The Prince Charles Cinema

Sort By Name Sort By Date
Cinema Paradiso [Nuovo Cinema Paradiso]
1988 124mins Italy (12A) Drama
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore Starring Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili

A winner of awards across the world including Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, 5 BAFTA Awards including Best Actor, Original Screenplay and Score, the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and many more.

Giuseppe Tornatore's loving homage to the cinema tells the story of Salvatore, a successful film director, returning home for the funeral of Alfredo, his old friend who was the projectionist at the local cinema throughout his childhood. Soon memories of his first love affair with the beautiful Elena and all the highs and lows that shaped his life come flooding back, as Salvatore reconnects with the community he left 30 years earlier.

Rear Window
1954 111mins USA (PG) Thriller / Mystery
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Goodfellas
1990 145mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco

Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), with his friends Jimmy (Robert De Niro) and Tommy (Joe Pesci), grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Based on the book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi.

La Haine
1995 98mins France (15) Crime
Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui

Hatred breeds hatred...

24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Eraserhead
1977 89mins USA (18) Mind F**k
Directed by David Lynch Starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph

First time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child. David Lynch arrived on the scene in 1977, almost like a mystical UFO gracing the landscape of LA with its enigmatic radiance. His inaugural work, "Eraserhead" (1977), stood out as a cinematic anomaly, painting a surreal narrative of a young man navigating a dystopian, industrialized America, grappling not only with his tumultuous home life but also contending with an irate girlfriend and a mutant child.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
1986 103mins USA (12A) Comedy
Directed by John Hughes Starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara

After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.

Paris, Texas
1984 145mins France, Germany, UK, USA, West Germany (12A) Drama
Directed by Wim Wenders Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell

A disheveled man who wanders out of the desert, Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) seems to have no idea who he is. When a stranger manages to contact his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), Travis is awkwardly reunited with his sibling. Travis has been missing for years, and his presence unsettles Walt and his family, which also includes Travis's own son, Hunter (Hunter Carson). Soon Travis must confront his wife, Jane (Nastassja Kinski), and try to put his life back together.

Le Samourai
1967 105mins France, Italy (PG) Crime
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Starring Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Caty Rosier, Jacques Leroy, Michel Boisrond

After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.

When Harry Met Sally
1989 95mins USA (15) Romance/Comedy
Directed by Rob Reiner Starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher

In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.

Seven Samurai [Shichinin no samurai]
1954 207mins Japan (PG) Western
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Toshi, Keiko Tsushima

Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

Battleship Potemkin [Bronenosets Potyomkin]
1925 75mins Soviet Union (PG) War
Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein Starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov

When they are fed rancid meat, the sailors on the Potemkin revolt against their harsh conditions. Led by Vakulinchuk (Aleksandr Antonov), the sailors kill the officers of the ship to gain their freedom. Vakulinchuk is also killed, and the people of Odessa honor him as a symbol of revolution. Tsarist soldiers arrive and massacre the civilians to quell the uprising. A squadron of ships is sent to overthrow the Potemkin, but the ships side with the revolt and refuse to attack.

The Conversation
1974 113mins USA (12) Crime
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield

Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a detached and paranoid surveillance expert who finds himself becoming a victim of the same modern technology he uses to destroy others. It begins with a seemingly routine job trailing an unfaithful wife and her lover. But when Harry visits the husband’s office to deliver the incriminating tapes he’s made of the couple, his client’s assistant tries to intercept him. Harry refuses to hand over the recordings and suddenly discovers that he may have captured a conversation about something that’s a lot more important than adulterous goings on.

Pulp Fiction
1994 155mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer).

Reservoir Dogs
1992 100mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino

A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors – veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie – unravel.

The Terminator
1984 108mins USA (15) Sci-Fi / Horror
Directed by James Cameron Starring Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn

Disguised as a human, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Sent to protect Sarah is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), who divulges the coming of Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that will spark a nuclear holocaust. Sarah is targeted because Skynet knows that her unborn son will lead the fight against them. With the virtually unstoppable Terminator in hot pursuit, she and Kyle attempt to escape.

40th Anniversary restoration from a 4K film scan of the 35mm negative and a new Dolby Atmos mix with final sound and picture approved by director James Cameron. Presented by Park Circus with thanks to MGM. Post House: Park Road Post, Colourist: Tashi Trieu, Sound Mixer for Atmos: Mike Hedges

The Godfather
1972 175mins USA (15) Crime
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Richard Castellano

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don's youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.

