Ran15

Directed by Akira Kurosawa | Japan | 1985 | 2h 41m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko Harada

Warlord Hidetora Ichimonji decides to step down, dividing his kingdom among his three sons. But instead of peace, his decision unleashes a storm of greed, betrayal, and violence that tears his family and legacy apart. Legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare’s King Lear as a sweeping historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Back in cinemas for its 40th anniversary, this late-career masterpiece is a visually breathtaking meditation on the brutality of war and the tragic collapse of a family consumed by ambition and power.

Classic Season: Samurai Summer

Reviews

‘A magisterial achievement.’
★★★★★
Jonathan Romney, The Observer

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We showed Ran between August 3, 2025 and August 7, 2025.

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Tomorrow (Monday 15th June)
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18:00

North Cormorant Island Cert-TBC
1h 26m
Join us in person for a free screening of North Cormorant Island, an award-winning documentary film about time, place, mortality and human relationships with the land and the sea. Followed by a Q&A with writer, producer, and director John Williams (Oxford Brookes).

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20:30

Backrooms 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 45m
When a patient vanishes through a strange basement doorway of a furniture showroom, his therapist follows him into a disorienting dimension. Expanding Kane Parsons’ cult online series, this feature-length adaptation stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and bringing “liminal horror” to the big screen.

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Tuesday 16th June
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17:45

Fairyland 15
£6 for Members
1h 56m
Set in San Francisco from the 1970s to 1980s, this drama follows a father and daughter navigating bohemian life and social change as their bond is tested by the AIDS crisis. Adapted from Alysia Abbott’s memoir, it’s a tender coming-of-age story of love and resilience.

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20:30

The Holy Mountain U
£6 for Members
1h 45m
Rethinking Weimar Cinema
Made in 1926 by Arnold Fanck, The Holy Mountain is a landmark German Bergfilm featuring Leni Riefenstahl. Set in the Alps, it blends a romantic triangle with spectacular mountaineering, skiing and avalanches. Presented by Rethinking Weimar Cinema.

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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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