The Big CityPG

Directed by Satyajit Ray | India | 1964 | 2h 15m | Bengali w/ English subtitles | Starring Anil Chatterjee, Madhavi Mukherjee, Jaya Bachchan, Haren Chatterjee

In 1960s Calcutta, a middle-class housewife is compelled to take the job of a saleswoman in order to support her family. She not only takes a job but proves a huge success in the workplace, relishing her new-found independence and thoroughly upsetting the family dynamic. Satyajit Ray builds a powerful human drama that is at once a hopeful morality tale and a commentary on the identity of the modern Indian woman.

Reviews

‘An utterly absorbing and moving drama about the changing worlds of work and home in 1950s India, and a hymn to uxorious love acted with lightness, intelligence and wit.’
★★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

‘A bustling urban drama about the conflicts of work, gender and money, richly believable in the details and fascinating in its social vision.’
★★★★
Tim Robey, The Telegraph

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Big City between September 11, 2022 and September 12, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 11th May)

17:45

The Love Witch 15
2h 1m
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Book here

20:30

Father Mother Sister Brother 15
1h 50m
Acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch weaves stories across New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, where siblings reunite amid family tensions and tragedy. Starring Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps, this Golden Lion-winning triptych blends quiet humour with poignant insight.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 12th May)

17:30

The Stranger 15
+ Q&A / £6 for Members
2h 2m | French w/ English subtitles
Set in French Algeria, Meursault drifts through life until his mother’s death sparks judgment, conflict, and tragedy. François Ozon’s sensitive, queer-inflected adaptation illuminates the emotional and moral complexities at the heart of Albert Camus’s existential masterpiece.

Book here

20:45

The Blue Trail 15
£6 for Members
1h 25m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
In a near-future dystopia, government relocates older citizens to remote colonies. Defying the mandate, Tereza pursues her dream of flight, embarking on an illegal Amazon journey. Silver Bear winner Gabriel Mascaro crafts a lyrical tale of resistance, freedom, and self-determination.

Book here


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!