Chariots of FirePG

Directed by Hugh Hudson | UK | 1980 | 2h 3m | Starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Ian Holm, Lindsay Anderson

Hugh Hudson’s exhilarating account of the struggle by Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams to compete on their own terms at the 1924 Olympics. In the religiously divided United Kingdom of the early 1920s, devout Christian Liddel sees running as part of his worship of God’s glory, while Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism in his rise to the top. A rousing British drama which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1982 and is fondly remembered for Vengelis’ soul-stirring synth score.

Classic Season: Sakamoto / Vangelis / Badalamenti

Reviews

‘From the opening scene of pale young men racing barefoot along the beach, full of hope and elation, backed by Vangelis’s now famous anthem, the film is utterly compelling.’
★★★★★
Kate Muir, The Times

‘Chariots is a film for the ages.’
★★★★★
Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Chariots of Fire between June 11, 2023 and June 12, 2023.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 7th March)
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National Lottery Open Week Special Events
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21:00

“Wuthering Heights” 15
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Sunday 8th March
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10:30

History of the UPP Talk U
National Lottery Open Week Special Events
When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford's first purpose-built 'electric theatre'. Join local historian Liz Woolley for this FREE talk about Oxford's cinema history. Booking essential.

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James and the Giant Peach U
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1h 19m
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Orphaned James escapes his cruel aunts by discovering a magical giant peach. Inside, he befriends talking insects and sails to New York City. This inventive live-action and stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic celebrates imagination, adventure, and friendship.

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15:00

Jules and Jim 12A
35mm screening
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35mm: Films On Film Classic Season: The New Wave
Two close friends fall for the same irresistible woman, forging a love triangle that endures before and after World War I. François Truffaut’s exuberant, deeply moving classic is a timeless meditation on freedom, friendship, and the complexities of love.

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17:30

“Wuthering Heights” 15
2h 16m
In 18th-century Yorkshire, brooding outsider Heathcliff falls for Catherine, the daughter of his master, igniting a destructive love story of obsession. Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie star in Emerald Fennell’s (Saltburn) sensual adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel.

Book here

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20:30

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You 15
1h 53m
A house filling with water. A child who won’t get better. And a husband who’s never there. Rose Byrne delivers an Oscar-nominated performance as a mother whose world is unravelling in Mary Bronstein’s darkly comic portrait of modern womanhood.

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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 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!

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