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Dogboys and other TV films The TV films are disappointing. I suspect Russell accepts these commissions to raise money/survive so that he can makes films that interest him. The division between TV and film is arbitrary: Mindbender is a film but could be TV, Dogboys could be a film. All are in the "straight to video" category. Has he lost his talent? No, he has lost his budget. For an example of Russell close to great look at a late film Whore. And recent films such as Brighton Belles and Elgar show his talent is still there.
1990 Women and Men: Stories of Seduction
Molly Ringwald and Peter Weller play lovers but his phone keeps ringing as other lovers phone. Neither actor seems comfortable with the dialogue (I'm in little bits, would you mind doing something to put me together again) and neither is really interested in this tedious word-bound adaptation of a tedious story. Jean Cocteau's play The Telephone handled a similar subject with subtlety and passion, both missing here in the directing, writing and acting.
1991 Prisoners of Honor A very tiresome filming of the Dreyfus case, a true story in the nineteenth century of a French soldier convicted of espionage. But it became apparent Dreyfus was a victim who was framed, mainly because he was Jewish. Emile Zola the French novelist took up his case with the famous article J´Accuse (I Accuse), Graham Greene later exposed corruption in Nice with the same title. The film starts promisingly, "Judas sold Christ, Dreyfus sold France" but after seconds descends into mediocrity. The period pieces look very staged, the African scene is clearly a tiny studio, the police holding back rioters look like actors careful not to hurt fellow actors.
Other actors come across as actors wearing brand new costumes and fake moustaches. Editors are Mia Goldman and Brian Tagg, and photography is by Mike Southan, though Russell also operated camera a lot. The film was shot at Pinewood studios in London.
There are some brief moments (brief seconds) when Russell becomes interested in the film: the night club singer (Imogen Claire) white faced in a black/red costume with long black gloves looks like a spider; the lines of red uniformed soldiers filmed from high up looking like a row of cherries; the stage show with "Dreyfus the vampire", the police artist drawing the suicide victim's hand holding the razor (compare the opening drawing of Savage Messiah). But I longed for a dream sequence with snakes and nuns.
A couple of Russell themes are present: a steam train, a photo of a child in a sailors costume.
1993 Lady Chatterley More D.H. Lawrence, this time his most famous novel Lady Chatterley's Lover which was the subject of a trial to prevent its publication. This is a TV mini-series, so Russell has four 50 minutes episodes to cover the story (some video releases are edited down). The television showing attracted a massive 15 million viewers.
Russell says "Lawrence frequently repeats his imagery. In Lady Chatterley there was a sequence which called for stallions. Well I'd done stallions already in The Rainbow, but I still had to convey the point Lawrence was making, so it was a question of coming up with a new way of presenting them...Nobody complains about Lawrence repeating himself, but if I did the critics would be after me at once" (from DVD notes). Russell's film is not particularly inspired. It is too restrained, and ultimately boring. Sean Bean and Joley Richardson (daughter of director Tony Richardson) are not particularly good. Russell regular Judith Paris has a role.
Xavier Russell is co-editor along with Alan Mackay and Ken operates the camera himself (credited as Alfred Russell). He has long objected to the poor quality of cameramen. Russell co-wrote with the producer Michael Haggiag. Stills photographer is Tony Russell. There are various Russell themes: the Lawrence adaptation, steam trains, kites, a body sinking under the water, the man in a wheelchair, a woman framed by a halo hat (Savage Messiah, Aria).
And only once does Russell strike out with a bold image:
1995 Alice in Russialand A documentary TV film about Russia and the Russians.
1995 Ken Russell's Treasure Island A TV film of Robert Louis Stevenson's children's novel. "Ken Russell...wrote and directed this made-for-TV movie...like it was a Carry On film. Not to mention that villain Long John Silver is transformed into Long Jane Silver, a Madonna-like blonde with a peg leg. She and her pirate crew break into song at any cue on their quest for the buried treasure marked on a map belonging to a young boy. Faithful it's not, entertaining, that's hard to say. It's certainly different". The review is by Ryan K. Johnson and comes with permission from here.
The film stars Hetty Baynes as Long Jane Silver, Michael Elphick as Billy Bones and Gregory Hall as Jim Hawkins. Russell regular Georgina Hale plays Mum. Ken wrote as well as direct, Maureen Murray produced, Xavier Russell was editor. The director of photography was Hong Manley who did a number of films with Ken. It was a Channel 4 Christmas Eve special, but at the same time as the popular British comedy soap "Only Fools and Horses". It has since been repeated at least once.
1996 Tales of Erotica Short films by different directors. Russell contributes The Insatiable Mrs Kirsch (made in 1993).
This is possibly Ken's worst ever work. The story is ridiculously clumsy and improbable, and the acting of Shepherd is pedestrian, though the use of voice-overs, meaning he has little dialogue, can't have helped. Baynes comes out better, but has little scope to show her acting ability. The filming is routine.
