Ken Russell

Ken Russell

Born: July 3, 1927
Died: November 27, 2011
in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was an English film director. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his controversial style. He has been criticized as being over-obsessed with sexuality and the church. His subject matter is often about famous composers, or based on other works of art which he adapts loosely. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios.

He is best known for his Oscar-winning film Women in Love (1969), The Devils (1971), The Who's Tommy (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980).

One noted admirer, the British film critic Mark Kermode, attempting to sum up the director's achievement, called Russell; "somebody who proved that British cinema didn't have to be about kitchen-sink realism - it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini. He now makes very strange experimental films like Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and out there as the work he made in the 1970s."

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Movies for Ken Russell...

The Who: One Band's Explosive Story
Title: The Who: One Band's Explosive Story
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: August 26, 2022
Type: Movie
The story of Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums): The Who, one of the most original, creative and relevant British bands of the sixties and of the entire history of pop music.
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Director of Devils
Title: Director of Devils
Character: Self
Released: March 19, 2012
Type: Movie
Behind the scenes of the making of Ken Russell's 1971 film 'The Devils. Shown are the construction of the sets, filming of the courtroom scene, the performance of the musical score for the execution scene.
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Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil
Title: Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 14, 2012
Type: Movie
Following the recent death of Ken Russell, Alan Yentob looks back over the career of the flamboyant film director responsible for Women In Love, Tommy and The Devils. Friends and admirers - including Glenda Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Twiggy, Melvyn Bragg, Robert Powell and Roger Daltrey - recall a pioneering documentary-maker, talented photographer and fearless film director.
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The Devils Original on-set footage
Title: The Devils Original on-set footage
Released: January 1, 2012
Type: Movie
On-set footage of the film The Devils (1971) with commentary by editor Mike Bradsell
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Mr. Nice
Title: Mr. Nice
Character: Russell Miegs
Released: October 7, 2010
Type: Movie
Biopic about 1970s Welsh marijuana trafficker Howard Marks, whose inventive smuggling schemes made him a huge success in the drug trade, as well as leading to dealings with both the IRA and British Intelligence. Based on Marks' biography with the same title.
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The Aristofrogs
Title: The Aristofrogs
Released: August 19, 2010
Type: Movie
A short promotional film for the 2010 Oldenburg Film Festival consisting of various actors and film personalities telling a joke about an exceptionally talented frog.
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Boudica Bites Back
Title: Boudica Bites Back
Character: Roman Senator
Released: August 6, 2009
Type: Movie
A cine-opera retelling of the legend of Boudica, warrior queen and her uprising against the Roman occupiers of Britain.
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A Kitten For Hitler
Title: A Kitten For Hitler
Character: Santa
Released: June 1, 2007
Type: Movie
The result of a challenge from Melvyn Bragg to write a film that Ken Russell himself would be eager to see banned, was A Kitten For Hitler – a 10-minute short in which a plucky young Jewish boy traverses the globe on a quest to warm the Führer's heart with the gift of a cuddly feline.
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10 Best Elgar
Title: 10 Best Elgar
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: April 27, 2007
Type: Movie
A line up of star performers celebrate the very best of Edward Elgar's music in the 150th anniversary year of his birth.
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The Real Blue Nuns
Title: The Real Blue Nuns
Character: Self
Released: October 16, 2006
Type: Movie
An investigation into nunsploitation, and why men find images of nuns involved in sexual situations erotic. The programme also controversially covers the Muslim hibab and burka.
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Trapped Ashes
Title: Trapped Ashes
Character: Dr. Lucy
Released: September 12, 2006
Type: Movie
Trapped in a house of horror, seven people discover that the only way they'll get out alive is to tell their scariest stories.
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Brothers of the Head
Title: Brothers of the Head
Character: Himself
Released: July 28, 2006
Type: Movie
In the 1970s a music promoter plucks Siamese twins from obscurity and grooms them into a freakish rock'n'roll act. A dark tale of sex, strangeness and rock music.
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Colour Me Kubrick
Title: Colour Me Kubrick
Character: The Man In Nightgown
Released: October 6, 2005
Type: Movie
The true story of a man who posed as director Stanley Kubrick during the production of Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, despite knowing very little about his work and looking nothing like him.
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Title: Agatha Christie's Marple
Character: Rev Caleb Dane Calthrop
Released: December 12, 2004
Type: TV
The adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.
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Revenge of the Elephant Man
Title: Revenge of the Elephant Man
Released: July 14, 2004
Type: Movie
A short directed by Ken Russell.
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Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils
Title: Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils
Character: Self
Released: November 24, 2002
Type: Movie
Hell on Earth is a documentary about Ken Russell's 1971 film, The Devils. Film critic Mark Kermode chats to Russell as well as two of the film’s stars, Georgina Hale and Murray Melvin. Also included are scenes that were cut from the released film for being too controversial.
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The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century
Title: The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century