The Godfather : Part II
1974 202mins USA (15) Crime
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire

The compelling sequel to "The Godfather," contrasting the life of Corleone father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 and that of a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917's Hell's Kitchen. Michael survives many misfortunes and Vito is introduced to a life of crime.

The Long Goodbye
1973 107mins USA (18) Neo Noir
Directed by Robert Altman Starring Sterling Hayden, Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is asked by his old buddy Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) for a ride to Mexico. He obliges, and when he gets back to Los Angeles is questioned by police about the death of Terry's wife. Marlowe remains a suspect until it's reported that Terry has committed suicide in Mexico. Marlowe doesn't buy it but takes a new case from a beautiful blond, Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt), who coincidentally has a past with Terry.

Blow-Up
1966 111mins UK (15) Thriller/Suspense
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni Starring David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, Venessa Redgrave, John Castle

A fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.

Blow Out
1981 107mins USA (18) Thriller/Suspense
Directed by Brian De Palma Starring John Travolta, John Lithgow, Nancy Allen

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terri (John Travolta) stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally (Nancy Allen) from the car, but the other passenger is already dead -- a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

Stalker
1979 161mins Soviet Union (PG) Science Fiction
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky Starring Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy

In an unnamed country at an unspecified time, there is a fiercely protected post-apocalyptic wasteland known as The Zone. An illegal guide (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), whose mutant child suggests unspeakable horrors within The Zone, leads a writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) into the heart of the devastation in search of a mythical place known only as The Room. Anyone who enters The Room will supposedly have any of his earthly desires immediately fulfilled.

The Thing
1982 108mins USA (18) Sci-Fi / Horror
Directed by John Carpenter Starring Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David

In remote Antarctica, a group of American research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.

Rebecca
1940 130mins USA (PG) Mystery
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Olivier

Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter (Laurence Olivier). She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.

Fargo
1996 100mins UK, USA (15) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Ethan Coen|Joel Coen Starring Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Duck Soup
1933 69mins USA (U) Comedy
Directed by Leo McCarey Starring Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx

When the tiny nation of Freedonia goes bankrupt, its wealthy benefactor, Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), insists that the wacky Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) become the country's president. Sensing a weakness in leadership, the bordering nation of Sylvania sends in the spies Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Chicolini (Chico Marx) to set the stage for a revolution. As Firefly clashes with the Sylvanian ambassador (Louis Calhern), plenty of mayhem ensues, and the countries verge on all-out war.

The Colour of Pomegranates [Sayat Nova]
1969 80mins Soviet Union (PG) Drama
Directed by Sergei Parajanov Starring Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan

Sergei Parajanov's celebrated masterpiece paints an astonishing portrait of the 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, the 'King of Song'. Parajanov's aim was not a conventional biography but a cinematic expression of his work, resulting in an extraordinary visual poem. Key moments in his subject's life are illustrated through a series of exquisitely orchestrated tableaux filled with rich colour and stunning iconography, each scene a celluloid painting alive with stylised movement.

Heat
1995 171mins USA (15) Crime
Directed by Michael Mann Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer

A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.

Original Cut from a 35mm print. 

Chimes at Midnight
1965 115mins Spain (PG) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Orson Welles Starring Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, John Gielgud

The crowning achievement of Orson Welles's extraordinary cinematic career, Chimes at Midnight was the culmination of the filmmaker's lifelong obsession with Shakespeare's ultimate rapscallion, Sir John Falstaff. Usually a comic supporting figure, Falstaff—the loyal, often soused friend of King Henry IV's wayward son Prince Hal—here becomes the focus: a robustly funny and ultimately tragic screen antihero played by Welles with looming, lumbering grace. Integrating elements from both Henry IV plays as well as Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor, Welles created a gritty and unorthodox Shakespeare film as a lament, he said, “for the death of Merrie England.” Poetic, philosophical, and visceral—with a kinetic centerpiece battle sequence that rivals anything in the director's body of work—Chimes at Midnight is as monumental as the figure at its heart.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 137mins (PG) Sci-Fi / Drama
Directed by Steven Spielberg Starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

The Big Lebowski
1998 117mins USA (18) Comedy
Directed by Ethan Coen|Joel Coen Starring Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Solaris (1972)
1972 167mins Soviet Union (12A) Science Fiction
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky Starring Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet

A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.

Holiday [1938]
1938 95mins USA (U) Romance/Comedy
Directed by George Cukor Starring Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Doris Nolan

A young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)
2000 120mins China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA (12) Action/Adventure
Directed by Ang Lee Starring Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang

In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.

