The Ultimate Picture Palace has been at the forefront of Oxford’s cinema scene for over a century. First opening in 1911, under the enthusiastic guidance of local actor and businessman Frank Stuart, it was the city’s first purpose-built cinema. Showing newsreels, comedies, melodramas and of course, most importantly, the Oxford-Cambridge boat race,the cinema has since then had a somewhat tumultuous history.
Closed for decades after the First World War, the cinema was rediscovered in 1974 by Oxford alumni Bill Heine and Pablo Butcher, being, at the time, used to store furniture. The cinema, in true 70s style, turned its attention to rebelling against the norm. The Penultimate Picture Palace, as it was then called, pushed back against censorship. It showed obscure, rare and even illegal films. A clandestine showing of the then banned film, A Clockwork Orange, went so far as to land Bill Heine in court.
During the 90s this rebellious attitude took more of a communal turn. Squatters took over the cinema, renaming it ‘Section 6’, and although it was all rather unofficial, with films projected onto bed sheets and audiences sat on the ground, the muck in and make do atmosphere built a sense of community amongst the cinema goers, so much so that the cinema was also adapted into a broader use community space, hosting live music events and giving families free tickets to film showings.
These two themes, off-beat and community, are the essence of the Ultimate Picture Palace today. After the death of the UPP’s last owner Becky Hallsmith in 2018, a managing committee of Becky’s close friends and supporters of the UPP formed a managerial committee which decided it was time for the cinema to shed its skin.Consequently, the decision was made to place the Ultimate Picture Palace for sale via community shares. Thanks to over 1300 cinephiles around the city and beyond, buying between £30 to £5000 worth of shares each, UPP reached its target of £312 575 shares sold. Therefore, The Ultimate Picture Palace Community Cinema Ltd. bought The Ultimate Picture Palace. Not only did this give those in the community who are strongly invested in the cinema a chance to have a say in how the UPP is run, but ensured that the cinema maintained its autonomy. It is the last independent cinema left in Oxford.
Being community owned, ultimately means that the UPP can stay focused on Oxford’s own aims and visions for cinema within the community. Although it does of course show mainstream films, it also prides itself on maintaining a connection to classic, foreign language and independent cinema. For example, the UPP has recently started a programme named ‘Honouring Jean-Luc Godard’ which sheds light on the mythic, French New Wave director’s filmography.
Foreign Language films have been a big draw for students since the 1970s. The UPP is well aware of this and keen to encourage the city’s termly residents to engage with cinema, offering a free subscription for students giving them £5 tickets during the week and £6.50 tickets at the weekend. Today, the UPP is still heavily focused on getting out into the community, demonstrating the wonderful opportunities provided by their unique cinema. Consequently, the UPP sets up many special events throughout the year. By working in collaborations with groups such as Oxford Pride and Asylum Welcome, the UPP is able to organise relevant film showings, with pre-film talks conducted by members of their partner organisation. As well as participating in ‘Into Film’, which gives schools free screenings every November.
Overall, the Ultimate Picture Palace is, and always has been, about giving the community the opportunity to access not just the mainstream blockbusters of today, but also a chance to experience unique, off-beat, daring cinema that challenges, reveals and rewards. As Tom Jowett, the programming manager at the Ultimate Picture Palace told Cherwell: “it really does have a special place in people’s hearts”.
