El Topo18

Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky | Mexico | 1970 | 2h 5m | Spanish w/ English subtitles | Starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, José Legarreta, Alfonso Arau, Gerardo Zepeda

In the barren expanse of the desert, a mysterious gunslinger, donned in black, embarks on a transformative journey in search of enlightenment. Joined by his young son, he navigates a landscape fraught with a succession of bizarre and symbolic trials, each forcing him to confront the fundamental nature of his own existence. Visionary Chilean filmmaker, Alejandro Jodorowsky concocts a surreal acid Western using evocative imagery, profound symbolism, and philosophical storytelling.

Reviews

‘It’s tempting to say they don’t make films like this any more, but I’m not sure anyone has ever made them like Jodorowsky.’
★★★★
Ed Potton, The Times

‘It’s a bizarre head-trip festival of occult psychedelia, heatstroke visuals, Age-of-Aquarius nude dancing and violence through poster-paint fake blood splattered about the place.’
★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed El Topo between July 28, 2023 and July 31, 2023.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 27th June)

16:30

Tuner 15
1h 47m
A piano tuner discovers his gift for precision translates naturally to cracking safes, and finds himself drawn into a criminal underworld. Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman star in Oscar-winner Daniel Roher's thriller of elegant plotting and quiet moral complexity.

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19:00

Savage House 15
1h 54m
When ruthless social climbers Sir Chauncey and Lady Savage secure a dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, their ambitions collide with pox, Jacobite uprising, and bloodshed. Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in this sharp period comedy about class and power.

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Tomorrow (Sunday 28th June)

12:45

Matilda PG
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 38m
Brilliant young Matilda discovers friendship and encouragement from her teacher, Miss Honey, while facing the terrifying Miss Trunchbull and her neglectful parents. This Roald Dahl adaptation celebrates courage, kindness, and standing up for what is right.

Book here

15:00

Savage House 15
1h 54m
When ruthless social climbers Sir Chauncey and Lady Savage secure a dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, their ambitions collide with pox, Jacobite uprising, and bloodshed. Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in this sharp period comedy about class and power.

Book here

17:45

Time and Water PG
1h33m
Author Andri Snær Magnason weaves family archives, traditional song, and Icelandic folklore into an elegy for a disappearing landscape. An urgent, deeply personal documentary about memory, loss, and living through irreversible change, from director Sara Dosa (Fire of Love).

Book here

20:00

Legally Blonde 12A
+ Introduction
1h 36m
Reese Witherspoon is irresistible in this beloved rom-com-turned-courtroom triumph. Dumped and underestimated, sorority queen Elle Woods storms Harvard Law, proving sharp wit and a killer wardrobe are all you need. Part of the Oxford Comedy Festival 2026.

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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!