Lisztomania as part of the Reel Music
Festival
On 17 Oct 2013 Lisztomania is shown as part of Portland's Reel Music
Festival.
"In his flamboyant, anachronistic style, Russell transposes the excesses of 1970s superstardom onto Franz Liszt (played by Roger Daltrey), while throwing in an homage to Charlie Chaplin. The crescendoing pastiche of pop culture reaches its peak with a vampiric incarnation of Liszt contemporary Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas) commanding an army of children and a Nazi Frankenstein. Russell’s over-the-top follow-up to TOMMY shows the filmmaker letting loose with delirious audacity. Starring Ringo Starr as the pope!"
Click on the image for more details.
Ken Russell conference in Brussels,
Belgium
On 19- 20 Mar 2014 there is a conference on Ken Russell. It is a collaboration between the University of Maastricht, the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and Cinema RITS in Brussels, the venue of the
conference.
More details soon. Thanks to
Christophe for the details.
French Dressing on DVD: delays
French Dressing was announced as available on DVD, Region 2.
However the release date has passed and there is no new date. More details
when available.
Major biography of Ken
The first volume of Paul Sutton's authorised biography of Ken Russell is now
available. More details soon. Click on the image to buy.
Ken Russell books
Raising Hell: Ken Russell and the Unmaking of the Devils by Richard Crouse
was published in October 2012
Ken Russell's Dracula. Ken's script of the film.
More details on these soon.
South Bank films on DVD: delays
The films Ken made for Melvyn Braggs South Bank Show are coming on DVD.
Details have to be confirmed but it may include
- ABC of British Music
- A British Picture
- The Planets
- Vaughan Williams
- The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner
- The Secret Life of Sir Arnold Bax
- The Mystery of Doctor Martinu
- Classic Widows
- In Search of the English Folk Song
- Elgar A Portrait of the Composer on a Bicycle
It is Region 2, you can pre-order here.
Thanks to Apuleius from the discussion forum for the information. The date
for release has been put back to Dec 2013, which suggests there may be a
problem.
The Devils on DVD (2 DVD set)
The Devils is finally available on DVD. The BFI (British Film Institute) heve
issued a two-disc special edition. This will not be
the restored version but the 1971 British theatrical cut. With two DVDs
there will be a lot of extras. Thanks to Willem for the information.
The extras include:
-
an introduction with Ken
-
an audio commentary with Ken Russell, Mark Kermode, Mike
Bradsell and Paul Joyce
-
the Hell on Earth documentary
-
Director of the Devils, a documentary featuring Ken Russell
interviews and unique footage of Peter Maxwell Davies recording the film score
-
original on-set footage with commentary by editor Mike
Bradsell
-
Ken's short Amelia and the Angel (good to have it, but a
strange choice- was it just because Angels contrasts with Devil?)
-
original UK and US trailers
-
illustrated booklet featuring new essays and notes from Mark
Kermode, Craig Lappe, Sam Ashby and others
You can buy it here.
Mindbender on DVD
Mindbender is available on DVD- not the next film I was
hoping for, but... The best film on bending spoons. You can buy it here.
The Big Lebowski
Not real but an article on "What if those modern blockbusters were made in
the 1950s? Artist imagines their posters and who would star in them". Ken
directing Zappa, Bowie and Iggy Pop alongside Kinski, Warhol and Clint Eastwood.
If only... The article is
here.
A House in Bayswater
Ken's short (30 minute) BBC film from 1960 is now available
online. Click
here.
Ken Russell: Re-Viewing England's Last Mannerist
A new book on Ken Russell, Ken Russell: Re-Viewing
England's Last Mannerist is published by Scarecrow Press,
USA. The book is edited by Kevin M. Flanagan.
The book "on the one hand, explores areas of Russell's
career that have been somewhat overlooked or marginalized, and on the other
expands the applicability of Russell's films to academic film study. Roughly
half of the essays in the book are "academic" while the other half, though still
scholarly, could be seen as more popular and historical. Topics covered include
an elucidation of all of Russell's Monitor films, a new framework for reading
Russell's whole career (as a champion of the amateur aesthetic), an essay on
Russell's approach to 1980s horror, a reconsideration of Salome's Last Dance,
and many, many more. Contributing writers include Barry Keith Grant, John C.
Tibbetts, Joseph A. Gomez, Paul Sutton and John Kenneth Muir. Thanks to Kevin for the information.
You can buy it here.
