Tags
Language
Tags
March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
25 26 27 28 29 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Posted By: alexov85
Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1966); Dante's Inferno (1967); Delius: Song of Summer (1968)

DVD9 + DVD5 | English + Russian | 720x480 | Mpeg2, ~5547 kbps | AC3, ~192 kbps | 7.84 + 4.13 GB
Subs: English | Art-house, Drama, Documentary

He is perhaps the most criminally underrated great director of all time. He's earned an Oscar nom, and more early career accolades than many attempting his craft. But thanks to a late in life clash with commerciality, and a stern sense of self-importance, Ken Russell now stands as a pseudo-joke. He remains a great champion of his own Englishness, and has often used unusual platforms (Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, for example) to keep his reputation exposed and intact. What many fail to realize however is that there is much more to his legacy than Lair of the White Worm, or the Who's Tommy, or naked wrestling (look it up). Indeed, at one time, no one tackled the artist biopic with more flair and verve than he.

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Thankfully, the digital format is now allowing everyone an opportunity to see this early Russell at work - and if anyone ever doubted it before, Ken Russell at the BBC argues for a director of unfathomable ability and timeless talent. It's one of the year's best sets.

DISC 2

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1966)

Plot: Constantly looking for a sponsor for her dance school, the famed artist travels from France to Russia.
Review: As portrayed by Vivian Pickles, Isadora Duncan was an outsized personality barely capable of being reeled in by regular society. Every step along her later troubled career path was marked by the imprint of her own muscled feet in her always moving mouth. From the uneasy embracing of Communism, to her last gasp 'hoping for a payday' tours, she stands as an immovable object driven by an equally unfathomable force. This is perhaps the most disconcerting piece in the entire collection, a harsh criticism wrapped up in moments of the sheer joy in movement and the body's grace. Herself trained as a dancer, Pickles lights up the screen when she's onstage, Duncan's inflated ego disappearing into a series of carefully choreographed interpretations. Still, some might find the constant confrontations and shouting matches tiring. After all, Russell makes it clear that this was one artist who could have had it all had she just kept her mighty yap shut. Because she didn't, however, we see her downfall in all its brazen glory.

IMDB info
Stars: Vivian Pickles, Peter Bowles, Alexei Jawdokimov
Production land: UK
Run time: ~63 min
bonus included
NTSC 4:3

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)



Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Dante's Inferno (1967)

Plot: With his wife sickly and his career stifled, Dante Gabriel Rossetti tries to make a mark with his painting and poetry.
Review: Like the dissertation on Duncan, Russell's look at painter/poet Rossetti and his own personal Hell (a clear allusion to the Dante of Divine Comedy fame) can be tough going at times. His relationship with Elizabeth Siddal is very upsetting, especially when we learn of her terminal illness and Rossetti's mere indifference to it. There is also another woman, a dark haired succubus who seems to bring out the worst in the artist, constantly turning causal outings into turmoil even where situations finally seem settled. As mentioned before, Russell seems obsessed by the way women of the age interacted with men. There is a contemporary twist of course, but the overall interpretation seems wrapped up in an intricate combination of need, nurturing, and novelty. As played by Reed, Rossetti is a ruthless cad, treating everyone with determined disdain. At least in this situation, we see how the personalities of everyone involved influenced the art.

IMDB info
Stars: Oliver Reed, Judith Paris, Andrew Faulds
Production land: UK
Run time: ~87 min
NTSC 4:3

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)



DISC 3

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Delius: Song of Summer (1968)

Plot: The story of how musician Eric Fenby helped ailing composer Fredrick Delius realize some of his most memorable scores.
Review: The last film here is one of the Russell's more intriguing. Instead of taking on the entire career of Delius, or arguing for the man's place in the paradigm of composers, he offers up a standard musical melodrama, the aging artist using the younger student to finalize his chapter in history. Applying various aural cues (the sound of a gong, recitations in German) as a means of illustrating the ritualized nature of creation, Russell redefines how to approach the concept of art. In all of the works featured here, we barely see the process. Instead, he focuses on the influences - friendships, love, demeanor, decisions, and the social/political implications of the time. Unlike Dante's Inferno, where the man's poetry and paintings are literally everywhere, Delius and Fenby are given little sonic support. But when we hear of the music they made together, it really does deliver an emotional bang.

To call this collection 'superb' would be an understatement. If you ever wondered why Ken Russell remains a highly touted figure in filmmaking (his recent scattershot output aside), these BBC films are excellent motion picture primers. You can see his initial forays into surrealism, his bows to dream and nightmare logic. You can witness his unique way with actors, as well as his synced up sense of Swinging London. Favorites like Oliver Reed and Annette Robertson do brilliant work, showing a kind of passionate realism within their frequently mannered characterizations. While not as eccentric or over the top as his later works, Russell clearly enjoyed the small screen format (the longest film here is 72 minutes) and his compositions and framing are fascinating. After watching all six cinematic statements, one wonders why Russell isn't more widely recognized and revered. It seems that, somewhere along the line, he forgot the captivating and inventive techniques employed here, and simply went with the weird. Ken Russell at the BBC supports the claim that he be considered among the medium's greats.

IMDB info
Stars: Max Adrian, Maureen Pryor, Christopher Gable
Production land: UK
Run time: ~73 min
NTSC 4:3

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)

Ken Russell at the BBC, Disc 2 & 3 (2008)