Army of Shadows12A

Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville | France | 1969 | 2h 25m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Simone Signoret, Claude Mann

In 1942, a group of French resistance fighters band together to battle against the Nazis in German-controlled Marseilles. But as the war continues and the grip of the occupying force tightens, loyalty and trust give way to secrecy and suspicion. Drawing on his own experiences as part of the French Resistance in World War II, Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterfully tense thriller channels the atmospheric minimalism of his earlier gangster films while honouring the bravery of the resistance fighters.

Classic Season: Vive La Resistance

Reviews

‘Rarely has a film shown so truly that place in the heart where hope lives with fatalism.’
★★★★★
Roger Ebert

‘Melville handles with consummate cinematic mastery the suspenseful set-pieces.’
★★★★★
Tom Dawson, BBC

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Army of Shadows between June 16, 2024 and June 17, 2024.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Thursday 19th September)
Find out more

12:30

Sing Sing 15
Parent + Baby Screening
1h 46m
In one of the world’s most notorious maximum-security prisons, a group of inmates find meaning through participation in a theatre group. A moving tribute to the transformative power of art featuring starring Colman Domingo (Rustin).

Book here

Find out more

15:45

Sing Sing 15
HOH Subtitles
1h 46m
In one of the world’s most notorious maximum-security prisons, a group of inmates find meaning through participation in a theatre group. A moving tribute to the transformative power of art featuring starring Colman Domingo (Rustin).

Book here

Find out more

18:15

Kneecap 18
1h 45m | Irish Gaelic w/ English subtitles
An unapologetically raucous and unconventional musical biopic telling the true story of how an anarchic hip hop trio from Belfast became the unlikely leaders of a civil rights movement to revive their mother tongue.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

Between the Temples 15
1h 51m
Jason Schwartzman plays a Jewish cantor who is losing his faith when a former teacher re-enters his life as a Bat Mitzvah student in this bittersweet odd-couple comedy from American independent filmmaker Nathan Silver.

Book here


Tomorrow (Friday 20th September)
Find out more

15:45

Sing Sing 15
1h 46m
In one of the world’s most notorious maximum-security prisons, a group of inmates find meaning through participation in a theatre group. A moving tribute to the transformative power of art featuring starring Colman Domingo (Rustin).

Book here

Find out more

18:15

Paradise Is Burning 15
1h 49m | Swedish w/ English subtitles
In a working class Swedish town, three sisters devise a plan to stop them from being separated by social services. Mika Gustafson’s vibrant coming-of-age drama expertly balances the tension between teenage rebellion and vulnerability.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

Blink Twice 15
1h 43m
When a cocktail waitress is invited to a lavish party on a billionaire’s private island, the high life soon becomes a fight for survival. A sharp-witted psychological thriller featuring a star-studded cast led by Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum.

Book here


See all upcoming films

Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

Find out more