Character: Dr. Calahari
Released: February 2, 2002
Type: Movie
Rock star Roddy Usher's wife is murdered and Rod is sent to a lunatic asylum in this gothic-comedy-horror-musical.
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Title: Waking the Dead
Character: Gerry Raistrick
Released: June 18, 2001
Type: TV
A detective team apply new techniques to old crimes as they solve cold cases.
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Title: Celebrity Big Brother
Released: March 9, 2001
Type: TV
Celebrity Big Brother is a British reality television game show in which a number of celebrity contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run.
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The Real Oliver Reed
Title: The Real Oliver Reed
Character: Self
Released: January 13, 2000
Type: Movie
A documentary portrait about the life and times of the infamous hellraiser, who died in May 1999 having starred in more than 100 films.
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Lion's Mouth
Title: Lion's Mouth
Character: Ken
Released: January 1, 2000
Type: Movie
A short musical directed by Ken Russell.
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Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
Title: Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
Character: Himself
Released: November 14, 1997
Type: Movie
This documentary begins with Ken Russell posing the question: "What is a true English folk song, if there is such a thing?" After recieving an indifferent response from his dog, Ken journeys around the countryside of England searching for an answer. He bumps into and interviews such famous artists as; Donovan, Fairport Convention, Osibisa, Eliza Carthy, So What, Edward II and The Albion Band among others.
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In Search of Dracula
Title: In Search of Dracula
Character: Self
Released: October 2, 1996
Type: Movie
A look at "Dracula" in the arts and his supposed real-life inspiration Vlad Tepes.
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Tales of Erotica
Title: Tales of Erotica
Released: January 1, 1996
Type: Movie
A series of erotic short films, all with similar unexpected endings.
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Empire of the Censors
Title: Empire of the Censors
Character: Self
Released: May 28, 1995
Type: Movie
The history of film and video censorship in Great Britain.
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Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue
Title: Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue
Character: Self
Released: April 4, 1995
Type: Movie
Documentary covering the career of French composer Georges Delerue, famous for film scores for such films as Platoon, Contempt, Shoot the Piano Player, and Jules and Jim.
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The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
Title: The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
Character: Mr. Kirsch
Released: January 1, 1995
Type: Movie
A short directed by Ken Russell.
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Title: Frank Stubbs Promotes
Character: Self
Released: July 12, 1993
Type: TV
Frank Stubbs (Timothy Spall) is a down-at-heel ticket tout with grand ideas. He has an ambition to become a 'high class' promoter of famous and talented performers. In reality, his ambitions tend to outstrip his capabilities.
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Title: Lady Chatterley
Character: Sir Michael Reid
Released: June 6, 1993
Type: TV
Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War. When they move to his family's estate, Constance (Connie) meets their tough-yet-quiet groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors. Soon, she discovers that the source of her unhappiness is from not being fulfilled in love, and in turning to the arms of Mellors, she has a sexual awakening that will change her thoughts forever.
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The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
Title: The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
Character: Sir Arnold Bax
Released: November 22, 1992
Type: Movie
A biopic about the eminent composer Sir Arnold Bax.
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Whore
Title: Whore
Character: Waiter (uncredited)
Released: June 21, 1991
Type: Movie
This melodrama investigates the life of a sex worker, in a pseudo-documentary style.
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The Russia House
Title: The Russia House
Character: Walter
Released: December 21, 1990
Type: Movie
Barley Scott Blair, a Lisbon-based editor of Russian literature who unexpectedly begins working for British intelligence, is commissioned to investigate the purposes of Dante, a dissident scientist trapped in the decaying Soviet Union that is crumbling under the new open-minded policies.
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Title: Plunder
Released: March 5, 1990
Type: TV
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A British Picture
Title: A British Picture
Released: March 20, 1989
Type: Movie
The updated autobiography of Britain’s most controversial film director, the maker of Women in Love, The Devils, The Music Lovers, Tommy and The Rainbow, is as unconventional and brilliant as his best films. Moving with astonishing assurance through time and space, Russell recreates his life in a series of interconnected episodes – his thirties childhood in Southampton, his first sexual experience (watching Disney’s Pinocchio), his schooldays at the Nautical College, Pangbourne, early careers in the Merchant Marine and the Royal Air Force, dancing days at the Shepherds Bush Ballet Club and of course his career as a film-maker, beginning with an extraordinary interview with Huw Weldon for a job on Monitor. Full of marvellously funny anecdotes and fascinating insights into the realities of the film director's life, A British Picture is a remarkable autobiography.
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The Lair of the White Worm
Title: The Lair of the White Worm
Character: Police Radio (voice) (uncredited)
Released: September 21, 1988
Type: Movie
When an archaeologist uncovers a strange skull in a foreign land, the residents of a nearby town begin to disappear, leading to further inexplicable occurrences.
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Salome's Last Dance
Title: Salome's Last Dance
Character: Cappadocian
Released: May 6, 1988
Type: Movie
London, England, November 5th, 1892, Guy Fawkes Night. The famous playwright Oscar Wilde and his lover Lord Alfred Douglas discreetly go to a luxury brothel where the owner, Alfred Taylor, has prepared a surprise for the renowned author: a private and very special performance of his play Salome, banned by the authorities, in which Taylor himself and the peculiar inhabitants of the exclusive establishment will participate.
