The Great DictatorPG

Directed by Charlie Chaplin | USA | 1940 | 2h 5m | Starring Charlie Chaplin, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert

After serving in World War I, a Jewish barber spends years recovering in an army hospital, unaware that a ruthless, anti-Semitic dictator – who happens to look just like him – has risen to power. When he finally returns home, he’s shocked by the brutal changes in his once-familiar neighbourhood and joins a courageous young woman in resisting the new regime. In this daring and controversial masterpiece, Charlie Chaplin delivers both a scathing parody of Adolf Hitler and a clever reinvention of his own iconic comic persona.

Join us on Thursday 8th May (3.30pm) for a screening introduced by freelance critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson.

Reviews

‘Charlie Chaplin’s first talkie, made over a decade after the introduction of sound, stands as a brave and controversial piece of filmmaking.’
★★★★
Jamie Russell, BBC

Pamela Hutchinson is a freelance critic and film historian. Her books include BFI Film Classics on The Red Shoes and Pandora’s Box. She is a columnist for Sight and Sound and she runs the silent film website SilentLondon.co.uk.

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Great Dictator between May 4, 2025 and May 8, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 3rd September)

19:45

Weapons 18
2h 8m
From Barbarian’s Zack Cregger comes a chilling mystery: an entire classroom’s children vanish in an instant, except one. As fear consumes a small town, social norms unravel in this tense, thought-provoking thriller about mob mentality and collective paranoia.

Book here


Tomorrow (Thursday 4th September)

12:30

Savages PG
Parent + Baby Screening
1h 27m | French w/ English subtitles
In Borneo, a young girl and an orphaned orangutang form a powerful bond as they confront the threats of deforestation. Through their journey, they discover the beauty of their rainforest home and the urgent need to protect it.

Book here

15:45

Savages PG
1h 27m | French w/ English subtitles
In Borneo, a young girl and an orphaned orangutang form a powerful bond as they confront the threats of deforestation. Through their journey, they discover the beauty of their rainforest home and the urgent need to protect it.

Book here

18:00

Weapons 18
2h 8m
From Barbarian’s Zack Cregger comes a chilling mystery: an entire classroom’s children vanish in an instant, except one. As fear consumes a small town, social norms unravel in this tense, thought-provoking thriller about mob mentality and collective paranoia.

Book here

20:45

The Kingdom 15
1h 51m | Corsican & French w/ English subtitles
In 1995 Corsica, a teen is forced into hiding with her fugitive mob-boss father. After an assassination attempt, they’re thrust into a brutal revenge cycle. Julien Colonna’s award-nominated debut blends tense crime thriller with coming-of-age drama.

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 don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!