Another film tackling a similar topic is Woody Allen's All You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex... with the vibrator scene being funnier (in Allen's film the vibrator catches fire) and the Italian sequences more erotic. Xavier Russell is editor, Hong Manley is Photographer. Russell themes that recur are the hill top view of the lake/sea, walking along a dark corridor with light at the end, the use of caves. Note: some videos have only three of the films, missing off Russell's film.
1998 Dogboys
A prison drama with all the usual characters: the sadistic prison warder, the gang of gay black convicts looking for a "girlie" and the fresh faced new inmate who can fight and take care of himself. The opening sequence is of an old rusted prison van but this realism is soon forgotten. The prisoners´ uniforms are neat despite it being a hell on earth, the guards´ uniforms look unworn (Russell made the same mistake in Prisoners of Honor) and the sleeping quarters look quite attractive. Prisoners wake up in the middle of the night clean shaven, and they have neat haircuts.
To stop escapes there are guard dogs and as training the convicts run through the grounds and are tracked by the guard dogs. These prisoners are Dogboys. The Australian guard is being investigated for tax fraud and an agent is put in the prison. When the agent gets too close to the truth he is mauled to death by a dog and the hero (a convict) discovers a part of a photo in the pools of blood he has to clean up. The photo is of a prisoner with his hands above his head, but the pose is not natural and the expression is strange.
Tia Carrere, of Wayne´s World, is the prim DA investigator who put the agent in the prison posing as a prisoner. Later she sees a photo of a captured deer strung up and realises the photo of the prisoner with hands above his head is upside down, it is actually a prisoner strung up: prisoners are being hunted and strung up as game. This mystery and the explanation are the only real element of suspense in the story.
The warden, Captain Brown, was improbably married to a famous classical musician but she was murdered, along with their dog, by an escaped convict. Brown moved from Australia and is now taking his revenge in the prison.
Before I had seen the film, I asked about it in an Internet newsgroup: people couldn't believe Russell had directed it: "an entirely undistinguished Southern prison B-flick. Sad to see Russell reduced to cranking out such routine fare". Russell's name only appears in the end-credits. His second ever action film, after Billion Dollar Brain. Xavier Russell is the editor. The cinematography is by Jamie Thompson and script by Robert Stork& Hugh Martin, David Taylor and Ken. Stork&Martin are also executive producers. The film is also called Tracked. There are a few Russell motifs: a video within the film, a reference to The Shining (Honey I'm home) and music (J.S. Bach). The solitary confinement is similar to the sensory deprivation of Altered States but it is unconvincing. The scene when the prisoner is being lowered into the pit is at times similar to Glenda Jackson lying on the grill above the prisoners. The film is a professional TV film, not too bad as such but way below Russell's capabilities.
A documentary by Russell on professional female soccer players in Brighton.
It was broadcast on BBC regional television as part of BBC2's Southern Eye series. Here is a review by Ray Allen (thanks Ray): At the end of Brighton Belles, Ken mentions that Fulham FC are the only professional women's football team in this country. As a season ticket holder of that club and a resident of Brighton (as well as a lifelong enthusiast of Ken Russell) I may, therefore, be seen as having a particular interest in Ken Russell meets the Brighton Belles. For me, much of Ken's recent work has been spoilt by a tendency to wish to appear like one of his characters from Lisztomania when acting as narrator. I am delighted to say that here he appears rather like a paternalistic grandfather to two young American women football players currently 'over here' to gain experience of playing in another country (at the highest level.) It remains a mystery as to just why they should wish to come to Britain to gain this experience when only three clubs, Fulham, Arsenal and the 'Doncaster Belles' take the women's game at all seriously. The film charts the girls' early experiences of playing for Brighton Ladies at Tranmere in front of a mere handful of spectators whereas at home they might expect crowds larger that the average third division match in this country.
Uncle Ken cajoles and encourages them as they wander around the sights in Brighton 'having fun.' He cooks for them 'Mushroom Risotto a la Russell' (as Ken says "looks like dog sick") but is probably not a match for Ken Hom (certainly not sartorially!) Sitting on a bench (not far from the nudist beach - which is thankfully not mentioned!) Ken shows considerable ability in being able to tease out, in a wonderfully natural way these young ladies' thoughts and aspirations. I doubt these young women will be taken on by Fulham, as the limited footage of their football skills failed to suggest particular ability; but who knows, the evidence of their playful vocalising to guitar accompaniment is surely dreadful enough to suggest a career in pop music! Ken's homely homily leaves this viewer with the desire to know what becomes of these two obviously delightful young people. Perhaps the BBC would allow Ken in future years to follow Sean and her friend across the pond. I, for one , would be really interested.
2002 Elgar Portrait of the Composer on a Bicycle Ken Russell's second attempt at Elgar is brave considering the high regard for his original version.
The documentary has no dialogue, rather a voice-over by Ken. But actually the music dominates the film, with the Enigma Variations used as a link with the variations being unravelled.
There are some references back to the original Elgar film: the war wounded and the kite on the hill. And the film ends in the present with Ken looking at a statue of Elgar.
An accomplished work, showing that Ken can still adapt his style to his subject. |