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Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
Title: Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
Character: Himself
Released: February 4, 1988
Type: Movie
An irreverent survey of British Music.
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Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell
Title: Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell
Released: November 27, 1987
Type: Movie
A courtroom 'drama' featuring Bob Guccione versus Ken Russell in a breach of contract case regarding disagreements over a script for a film version of Daniel De foe's "Moll Flanders" which Guccione hired Russell to direct.
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Gothic
Title: Gothic
Character: Tourist
Released: November 30, 1986
Type: Movie
Living on an estate on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lord Byron is visited by Percy and Mary Shelley. Together with Byron's lover Claire Clairmont, and aided by hallucinogenic substances, they devise an evening of ghoulish tales. However, when confronted by horrors, ostensibly of their own creation, it becomes difficult to tell apparition from reality.
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Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
Title: Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1983
Type: Movie
South Bank Show documentary concerning the life and music of Ralph Vaughn Williams.
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The Kids Are Alright
Title: The Kids Are Alright
Released: June 15, 1979
Type: Movie
Through concert performances and interviews, this film offers us a comprehensive look at the British pioneer rock group, The Who. It captures their zany craziness and outrageous antics from the initial formation of the group in 1964 to 1978. It notably features the band's last performance with long-term drummer Keith Moon, filmed at Shepperton Studios in May 1978, three months before his death.
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Title: The South Bank Show
Character: Self
Released: January 14, 1978
Type: TV
The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show that was produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky Arts from 27 May 2012. Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the show aims to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.
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Valentino
Title: Valentino
Character: Rex Ingram
Released: September 7, 1977
Type: Movie
In 1926 the tragic and untimely death of a silent screen actor caused female moviegoers to riot in the streets and in some cases to commit suicide...
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Tommy
Title: Tommy
Character: Cripple (uncredited)
Released: March 19, 1975
Type: Movie
A psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
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Savage Messiah
Title: Savage Messiah
Character: Passenger getting off train in station (uncredited)
Released: June 27, 1972
Type: Movie
In the Paris of the 1910s, brash young sculptor Henri Gaudier begins a creative partnership with an older writer, Sophie Brzeska. Though the couple is 20 years apart in age, Gaudier finds that his untamed work is complemented by the older woman's cultural refinement. He then moves to London with Brzeska, where he falls in with a group of avant-garde artists. There, Gaudier encounters yet another artistic muse in passionate suffragette Gosh Boyle.
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Song of Summer
Title: Song of Summer
Character: Priest
Released: September 15, 1968
Type: Movie
The last five years of Frederick Delius's life through the eyes of a young composer and aide, Eric Fenby.
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Don’t Shoot the Composer
Title: Don’t Shoot the Composer
Character: Himself
Released: January 9, 1966
Type: Movie
DON’T SHOOT THE COMPOSER is far from an ordinary profile of Georges Delerue. It also serves as a calling card for Ken Russell, whose work would define the 1970s as Delerue’s did in the 1960s. It begins with a sly work of pastiche, parodying the conventions of French noir. It goes onto encompass slapstick, verité scenes of the Delerue family and a harrowing montage of the Vietnam War. This eclectic approach gives us a sense of the different facets of Delerue’s life- his love of cinema, his home life, his work ethic. It also prefigures Russell’s feature length biopics of Mahler and Liszt, though in a more modest- and lucid- fashion.
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Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
Title: Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
Character: Captain Patterson
Released: January 2, 1966
Type: Movie
The outrageous life of the American dancer of the 1920s, Isadora Duncan, whom Ken Russell described as "part genius and part charlatan".
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Russell at Work
Title: Russell at Work
Released: January 1, 1966
Type: Movie
Documentary shows Ken Russell at work on various BBC TV documentaries, with clips from Diary of a Nobody, The Debussy Film, Always on Sunday, Don't Shoot the Composer, Elgar and behind the scenes directing of Isadora Duncan. He discusses his working methods and filmmaking philosophy and is also shown at home entertaining his daughter Victoria.
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Walk With The Damned
Title: Walk With The Damned
Character: Hood
Released: June 2, 1961
Type: Movie
Gangsters run rampant until they encounter a gutsy minister.
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PuzzleFace
Title: PuzzleFace
Character: god
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
PUZZLEFACE - 18min short film (CAN) Episode #7 from Spookey Ruben's Dizzy Playground TV series starring: Denis 'SNAKE' Belanger & VOIVOD, Ken Russell (RIP), Lisi Tribble, Maylee Todd, Rodrigo Gudiño (Rue Morgue), Rae Matthews, Jef Farquharson, O.T. Biggs and Spookey Ruben.
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A Turnip Head’s Guide To The British Cinema
Title: A Turnip Head’s Guide To The British Cinema
Character: Self
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
Documentary presenting Alan Parker’s view of British cinema with comments from Richard Lester and others and location report from King’s Lynn on the making of Hugh Hudson’s Revolution, starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, and Nastassja Kinski.