Beau Travail15

Directed by Claire Denis | France | 1999 | 1h 33m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Grégoire Colin, Richard Courcet, Nicolas Duvauchelle

Amid the deep blue waters and sunbaked deserts of Djibouti, a French Foreign Legion sergeant begins a path to self-destruction, driven by his obsession with a captivating young recruit. Masculine codes of honour, the lasting impact of colonialism, and repressed desire blend in acclaimed filmmaker Claire Denis’s (High Life, Trouble Every Day) hypnotically sensual adaptation of Herman Melville’s ‘Billy Budd, Sailor’.

Voted the 7th Greatest Film of All Time in the BFI’s recent Sight And Sound poll of 2023.

1999 Classics Season

Reviews

‘A film that has the sweep and esthetic power of a full-length ballet.’
Stephen Holden, The New York Times

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We showed Beau Travail between December 1, 2024 and December 3, 2024.

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Today (Tuesday 7th October)
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20:30

Sanatorium 15
£6 for Members
1h 31m | Ukrainian with English subtitles
At a crumbling health resort near Odesa, Ukrainians pursue healing amid war. Mud baths and therapies collide with air raids in Gar O’Rourke’s compassionate documentary portrait of resilience and the will to preserve freedom.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 8th October)
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15:00

The Roses 15
Deaf/HOH Subtitles
2h 1m
Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in this razor-sharp comedy-drama about ambition and rivalry. When careers collide and resentments rise, a seemingly perfect couple unravels in a darkly funny, painfully relatable portrait of a marriage on the rocks.

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17:45

Steve 15
1h 33m
A reform school headteacher fights to save his students, his school, and himself in 1990s Britain. From the director of Small Things Like These, Cillian Murphy stars in this moving adaptation of Max Porter’s Sunday Times bestseller ‘Shy’.

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20:00

Battle Royale 18
1h 53m | Japanese with English subtitles
In dystopian Japan, 42 students are forced into “Battle Royale,” a government death game on a remote island. Armed with random weapons, they must kill or die within three days. Kinji Fukasaku’s cult classic mixes survival horror with sharp social critique.

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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!

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