Do The Right Thing
1989 120mins USA (15) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Spike Lee Starring Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Rosie Perez, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, John Tuturro

Salvatore "Sal" Fragione is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.

Persona
1966 85mins Sweden (15) Romance/Drama
Directed by Ingmar Bergman Starring Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Margaretha Krook

Famed stage actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) suffers a moment of blankness during a performance and the next day lapses into total silence. Advised by her doctor to take time off to recover from what appears to be an emotional breakdown, Elisabeth goes to a beach house on the Baltic Sea with only Anna (Bibi Andersson), a nurse, as company. Over the next several weeks, as Anna struggles to reach her mute patient, the two women find themselves experiencing a strange emotional convergence.

Nosferatu
1922 94mins Germany (PG) Horror
Directed by F.W. Murnau Starring Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim

This performance will feature a live score performed by Hugo Max.

"I first saw Murnau’s Symphony of Horror when I was nine years old. The film’s expressionistic images continue to haunt me, the chiaroscuro compositions tapping vividly into timeless subconscious fears.

My improvisations on viola and piano draw inspiration from the leitmotifs and sound effects of 70s horror soundtracks and the languages of Second Viennese School composers contemporary to Murnau, also Jewish Traditional Music that informs my personal approach to creating a score for the film." - Hugo Max

Please view this YouTube video for a sample of Hugo's work.


Photo Credit - Richard Ecclestone

An iconic film of the German expressionist cinema, and one of the most famous of all silent movies, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror continues to haunt — and, indeed, terrify — modern audiences with the unshakable power of its images. By teasing a host of occult atmospherics out of dilapidated set-pieces and innocuous real-world locations alike, Murnau captured on celluloid the deeply-rooted elements of a waking nightmare, and launched the signature "Murnau-style" that would change cinema history forever.

In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok — portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology — who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land... and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count's campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival — that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that's like a blackout...

Some Like It Hot
1959 121mins USA (U) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Billy Wilder Starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis

After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), improvise a quick plan to escape from Chicago with their lives. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female jazz band and hop a train bound for sunny Florida. While Joe pretends to be a millionaire to win the band's sexy singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), Jerry finds himself pursued by a real millionaire (Joe E. Brown) as things heat up and the mobsters close in.

The Sting
1973 129mins (PG) Comedy/Crime
Directed by George Roy Hill Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

** TICKETS ON SALE 26th MAY**

A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con and swindling a fortune from a big-time mobster.

True Romance
1993 119mins USA (18) Crime / Romance
Directed by Tony Scott Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper

A comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama's clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the cocaine, but the mob is soon after them.

Mishima : A Life in Four Chapters
1985 121mins Japan (15) Biography
Directed by Paul Schrader Starring Ken Ogata, Toshi, Kenji Sawada, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Yasosuke Bando

A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
1975 202mins Belgium, France (15) Drama
Directed by Chantal Akerman Starring Delphine Seyrig, January Decorte, Henri Storck

Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig), the widowed mother of a teenage son, Sylvain (Jan Decorte), ekes out a drab, repetitive existence in her tiny Brussels apartment. Jeanne's days are divided between humdrum domestic chores -- shopping, cooking, housework -- and her job as an occasional prostitute, which keeps her financially afloat. She seems perfectly resigned to her situation until a series of slight interruptions in her routine leads to unexpected and dramatic changes.

Dog Day Afternoon
1975 130mins USA (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Sidney Lumet Starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny's surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
1989 90mins USA (PG) Comedy
Directed by Stephen Herek Starring Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, George Carlin

Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are high school buddies starting a band. However, they are about to fail their history class, which means Ted would be sent to military school. They receive help from Rufus (George Carlin), a traveler from a future where their band is the foundation for a perfect society. With the use of Rufus' time machine, Bill and Ted travel to various points in history, returning with important figures to help them complete their final history presentation.

Friday The 13th
1980 95mins USA (18) Horror
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham Starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor

A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.

Playtime
1967 123mins France, Italy (PG) Comedy Genius
Directed by Jacques Tati Starring Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist (Barbara Dennek), and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Beau Travail
1999 93mins France (15) Drama
Directed by Claire Denis Starring Denis Lavant, Gregoire Colin, Michel Subor

Foreign Legion officer Galoup recalls his once glorious life, training troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, until the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in Galoup's mind.

