The 400 BlowsPG

Directed by Francois Truffaut | France | 1959 | 1h 40m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier

A timeless coming-of-age story following a few months in the life of a 12-year-old boy who, misunderstood and mistreated by his parents and teachers, seeks refuge in truancy, petty crime, and the cinema. The most autobiographical of Truffaut’s films which helped launch the French New Wave is universally regarded as one of the all-time great directorial debuts.

Classic Season: Directorial Debuts

Reviews

‘It’s a cornerstone of the French New Wave, and one of the greatest movies about childhood, from anywhere, ever.’
★★★★★
Anthony Quinn, The Independent

‘A landmark in modern cinema.’
★★★★★
Jason Korsner, BBC

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The 400 Blows between January 16, 2022 and January 18, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 27th August)
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15:00

The Summer Book PG
1h 35m
Eight-year-old Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on their family island in Finland's Gulf, all three grieving her mother's recent death. Directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close, this quiet drama adapts Tove Jansson's novel.

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17:45

The Summer Book PG
1h 35m
Eight-year-old Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on their family island in Finland's Gulf, all three grieving her mother's recent death. Directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close, this quiet drama adapts Tove Jansson's novel.

Book here

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20:00

The Odyssey 15
2h 52m
Odysseus, King of Ithaca, journeys home after the Trojan War, confronting vengeful gods and monstrous trials along the way. Christopher Nolan adapts Homer's epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

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Tomorrow (Friday 28th August)
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15:30

On the Sea 15
1h 51m
In rural North Wales, mussel harvester Jack has been married to Maggie for over half his life, troubled by a son who rejects the family trade. When he meets Daniel, an itinerant deckhand, attraction creates an impossible dilemma. Directed by Helen Walsh.

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18:15

Tony 15
1h 46m
In a chaotic restaurant kitchen during the summer of 1975, Tony stumbles into a job that will shape his life. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) stars as chef Anthony Bourdain in this biographical drama, directed by Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie).

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20:45

Thief 18
+ Introduction
1h 59m
Bank Robbery Weekend
Professional safecracker Frank wants one last big score before he walks away from crime for good, but the underworld won't let him go easily. Starring James Caan, Michael Mann's directorial debut is a tightly controlled, hyper-real crime thriller.

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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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