Burden Of Dreams12A

Directed by Les Blank | Germany | 1982 | 1h 35m

For nearly five years, German filmmaker Werner Herzog fought to complete Fitzcarraldo, an epic tale about one man’s quest to build an opera house in the heart of the Amazon. Herzog’s vision demanded the impossible: shooting without special effects, including a real-life sequence in which a 320-ton steamship is dragged over a mountain. Documentarian Les Blank was there to capture it all. The result is an extraordinary chronicle of obsession and endurance, offering a rare glimpse into the uncompromising mind of one of cinema’s most fearless auteurs.

Presented as a double-bill with Fitzcarraldo on Saturday 26th July. Purchase tickets to both screenings (in a single transaction) and get an automatic 30% discount on the overall cost.

4K Restoration executive produced by Harrod Blank, restoration by Anthony Matt, audio restoration by Nick Bergh, color by Paul Cope, & new subtitles by Maureen Gosling. Distributed by Violet Pictures.

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Burden Of Dreams between July 26, 2025 and July 26, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 10th June)

14:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

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17:30

Orphan 15
2h 13m | Hungarian w/ English subtitles
In Budapest, 1957, a Jewish boy awaiting his father’s return from the camps is confronted by a mysterious man claiming to be his real parent. Oscar-winner László Nemes (Son of Saul) directs this powerful drama about identity, trauma and postwar Hungary.

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20:30

Reflection in a Dead Diamond 15
1h 27m | French & Italian w/ English subtitles
When a mysterious woman vanishes from the room next door, an ageing former spy living on the Côte d’Azur is drawn back into a world of fractured memories and buried secrets. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s stylised thriller blends espionage, psychological intrigue and grindhouse homage.

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Tomorrow (Thursday 11th June)

12:30

The Christophers 15
Parent + Baby Screening
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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15:00

The Christophers 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

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17:30

Gattaca 15
1h 46m
Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an “In-Valid” who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.

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20:30

The Christophers 15
1h 40m
A reclusive London artist (Ian McKellen) becomes the target of a scheme by his estranged children, who recruit a young painter (Michaela Coel) to infiltrate his home and uncover hidden works. Steven Soderbergh’s darkly comic chamber piece explores deception, legacy and artistic value.

Book here


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 only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!