Memories of Murder [Salinui chueok]
2003 132mins South Korea (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Bong Joon Ho Starring Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim

In 1986, Park (Song Kang-ho) and Cho (Kim Roi-ha) are two simple-minded detectives assigned to a double murder investigation in a South Korean province. But when the murderer strikes several more times with the same pattern, the detectives realize that they are chasing the country's first documented serial killer. Relying on only their basic skills and tools, Park and Jo attempt to piece together the clues and solve the case in this thriller based on true events.

Come and See
1985 141mins Russia (15) War / Horror
Directed by Elem Klimov Starring Aleksei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova

This widely acclaimed film from Soviet director Elem Klimov is a stunning, senses-shattering plunge into the dehumanizing horrors of war. As Nazi forces encroach on his small village in present-day Belarus, teenage Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko, in one of the screen’s most searing depictions of anguish since Renée Falconetti’s Joan of Arc) eagerly joins the Soviet resistance. Rather than the adventure and glory he envisioned, what he finds is a waking nightmare of unimaginable carnage and cruelty—rendered with a feverish, otherworldly intensity by Klimov’s subjective camerawork and expressionistic sound design. Nearly suppressed by Soviet censors who took eight years to approve its script, Come and See is perhaps the most visceral, impossible-to-forget antiwar film ever made.

BLEAK WEEK : CINEMA OF DESPAIR is co-presented by the American Cinematheque.

There Will Be Blood
2007 158mins USA (15) Thriller / Western
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds

Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview moves to oil-rich California. Using his adopted son HW to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local preacher Eli Sunday suspects Plainviews motives and intentions, starting a slow-burning feud that threatens both their lives.

BLEAK WEEK : CINEMA OF DESPAIR is co-presented by the American Cinematheque.

Apocalypse Now : Final Cut
1979 181mins USA (15) War
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness.

The Philadelphia Story
1940 113mins USA (U) Romance/Comedy
Directed by George Cukor Starring James Stewart, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn

This classic romantic comedy focuses on Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), a Philadelphia socialite who has split from her husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), due both to his drinking and to her overly demanding nature. As Tracy prepares to wed the wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard), she crosses paths with both Dexter and prying reporter Macaulay Connor (James Stewart). Unclear about her feelings for all three men, Tracy must decide whom she truly loves.

Citizen Kane
1941 120mins USA (U) Drama
Directed by Orson Welles Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane's (Orson Welles) dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Though Kane's friend and colleague Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and his mistress, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), shed fragments of light on Kane's life, the reporter fears he may never penetrate the mystery of the elusive man's final word, "Rosebud."

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)
1966 180mins Italy, Spain, USA, West Germany (18) Western
Directed by Sergio Leone Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach

While the Civil War rages on between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hitman, and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.

The Matrix
1999 136mins USA (15) Science Fiction
Directed by Lana Wachowski|Lilly Wachowski Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

Faust (1926)
1926 115mins (PG) Fantasy
Directed by F. W. Murnau Starring Gösta Ekman

F. W. Murnau’s 1926 reimagining of the Faustian legend narratively draws upon the dramas of Goethe and Marlowe while blazing with a singular visual power. Epic in scale and breathtakingly fantastical, Faust is propelled by tragic urgency and romance. An ode to the triumphant power of love, this film explores themes that permeate and unite Murnau’s oeuvre. My viola soundtrack combines the expressionistic gestures of central European music from the 1920s with references to the treasure trove of Faust-inspired compositions.


---

Max Plays Murnau – UK Tour 2025

Join Hugo Max as he accompanies a daring triptych of films by F. W. Murnau (1888-1931) this spring with live soundtracks on solo viola.

Following the success of his 2024 UK Tour, Max improvises scores to Murnau’s classic Nosferatu (1922), chamber drama The Last Laugh (1924) and epic Faust (1926) at cinemas across the UK. His vivid performances breathe new life into Murnau’s expressionistic imagery.

---

A film from the holdings of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung (www.murnau-stiftung.de) in Wiesbaden.

Drunken Angel [Yoidore tenshi]
1948 98mins Japan (PG) Film Noir
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Toshi, Reizaburô Yamamoto

The chaotic worlds of the Japanese Mafia (Yakuza) and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic from Akira Kurosawa. Gangster Toshiro Mifune visits doctor Takashi Shimura, after an unfortunate incident with a bullet. The doctor, who despises the Yakuza, discovers the young man is suffering from tuberculosis, a disease symbolic of what is happening to the doctor and the community he serves. Facing his own anger and fear, the doctor aligns himself with the gangster's world.

