The Uprising

The Odyssey Cinema is screening The Uprising on Saturday 7 November at 19:00 and Sunday 8 November at 12:30. It's Paul Greengrass's take on the 1381 Peasants' Revolt, played as a political thriller with Andrew Garfield at the centre. The story starts with a bereaved ploughman whose act of resistance grows into a wider movement that challenges England's political order, set against a backdrop of plague, foreign wars and rising taxation.

Garfield leads a cast that includes Jamie Bell, Katherine Waterston and Thomasin McKenzie. The film runs 127 minutes and carries a 15 certificate. While the story is set in the 14th century, it was shot largely in Germany, and the Odyssey is leaning into that gap by bringing in local history to bridge it. Each screening is introduced by St Albans' own Professor Tim Boatswain, who takes the audience back to the summer of 1381 and the events that unfolded on the city's doorstep.

That local connection is the real draw here. St Albans was a key venue of the Revolt, and Boatswain's introduction puts the film in that context, from William Grindecobbe leading townspeople to the Abbey Gate to the execution of the radical priest John Ball in the city. After the film, there's an exclusive Q&A, so you'll get the historical background before the credits roll and a chance to talk it through afterwards.

Tickets are £14 to £17, with an extra £3.00 per transaction for online bookings. You've got the Saturday evening slot at 19:00 or the Sunday matinee at 12:30, and both come with the introduction and the post-film Q&A.