Rome, Open City12A

Directed by Roberto Rossellini | Italy | 1945 | 1h 43m | Italian w/ English subtitles | Starring Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Marcello Pagliero, Vito Annichiarico, Nando Bruno

During World War II in Rome, an underground resistance leader tries to avoid the Gestapo by seeking aid from a local priest. However, it doesn’t take long for both the Nazis and the local police to take notice. Shot in the immediate aftermath of the war, Roberto Rossellini’s groundbreaking neorealist drama signalled a turning point in Italian cinema, garnering awards around the world and setting the stage for a new era in filmmaking.

Classic Season: Vive La Resistance

Reviews

‘Ubaldo Arata’s visceral cinematography blends the grit of a documentary with the heart and soul of a drama (Fellini collaborated on the screenplay) as the people of Rome wrestle with the constraints, compromises and collusions of life during wartime.’
★★★★★
Mark Kermode, The Observer

‘One of the toughest, bleakest, war films ever made, this Roberto Rossellini classic simply couldn’t be any other way.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Rome, Open City between June 2, 2024 and June 6, 2024.

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Today (Thursday 8th October)
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13:30

De Gaulle: Résistance 15
2h 38m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen. Army general Charles de Gaulle refuses to accept defeat, fleeing to London to rally resistance. Simon Russell Beale plays Churchill in this internationally cast first chapter of Antonin Baudry's two-part historical epic. x§

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18:30

Bad Apples 15
1h 41m
A teacher at a struggling school kidnaps her most disruptive pupil and locks him in her basement, then watches the rest of the class flourish. Saoirse Ronan stars in this satirical black comedy about how doing the wrong thing sometimes gives the right result.

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21:00

MISSNOMA Women’s DJ Collective N/A
The Oxford-based women’s DJ collective MISSNOMA, is joining forces with the UPP cinema to hold a unique listening-room session featuring DJs Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, Lily London, and Martha, powered by Oxford-based FLOW soundsystem.

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Tomorrow (Friday 9th October)
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14:00

De Gaulle: Liberté 15
2h 39m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen and signed an armistice with Germany. With no army, no backing and little hope, General de Gaulle gambles everything to convince the world France's fight isn't over. Part two of Antonin Baudry's historical epic.

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17:30

Sense and Sensibility U
2h 12m
Mrs Dashwood and her daughters lose their Sussex home to her stepson and move to a Devon cottage, finding love and heartbreak. Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean) directs Jane Austen's story, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fiona Shaw and George MacKay.

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20:30

Babystar 12A
1h 38m | German w/ English subtitles
Luca has been an influencer since birth, and her parents live off her income. As they consider having another child, performing for strangers starts to break her. Maja Bons gives a breakout performance in Joscha Bongard's unsettling debut.

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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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