Ken Russell: S/D

I might get round to it eventually but it really doesn't look like something I'd enjoy. Looks too much like James Bond.

I really like Christopher Gable, he's got such a likeable face.

Whore - It's based on a play by David Hines (based on his time as a cab driver talking to prostitutes). Was supposed to be set in britain but he couldn't get anyone in britain interested (not shocked) so it had to be an american film. Had a very hard time getting an actress. Apparently Russell wanted this to be a mocking response to Pretty Woman.

Seen people saying Theresa Russell (who talks to the audience for much of the film) is either great or awful. I think she's a bit iffy but better in the quieter moments. Antonio Fargas was my favorite. Jack Nance and Danny Trejo make brief appearances. I'm wondering if it was deliberate or coincidence that Nance has a Twin Peaks-ish moment of discovering Theresa Russell.

It's pretty gutsy, even for Ken Russell and might have been great with a slightly better script, slightly bigger budget and better star (perhaps lucky he could get anyone). A lot better than I had expected.

Couldn't get the uncut version.

I guess now I'm left to youtube hunting his remaining tv films, but I'm still reluctant to see anything where he was said to be merely a hired hand (Prisoner Of Honor, Lady Chatterley, Dogboys). Can I find his stupid Uri Geller film?

I somehow forgotten to list Salome's Last Dance in my rankings, the film is mostly good because of the star, who sadly never continued acting because of her health. If I had the means or knowledge I've always wanted to make a gif of her wriggling her fingers in anticipation. She was great.

Secret Life Of Arnold Bax (90s tv movie on youtube). Ken Russell plays Bax; it's about his affairs with various women, Glenda Jackson is his longterm pianist girlfriend. Film seems to suggest that John Ireland was into really young boys. It's fairly enjoyable.

In Search Of The English Folk Song - This is pretty silly at times but that's hardly a surprise. Ken sings to his dog and an Edward II performance is shown alongside clips of a parade that has lots of blackface dancers (some sort of event representing different cultures). The big names start appearing a bit later, I was really impressed by Chris While singing for Albion Band (I'll need to track down Albion Band - Demi Paradise). I didn't expect Osibisa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt6HUzs9RzQ

Peepshow - short silent film from the 50s, I couldn't really follow it well but it featured beggars, robbers, a magician and a woman dressed like a doll-ish clown.

Antonio Gaudi - early 60s simple short documentary. It's perfectly fine but doesn't have any real film-like qualities.

These next two TV films from the 90s...

The Strange Affliction Of Anton Bruckner - Bruckner goes to a sanatorium and I'm fairly sure he has OCD and none of the treatments seem very helpful. He's a very gentle character and he develops a close relationship with a nurse. I doubt it stuck very closely to what really happened but it's nice.

The Mystery Of Dr Martinu - In the first half, Bohuslav Martinu wanders through strange obstacles and memories; these are later on revealed to be dreams that are decoded by Martinu, his friend and his wife for the remainder. It works much better than you might imagine and it might be the oddest of Russell's TV films?
I'm not familiar with Patrick Ryecart, apparently he's done loads of british television I've somehow never seen but I thought his voice was very impressive.

S:

In the mid-1980s film director Ken Russell and pornographer Bob Guccione fell out over a failed attempt to film the novel Moll Flanders. A lawsuit ensued, in which the relatively impecunious Ken Russell found himself facing the vast might of the Penthouse corporation. Russell however managed to reach an arrangement with celebrity lawyer Aaron Richard Golub. Golub was interested in launching a musical career, so Russell agreed to direct a music video for him in lieu of paying legal fees.

The lawyer had previously directed his own video as Golub Rap Cinema, for the song He Is My Lawyer by his band Power Of Attorney, which included Jerry Orbach. Here is Russell's vmic followup, shot at Sing Sing, for Golub's Dancing For Justice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJTspEgxdto

(Amazingly, the lawyer's rapping seems to have gotten considerably worse between the first and second song.)

Thanks, that was fun. Probably the best music video I've seen by him but his others are curiously underwhelming because you'd think he'd excel at them.

yeah, I got to it by reading that he'd done videos including Nikita by Elton John, then watching that and being far from whelmed.

oh my god, thank you for this revive

Wow kudos to the digital artist who was able to sneak one of the nuns from Ken Russell's The Devils into a background shot of Space Jam 2 pic.twitter.com/nY3bjbWaah

— Mike Sampson (@mjsamps) June 9, 2021

Ken Russell did a masterclass thing when I was at film school and it was a disaster.

https://michael-gothard.livejournal.com/?utm_medium=endless_scroll

Always thought he looked like Simon Amstell and was pretty funny in The Devils. Kind of pleased but not surprised he has some serious fans, he was very good looking.