Interstellar
2014 168mins USA (12A) Science Fiction
Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Jessica Chastain, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway

In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a brilliant NASA physicist, is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth's population to a new home via a wormhole. But first, Brand must send former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and a team of researchers through the wormhole and across the galaxy to find out which of three planets could be mankind's new home.

Scarface
1983 170mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Brian De Palma Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Al Pacino, Steven Bauer

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

Ran
1985 160mins Japan (12A) War
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu

At the age of seventy, after years of consolidating his empire, the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to abdicate and divide his domain amongst his three sons. Taro (Akira Terao), the eldest, will rule. Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu), his second son, and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) will take command of the Second and Third Castles but are expected to obey and support their elder brother. Saburo defies the pledge of obedience and is banished.

The Silence of the Lambs
1991 119mins USA (15) Horror / Thriller
Directed by Jonathan Demme Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

Dr. Strangelove
1964 95mins UK, USA (PG) Comedy / Drama
Directed by Stanley Kubrick Starring Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden, George C. Scott

The comedy classic from celebrated director STANLEY KUBRICK.

An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.

Once Upon a Time in the West
1968 166mins Italy, USA (15) Western
Directed by Sergio Leone Starring Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards

There's a single piece of land around Flagstone with water on it, and rail baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) aims to have it, knowing the new railroad will have to stop there. He sends his henchman Frank (Henry Fonda) to scare the land's owner, McBain (Frank Wolff), but Frank kills him instead and pins it on a known bandit, Cheyenne (Jason Robards). Meanwhile, a mysterious gunslinger with a score to settle (Charles Bronson) and McBain's new wife, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), arrive in town.

The Wicker Man - The Final Cut
1973 94mins UK (15) Horror
Directed by Robin Hardy Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento

A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.

Back to the Future
1985 116mins USA (PG) Science Fiction
Directed by Robert Zemeckis Starring Lea Thompson, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Psycho
1960 108mins USA (15) Horror
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.

Enter The Dragon
1973 99mins Hong Kong, USA (15) Martial Arts
Directed by Robert Clouse Starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly

Sent to an exotic island by his government, a spy (Lee) competes in a deadly tournament by day and infiltrates a ruthless crime lord's illegal drug operation by night. With plot twists, exquisite cinematography and bone-crushing fight scenes choreographed by Lee himself, ENTER THE DRAGON remains cinema's most influential martial arts action film.

Rashomon [Rashômon]
1950 88mins Japan (12A) Drama
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Toshi

Set in feudal Japan, this film presents an intriguing tale of violent crime in the woods, told from the perspective of four different characters -- a bandit, a woman, her husband and a woodcutter. Only two things about the incident seem to be clear -- the woman was raped and her husband is now dead. However, the other elements radically differ as the four participants and/or witnesses relate their own stories (with the dead man, eerily enough, speaking through a medium). As each account is revealed, what seemed black-and-white turns to various hues of gray, leading to surprising -- and confounding -- revelations.

Days Of Heaven
1978 94mins USA (PG) Romance/Drama
Directed by Terrence Malick Starring Sam Shepard, Richard Gere, Linda Manz, Brooke Adams

A hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.

Lawrence of Arabia
1962 240mins UK (PG) Epic
Directed by David Lean Starring Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness

A young, idealistic British officer in WWI, T.E. Lawrence is assigned to the camp of Prince Feisal, an Arab tribal chieftain and leader in the ongoing revolt against the Turks. In a series of brilliant tactical maneuvers, Lawrence leads fifty of Feisal's men in a tortured three-week crossing of the Nefud Desert to attack the strategic Turkish-held port of Aqaba. Following his successful raids against Turkish troops and trains, Lawrence's triumphant leadership and unyielding courage gain him nearly god-like status among his Arab brothers.

The Godfather Coda : The Death of Michael Corleone
1990 158mins USA (15) Crime
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Sofia Coppola, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia

As Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) ages, he finds that being the head of the Corleone crime family isn't getting any easier. He wants his family out of the Mafia, but the mob kingpin (Eli Wallach) isn't eager to let one of the most powerful and wealthy families go legit. Making matters even worse is Michael's nephew, Vincent (Andy Garcia). Not only does Vincent want a piece of the Corleone family's criminal empire, but he also wants Michael's daughter, Mary (Sofia Coppola).

The Elephant Man
1980 124mins USA (12A) Biography
Directed by David Lynch Starring Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.