Ken Russell in other people's films

Celebrity Big Brother, 2007

Ken Russell on the reality television series Celebrity Big Brother.  A group of people are locked in a house and filmed non-stop every day.  Ken appeared with Jermaine Jackson of the Jackson Five, singer Leo Sayer, Jo O'Meara of S Club 7, Donny Tourette of the band Towers of London, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, journalist Carole Malone (who was on Celebrity Fit Club), Ian H. Watkins of the band Steps, Cleo Rocos (of Kenny Everett fame), Dirk Benedict the television actor (The A Team and Galactica) and former Miss England Danielle Lloyd.

Ken was entertaining with his stories of filming, but soon walked out. He was sensible, as the show soon degenerated into very public racism.

Brothers of the Head 2006

Siamese twins as punk rockers.  Directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (who previously did the documentary Lost in La Mancha about Terry Gilliam) and starring Harry and Luke Treadaway.  This is a filming of the Brian Aldiss novel.  Ken plays appears with segments of his own attempt to film the book, Two Way Romeo.  The film starts promisingly with an image Ken Russell would be proud of- a fire engine driving by, but it is on fire.

However the film declines rapidly- the pseudo-documentary format isn't convincing.  In the DVD extras Ken says that he paid £50,000 for the rights to the novel, but didn't realise that Brian Aldiss had based his novel on living people.  So after Ken started filming Two way Romeo, he was faced with a lawsuit from the real-life people, and Ken had to stop filming.  Brothers of the Head features scenes from Two Way Romeo.

Marple: The Moving Finger 2006

Ken appears as Reverend Caleb Dane Calthrop in an episode of Marple.  It is part of a series of Agatha Christie mysteries starring Geraldine McEwan, written by Kevin Eylot and directed by Tom Skankland.  A suicide after a poison pen letter may not actually be suicide but murder by poison.

Edmund Dane 2005

Ken has provides the voice-over for a short film, Edmund Dane.  The film is directed by Jenn Elliott and features Alan Gordon, Audrey Ann Meyers, Badria Abdul-Raouf and Thelma Miller.

Colour me Kubrick 2004

Victoria Russell, working on the film, got a cameo role for her father.  The film is a true life story of a man who pretended to be Stanley Kubrick.  The trailer for Color Me Kubrick. Ken is at the end of the trailer.  Click on the image to view it.  Thanks to Michael for the information.

Thanks to Vicky Russell for the photos which are by Nick Wall and are copyright © Nick Wall 2004.

Waking the Dead: Final Cut 2003

The BBC television crime series, with 2 hour long episodes per story.  In the episode Final Cut Ken has a guest role playing Gerry Raistrick, a director involved in murder.  When it gets too tough, Ken dies in a cinema watching Battleship Potemkin.  The director of the television series was Betsan Morris Evans.

Felicity Kendal: A Passage from India 2001

A tribute to Felicity Kendal, whose was Dorothy Wordsworth in the two Clouds of Glory films.  She was also in Valentino.  As well as Russell, the documentary includes Melvyn Bragg and Ishmail Merchant.  The director was Angela O´Leary.

Turning Points 2000

A series of shorts where people talk of the turning point in their life.  Ken's is when his first film for the BBC was accepted.  There is an interview and excerpts from Amelia and the Angel.  It is very good, with Ken talking of his life as a very young child then as a young adult- typically the period between is skipped.  Directed by Michael Le Moignan and Dean Arnett of Fly By Night Film Company for the BBC.

Carry on Darkly 1998

A documentary about the main actors of the British "Carry on..." series of comedy films.  Ken worked with one of their stars, Barbara Windsor, on The Boyfriend.  Directed by Paul Gallagher.

Great Composers 1997

Ken appears in the segment on Mahler directed by Kriss Russman.  "He lived in this world of amazing sounds that no-one had ever heard before and anything- whatever it was, a child crying or a bird singing- would set him off".  Russell wears a Dogboys hat.  The imagery of the film shows various influences from Ken's Mahler film.

A History of British Art 1996

Andrew Graham-Dixon's six part assessment of British art for the BBC.

i-camcorder 1995

An educational series for Channel 4.  Russell gives advice about filming a wedding. The director is Vic Finch and Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf gives the commentary, 1995.

Ken giving advice: "If you have a long shot you should never cut the feet off"

Empire of the Censors 1995

The influences of the film censor on film and television.  Two parts, directed by Saskia Baron for the BBC.  Interviews with lots of directors, including Ken.

Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue 1994

The film composer Georges Delerue.  Interviews with directors including Ken "Dialogue, forget it, its music and pictures and god bless you Georges Delerue for giving us directors a helping hand." 60 minutes.  Directed by Jean-Louis Comolli.

Citizen Kane: a Critical Analysis 1991

An assessment of Orson Welles epic Citizen Kane.  Film critic Robert McKee, Raymond Carney and Ken Russell discuss the film.

The Russia House 1990

Ken's only real acting role outside his own films is in The Russia House, playing one of the British Intelligence officers investigating Sean Connery.

The Kids are Alright 1979

A documentary about The Who with film footage and interviews.  The reissue in 2004 is exceptionally good with enhanced film and sound and a lot of extras.  Ken has a short, not too interesting, appearance.

The imdb (Internet Movie Database) mentions a role as a hood in the 1962 film Walk with the Damned.