Lion's Mouth

	When no actor seemed suitable for the role of the vicar, Russell realised the story-line was actually better without the role. So the film became a Citizen Kane like story of a journalist, played by Diana Laurie, visiting places and people, to reveal the truth behind the man. This results in a number of set pieces, some of them beautiful- Diana Laurie in the church lit by hundreds of candles, the erotic Chinese dance, and the funeral with the women (the vocal group The Mediaeval Babes) dancing round the giant statue of a giant penis to the music I Want to be Happy.
	And throughout there are lions- toys, paintings, lion-costumes, a tin of Lions Syrup.

Lion's Mouth is a short 25 minute film. It was a test by Ken Russell to see if the camcorder could produce film of the quality he wanted. "I suppose it was that I had total control over it, because I haven’t really had that since my amateur days when I made Amelia and the Angel. One didn’t have to ask anyone anything, you know very often in feature films they give you a head roll in making the film then they take it away from you and cut it to ribbons afterwards so you can't win."

The initial scenes are weaker- it is not clear what the meaning of the barrel is, and it is not clear the lips that appear full screen are actually someone in the barrel. And the sound is at times crudely dubbed. I suspect the film was shot chronologically, as it improves consistently.  Russell at times uses the lack of resources to his advantage. The mortuary scene was filmed inside Ken's house and Diana Laurie pointed out that there was a row of CDs in the background. Russell told her it was her job to ensure no-one noticed the CDs. And in another scene the lion (a girl in a lion costume) falls down but the actors recover so well it was worth keeping.

rehearsal photos

Diana Laurie says: So we had meetings then arranged for me to go down there and discuss the script and ideas. By this time I had looked at some costumes from the BBC and took some pictures. I showed him the pictures and he said he hated them, absolutely hated them. He wanted me to look more like I look in real life, which was great for me as it helped me to develop the character. She was quite eccentric and she would have found clothes in a thrift shop, she was fashion conscious but with her own style. That was great because I like interpreting. So what you see are my own clothes and he was delighted and really happy with that...

Russell says the experiment convinced him the Camcorder was suitable for his next major project, The Fall of the Louse of Usher. The only failing was the quality of the sound, and Ken has since found a solution for that.

Despite limited resources, the imagery is at times good.  The original title of the film was Leomania.

The church lit with natural light.

The statues from the cemetery used to represent the ghosts of dead prostitutes.  Fellini painted the eyes of his statues in Clowns, here Russell adds jewelry.

The images obviously stick in Ken's head- the photo above is from his wife Vivien's Dream Gardens from 1989.

The Limehouse Blues erotic Chinese dance.

The funeral scene with the mourners emerging from the darkness, then dancing around the giant phallus.

The final scene of Diana Laurie walking away with angels wings is a reference to Amelia and the Angel.

There is a play within the film (Androcoles and the Lion).

The Citizen Kane type journalism was also used in Valentino.

The Fall of the Louse of Usher

An initial attempt to film it fell through when the backers didn't like Russell's original choice of stars, Roger Daltry and Twiggy. Further attempts at financing always led to actors being forced on him.

So Ken is now in the underground film business where he has total control of all aspects.  After making Lion's Mouth to try out the technology, Ken filmed Louse in eight episodes using a Camcorder and assisted by his son Alex Russell and various friends.  When part one was complete excerpts were shown on British television.  This site once included an advert for props- a stuffed black cat and twenty inflatable sex dolls. The dolls are for the walls of the padded cell.

The poster for Louse features Ken Russell in a doctor’s smock wearing a pair of pink glasses with a large plastic penis on his nose. Says Ken “But absolutely true to the spirit of his stories. All I’ve done is bring him up to date.”

Site visitor Jaidn (thanks Jaidn) says:
"It was a bit odd as he was filming some stuff in the Intrepid Fox pub, and I was drinking downstairs and looking a bit odd. This was Sunday eve and I'd been out all night. So about twenty of us were asked if we would like to come upstairs and be in the background for the film. Actually I thought it was going to be for Bravo's thing as they use the Fox a lot. But it when we got there Ken was there running about. He wasn't dressed as a Nun for that bit though and he was filming himself. But it took a few goes then he said we could go but sent one of the girls, Actress Assistant who made sure we all had fresh drinks on him. Basically we just watched as Alex did a bit of singing though I think he reshot it as in the South Bank documentary he was doing the same song to a room of Nuns".

Films within films.

Incest.
Sensory deprivation.

Hot Pants Trilogy

The Hot Pants trilogy received its world premiere at the Oldenburg Festival, Germany in Sept 2005.  Three short home-made films by Ken and friends.

2004 Revenge of the Elephant Man

	Ken Russell's short film clocks in at 27 mins and was shown for the first time on 14-15 Jul 2004 at the Tardis Studio, London as part of the Blowing Up Festival. In the Maryland Medical Institute is a hybrid, the elephant man, with "a unique deformity".  Barry Lowe and Lisi Tribble star, along with Ken Russell.

2004 The Mystery of Mata Hari

"A tearfull tale from the days of World War One, when millions of innocent lives were lost, including one of the most blameless of them all".  The story of Mata Hari.

2005 The Goodship Venus

"A musical trip around the Horn with as horny a crew of sex crazed sailors who ever sailed the seven seas."

   You can download clips from the films by clicking the image below (a large file, 5 Meg).

2006 Trapped Ashes/The Girl with the Golden Breasts

Ken is one of the directors who contributed to a horror anthology, Trapped Ashes.  It is "a horror-supernatural anthology, where four people who are stuck in a room each tell a creepy story."  Russell's segment, the first in the series, is called The Girl with Golden Breasts.  Other directors are Sean S Cunningham (of Friday the 13th fame), Monte Hellman and John Gaeta (visual effects on The Matrix).  Joe Dante directs the outline story.  Tobe Hooper was to direct a segment but dropped out.  Thanks to Steve and Joseph for the information.

Phoebe is just one of many invisible young actresses struggling to get noticed in Hollywood. So she decides to improve her chances by getting brand new breasts. They're the latest in plastic surgery technology: not made from silicon or gel implants, but from reprocessed human cadavers. Phoebe's stagnated career soon makes an amazing turnaround: she's getting hired for bigger and bigger roles, and she even finds a brand-new boyfriend. Everything's going great - and she feels she owes it all to her gorgeous breasts. But her boyfriend starts waking up with red bite marks on his back . and Phoebe discovers that her new breasts have a hunger all their own.

So she decides to improve her chances by getting brand new breasts. They're the latest in plastic surgery technology: not made from silicon or gel implants, but from reprocessed human cadavers. Phoebe's stagnated career soon makes an amazing turnaround: she's getting hired for bigger and bigger roles, and she even finds a brand-new boyfriend. Everything's going great - and she feels she owes it all to her gorgeous breasts. But her boyfriend starts waking up with red bite marks on his back and Phoebe discovers that her new breasts have a hunger all their own.

Click on the image for more details.