The Cook, The Thief, His Wife 
& Her Lover18

Directed by Peter Greenaway | UK | 1989 | 2h 4m | Starring Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard, Tim Roth, Ciarán Hinds

A ruthless mobster purchases a gourmet restaurant in London, regularly dining there with his long-suffering wife. However, when the cook, a thief, the mobster’s wife, and her secret lover all come together, a shocking torrent of sex, food, murder, and revenge is unleashed. Set to Michael Nyman’s score and featuring Jean Paul Gaultier’s costumes, Peter Greenaway’s notorious and stylish crime drama presents a disturbing feast reflecting Britain’s social, moral, and political decay.

Reviews

‘Greenaway’s stunning “designer dream” is sick, sexy and rude in about equal provocative proportions and totally unforgettable.’
★★★★
Alan Jones, Radio Times

‘Many people will be profoundly offended by this film… but some may appreciate it for what it certainly is: the most startling depiction of intellectual cruelty and evil for many years.’
★★★★
John Mount, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Cook, The Thief, His Wife 
& Her Lover between May 5, 2024 and May 6, 2024.

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What else is on?

Tomorrow (Friday 3rd April)

15:45

Midwinter Break 12A
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 30m
Long-married couple Stella and Gerry holiday in Amsterdam when buried tensions surface, forcing them to confront their past and uncertain future. Starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds, Polly Findlay’s debut adapts Bernard MacLaverty’s novel into a moving meditation on love.

Book here

18:00

The Love That Remains 15
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

Book here

20:30

Hamnet 12A
2h 6m
Shakespeare and his wife endure the devastating loss of their young son, straining love and family bonds. Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland) poignant adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel captures grief, creativity, and resilience, with moving performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

Book here


Saturday 4th April

14:45

Resurrection 15
2h 36m | Mandarin w/ English subtitles
In a future where humanity cannot dream, one being secretly still can. When a woman discovers him she enters his dreamworld, beginning a shape-shifting journey through cinema, memory, and time in Bi Gan’s visually dazzling, mind-bending fantasy.

Book here

18:15

Midwinter Break 12A
1h 30m
Long-married couple Stella and Gerry holiday in Amsterdam when buried tensions surface, forcing them to confront their past and uncertain future. Starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds, Polly Findlay’s debut adapts Bernard MacLaverty’s novel into a moving meditation on love.

Book here

20:30

The Love That Remains 15
1h 49m | Icelandic w/ English subtitles
Anna and Magnús raise three children in rural Iceland, but cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Acclaimed director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland) crafts a warm and quietly humorous portrait of family life unfolding across seasons of the vast Icelandic landscape.

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!