The Real Charlie Chaplin12A

Directed by Peter Middleton & James Spinney | USA | 2021 | 1h 54m | Starring Pearl Mackie, Jeff Rawle, Paul Ryan, Dominic Marsh

Combining unheard audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions, and personal archives, this documentary traces Charlie Chaplin’s rise from the slums of Victorian London to the heights of Hollywood superstardom. A fascinating look at the life of one of cinema’s greatest icons from the filmmakers behind the BAFTA-nominated 2016 documentary Notes On Blindness.

Reviews

‘A representative picture of Chaplin’s life and career does emerge, bolstered by plenty of wonderful clips which are allowed to speak – or more often not speak – for themselves.’
★★★★
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph

‘This snappy and searching doc makes a very solid fist of finding the man behind the Little Tramp.’
★★★★
Philip De Semlyen, Time Out

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Real Charlie Chaplin between March 14, 2022 and March 24, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Monday 1st December)

18:15

Zodiac Killer Project 15
+ Director Q&A
1h 32m
Filmmaker Charlie Shackleton turns his failed true crime project into a sharp, funny reflection on obsession and storytelling. Mixing imagined scenes and wry narration, he dissects the Zodiac Killer myth and the true crime genre’s endless fascination. Plus post-screening Director Q&A.

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20:45

Belén 15
1h 48m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
After a miscarriage in conservative Argentina, a hospitalised woman is unjustly charged with infanticide. Supported by her attorney and activists, she fights a precedent-setting case that helped ignite Argentina’s feminist movement. A powerful true-story drama, selected as Argentina’s Oscar submission.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd December)

17:45

I, the Worst of All 15
£6 for Members
1h 47m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
In 17th-century Mexico, brilliant nun-poet Sor Juana defies patriarchal rule and religious persecution. María Luisa Bemberg’s luminous masterpiece, newly restored, depicts a woman’s fight for intellect and autonomy amid the oppressive forces of the Inquisition.

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20:30

Anemone 15
HOH Subtitles / £6 for Members
2h 6m
A former soldier in Northern England reunites with his estranged brother, reopening wounds from a violent, shadowed past. Daniel Day-Lewis returns in a gripping, emotionally charged family drama exploring trauma and the inescapable legacies of political and personal violence.

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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!