The Queen's Film Society upcoming events

MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon Ho, South Korea 2003) (3 Nov 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Memories of Murders (Bong Joon Ho, South Korea 2003)

Before Parasite made him an international sensation, director Bong Joon-ho created one of the most extraordinary crime thrillers of the 21st century. Based on a notorious series of real-life murders that terrorized South Korea in the 1980s, MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003) follows two provincial detectives whose increasingly desperate efforts to catch a serial killer expose the incompetence, brutality, and absurdities of the police investigation. What begins as an almost darkly comic police procedural gradually transforms into something far more disturbing: a haunting meditation on violence, institutional failure, and the limits of human understanding. Anchored by a remarkable performance from Song Kang-ho (Parasite), the film combines Hitchcockian suspense, savage social satire, and moments of unexpected tenderness, all building toward one of the most unforgettable final shots in modern cinema. Frequently ranked among the greatest South Korean films ever made, Memories of Murder is a masterpiece that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Reviews

“Brilliant… [A] masterly blending of drama, horror and black humour.”

—Tony Rayns, Sight and Sound

“Bristling exuberance, go-for-broke acting, and top-notch craftsmanship.”

—Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

“Spellbinding and mysterious.”

—Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice

“Quite extraordinary.”

—Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

“A genuinely dynamic piece of filmmaking.”

—Mike McCahill, Sunday Telegraph (UK)

Trailer

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, US 1962) (10 Nov 2026)

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, US 1962)

Two icons from the golden age of Hollywood, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, take their famous feud on-screen in Robert Aldrich's thriller. In fierce, no-holds-barred performances, Bette Davis portrays aging ex-child star Baby Jane Hudson while Joan Crawford plays Blanche, the crippled sister Jane torments psychologically. As the sisters descend into madness, the tension builds to a shocking ending in this unforgettable Academy Award-winning classic.

Reviews

“A lurid melodrama of hate, revenge and murder, a high-class horror film, in the Hitchcock vein, with virtuoso performances from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and moments both searing and poignant.”

—James Powers, Hollywood Reporter

“Fascinatingly warped: an extended study in decaying flesh, set to a score mordantly trying to break into Hooray for Hollywood.

—Mike McCahill, The Guardian

“One of Hollywood’s best gothic grotesqueries.”

—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“One of the best shockers since Hitchcock’s Psycho.”

—Harrison Carroll, LA Herald-Examiner

Trailer

THE SACRIFICE (Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden 1986) (17 Nov 2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden 1986)

40th Anniversary! New 4K Restoration!

As a wealthy Swedish family celebrates the birthday of their patriarch Alexander (Erland Josephson, Scenes from a Marriage), news of the outbreak of World War III reaches their remote Baltic island — and the happy mood turns to horror. The family descends into a state of psychological devastation, brilliantly evoked by Tarkovsky's arresting palette of luminous greys washing over the bleak landscape around their home. (The film's masterful cinematography is by Sven Nykvist, Ingmar Bergman's longtime collaborator). For Alexander, a philosopher troubled about man's lack of spirituality, the prospect of certain extinction compels the ultimate sacrifice, and he enters into a Faustian bargain with God to save his loved ones from the fear which grips them. The director's last film, made as he was dying of cancer, The Sacrifice is Tarkovsky's personal statement, a profoundly moving, redemptive tragedy steeped in unforgettable imagery and heart-wrenching emotion.

Reviews

"Andrei Tarkovsky’s last film is a grand, unworldly, even antiworldly religious vision."

– Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“The first and penultimate shots—ten-minute takes that are, in very different ways, remarkable and complex achievements—manage to say more than most films do over their entire length.”

– Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader

"Hang on to the very end and you may find yourself moved as you have never been moved before."

– Andrew Sarris, The Village Voice

"An epic vision... Spiritual mastery... A work of genius."

– David Robinson, The Times (UK)

"Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film, among his closest to perfection, is a traversal of agonies, exploring the savage compromises and bargaining that make up life and death."

– Vanessa McDonnell, Screen Slate

Trailer

THE NIGHTINGALE'S PRAYER [Doa al karawan] (Henry Barakat, Egypt 1959) (1 Dec 2026)

Wed, 02 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

THE NIGHTINGALE'S PRAYER [Doa al karawan] (Henry Barakat, Egypt 1959)

Revenge, forbidden desire, and a haunting birdsong converge in one of the great masterpieces of Egyptian cinema. When a young woman is murdered for bringing dishonor upon her family, her sister Amna (the legendary Faten Hamama) vows to avenge her death by seducing the man she holds responsible. But her carefully laid plans take an unexpected turn when hatred begins to give way to feelings she cannot control. Adapted from a celebrated novel by Taha Hussein, Henry Barakat’s ravishingly photographed drama transforms a tale of betrayal and vengeance into a psychologically rich exploration of love, guilt, and the cruel demands of a patriarchal society. At once an intimate romantic tragedy and a devastating indictment of social hypocrisy, The Nightingale’s Prayer is a spellbinding reminder of the extraordinary artistry of Egyptian cinema during its golden age. Frequently ranked among the greatest Arab films ever made, it is a classic that deserves to be discovered by a much wider audience.

Reviews

"An extraordinary melodrama, a critique of patriarchy anyone interested in cinema's treatment of these issues should see."

— José Arroyo, Notes on Film and Culture

“One of the greatest films tackling gender inequality in Upper Egypt, as well as a fine tragedy adapted from an author who was a modernist in his support of women’s rights and emancipation.”

—Mayra Nassef, Afikra

“A true timeless masterpiece. Faten Hamama’s performance is absolutely beyond comparison.”

—Youssra El-Sharkawy, Cinemayaat

"An immensely powerful social melodrama... well-performed, well-written, and well directed."

—Diego Pineda Pacheco, Collider

“An important story of betrayal and love… humane and beautifully made.”

—Pamela Dimitrova, Arab America

TRAILER

A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, UK 1964) (8 Dec 2026)

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, UK 1964)

Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. A Hard Day’s Night, in which the bandmates play cheeky comic versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems, including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell,” A Hard Day’s Night, which re-conceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of the most deliriously entertaining movies of all time.

Reviews

“A completely wacky off beat entertainment that’s frequently remindful of the Marx Brothers.”

—Rose Pelswick, New York Journal American

“An hour and a half of pure, chaotic bliss.”

—Stephanie Zacharek, Salon

“The kind of timeless artifact that, decades after its making, still hits the senses like a burst of fresh air.”

—Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

"Manages to be both sweet and subversive... A winner."

—Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald

“The movie never feels like a nostalgia trip. It moves, breathes and sings with life.”

—Rafer Guzman, Newsday

“Part musical bonanza, part laugh-out-loud farce, part satirical social document.”

—Mark Kermode, The Observer (UK)

Trailer