Omnibus classics

When the Monitor series stopped Russell continued mainly with the BBC´s Omnibus series. Without the supervision of Huw Weldon the films became more experimental and less acceptable to the general public. But they are a foretaste of the classic films he would shortly make.

1965 The Debussy Film

A film of a film with the director instructing the actor on the role of the composer Debussy. A film within a film is a common Russell motif, but here both plots (Debussy, the film) are equally important. Oliver Reed stars, and so plays both Debussy and the actor.  "Debussy was an ambiguous character and I always let the character of the person or his work dictate the way the film goes" (Russell quoted in Goodwin's Evil Spirits).

Russell saw Reed on Juke Box Jury, a British television programme and found the physical similarity between Reed and Debussy stunning.

Reed, confronted by the naked actress emerging from the swimming pool, is superb.  Other actors include Vladek Sheybal and Annete Robertson.

It is also the first collaboration with Melvyn Bragg who would write other television and film scripts for Russell, and would later become a novelist and arts presenter. Melvyn and Ken intended the script to be for the cinema but when no backer could be found after Russell's commercial failure, French Dressing, it was done as a TV film.

Russell's imagery was controversial. One of Russell's best scenes is the girl in the t-shirt in the water attached to a cross and being shot with arrows (a reference to The Martyrdom of St Sebastian- Derek Jarman also covered the same topic).  Russell for criticised because St Sebastian was played by a woman- he pointed out in Debussy's piece the role is sung by a woman.

The films starts and ends with a funeral procession...

... and is a film about a film, which allowed Russell more flexibility in the roles, avoiding the BBC strictures on using actors to portrayreal people in documentaries, as he was not portraying Debussy, but the actor in the film.  As usual there is stylish framing of shots.

Oliver Reed and Vladek Sheybal are particularly good.  Cinenatography is by John McGlashan and Ken Westbury and editing was by Ken regular Alan (sometimes Allan) Tyler.