooden structures and pieces. Adding to this eclectic and antique sense of grandeur are the high vaulted ceilings with their domes of bronzed star-like blossoms. Your tickets will be dispensed manually, using a manual ticket book containing sheaves of bank pages waiting to be neatly ripped out and allocated to customers.
The movies playing here are quite varied themselves, some of them being main stream best-sellers and other being lesser known movies produced the world over. So no matter what your film preferences are, it’s likely that Scala Cinema will have something playing that will suit your tastes; and if it doesn’t it may well be worth visiting anyway, if only to experience the ambience here. Tickets are usually quite cheap as well and so won’t really make too big of a dent in your pocket, if one at all. So swing by no matter what’s playing, and sit in those red, velvety chairs. You also get to be ushered by a gentleman who makes quite a fashion statement! He is generally observed sporting a bowtie and flashy amber jacket.
Catalina Forbes is a travel writer who bases her content on many thrilling escapades experienced across the world.
