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.

Book tickets

Saturday 26 July

2.00pmBook tickets

What else is on?

Today (Friday 18th July)

15:15

From Hilde, with Love 15
2h 5m | German w/ English subtitles
In Nazi-era Berlin, resistance fighter Hilde risks everything for love and liberty. Arrested while pregnant, she faces a harrowing fate with quiet defiance. This stirring true story is a moving tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and courage under impossible circumstances.

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18:00

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

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20:30

Pavements 15
2h 8m
1990s indie rock icons Pavement reunite for a sold-out 2022 tour just as bizarre tributes emerge, from a musical to a museum to a biopic. Alex Ross Perry directs a playful, surreal docu-satire blending fact, fiction, and fandom.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 19th July)

15:15

The Piano Teacher 18
2h 11m | French & German w/ English subtitles
Behind Erika’s icy control lies a world of suppressed longing. When a student awakens her darkest desires, obsession erupts. Isabelle Huppert stuns in Michael Haneke’s disturbing tale of power, repression, and unraveling identity. A bracing psychological masterpiece.

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18:00

Le Samouraï 12A
1h 45m | French w/ English subtitles
Jef Costello is a hitman of few words and exacting precision, until a botched job puts him in everyone’s crosshairs. Jean-Pierre Melville’s stylish noir is a minimalist masterpiece of cool detachment, silent tension, and existential menace.

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20:45

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

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 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!