Franco Nero
Italian actor
Ken Russell was a pioneering British film director known for his flamboyant and controversial style. He directed many acclaimed films, including the Academy Award-winning ‘Women in Love’, the horror classic ‘The Devils’, and the musical fantasy ‘Tommy’. Russell was celebrated for his creative adaptations of classical music composers’ lives and his ability to bring a unique, visually striking approach to British cinema.
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About the Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russellwas a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers’ lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios.
Russell is best known for his Academy Award-winning romantic drama film Women in Love (1969); the historical drama horror film The Devils (1971); the musical fantasy film Tommy (1975), featuring the Who; and the science fiction horror film Altered States (1980). Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.
Film critic Mark Kermode, speaking in 2006, and attempting to sum up the director’s achievement, called Russell “somebody who proved that British cinema didn’t have to be about kitchen-sink realism–it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini. Later in his life he turned to making low-budget experimental films such as The Lion’s Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and ‘out there’ as ever”.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ken Russell was a British film director known for his pioneering work in television and film, as well as his flamboyant and controversial style. He directed many feature films, both independently and for studios.
Ken Russell is best known for his Academy Award-winning romantic drama ‘Women in Love’, the historical drama horror film ‘The Devils’, the musical fantasy ‘Tommy’ featuring the band The Who, and the science fiction horror ‘Altered States’.
According to film critic Mark Kermode, Ken Russell proved that British cinema didn’t have to be about kitchen-sink realism – it could be just as flamboyant and visually striking as the work of directors like Federico Fellini.
Ken Russell’s films were mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts or biographies, with a focus on the lives of classical music composers from the Romantic era, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.
In the later part of his career, Ken Russell turned to making low-budget experimental films like ‘The Lion’s Mouth’ and ‘Revenge of the Elephant Man’, which were just as edgy and unconventional as his earlier, more well-known works.
Ken Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers’ lives that were unusual for the time, before going on to direct many feature films independently and for studios.
Ken Russell was known for his flamboyant and controversial style, and he was celebrated for his ability to bring a unique, visually striking approach to British cinema that went beyond the typical kitchen-sink realism.
2 Quotes by Ken Russell
- 1.
Reality is a dirty word for me, I know it isn’t for most people, but I am not interested. There’s too much of it about.
Ken RussellBritish film director (1927-2011)
- 2.
Films are hard to make and I think the word indulge really leads one to believe that it’s an easy sort of business and it’s really extremely difficult.
Ken RussellBritish film director (1927-2011)