London film curator Rebel Reel Cine Club knows how to put on a screening. Mixing film, music, art and performance, a Rebel Reel Cine Club event presents context that stretches further than the screen. Next on the playlist is Michael Winterbottom’s 2013 film, The Look of Love, starring Steve Coogan as renowned entrepreneur and sex mogul Paul ‘King of Soho’ Raymond (founder of the Raymond Revue Bar). Showing 21st Friday in the heart of Soho (in the old Warner Brothers screening room and studios), it’s the epitome of a Soho film – capturing the district in all its grit and glitz. Rebel Reel Cine Club continued the theme, and made us a list of films where Soho becomes more than a setting.

The Small World of Sammy Lee, dir. Ken Hughes, 1963
“Where it all started! Back on 14th October 2015 it all started when I showed The Small World of Sammy Lee above The Blue Posts in Soho (where The Rolling Stones used to rehearse – so, tailor to Mick and Keef, John Pearse told me).

Anthony Newley stars and runs into The Blue Posts – it’s kind of a Lovejoy-esque day-in-the-life where the stripclub compere has to get £300 to pay off some bookies. There’s loads of Soho featured and it opened my eyes up properly to Anthony Newley. It’s worth watching for the opening sequence of a water-spraying lorry driving slowly up Berwick Street to a softly lilting jazz number by Kenny Graham.”

Last Night In Soho, dir. Edgar Wright, 2021
“Edgar Wright’s horror thriller is another love letter to Soho. With lots of time spent in The Toucan, the original splitting the g pub before The Devonshire came to challenge its title. Anya Taylor Joy and Thomasin McKenzie are completely enthralling in this. Matt Smith also brings a The Long Firm vibe (the original novel from Jake Arnett that reaks of The Kingly Club in the 90s/00s ). It’s such a good mix of the 60s and modern-day Soho.”

An American Werewolf in London, dir. John Landis, 1981
“Piccadilly Circus, is it Soho? It’s the edge of Soho certainly. It’s the comedic scene around the sex cinema which spills out onto Piccadilly Circus (when it was still a roundabout). AWWIL is such a London film.”

Expresso Bongo, dir. Val Guest, 1959
“Yes, Cliff Richard stars as Bongo Herbert! It’s a cool smart satire on the music industry mixing in coffee shops, strip clubs and bars – it’s got a kind of Denmark Street tin pan alley/2i’s on Compton Street (now Poppies Fish and Chip shop) vibe. Laurence Harvey stars as an unscrupulous sleazy promoter (check out Laurence in Darling, 1965, he made some great 60s films in his short life).”

Love is the Devil: Study for a portrait of Francis Bacon, Dir. John Maybury, 1998
“John Maybury’s portrait of the world’s greatest (in my humble opinion) portraitist. Nothing is more Soho than The Colony Room (go and try the facsimile version currently in Heddon Street) and The French (also google The French House videos and you’ll find Frances Bacon clad in his leather coat outside).

Also, read Bacon in Moscow by James Birch who used to be based in what is now John Pearse’s shop in Meard Street. There’s a kind of joined-up style from Last Night In Soho to Love Is The Devil in the druggy nightmarish sequences, Maybury’s always had a cool style and it drips through this.”

Rebel Reel Cine Club’s screening of The Look of Love takes place at All is Joy on 21st March – buy tickets here.