Maverick filmmaker Ken Russell dies
The enfant terrible of British cinema, most famous for directing the naked wrestling scene in 1969’s Women In Love, has died aged 84. Channel 4 News looks back on Ken Russell’s “irrepressible” life.
Born in 1927 in Southampton, Ken Russell came to notoriety for his controversial filmmaking during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1969, he directed a sexually graphic adaptation of DH Lawrence’s Women in Love, featuring Oliver Reed wrestling naked with Alan Bates. The film earned Russell an Oscar nomination and catapulted the director – and British cinema – onto the international arena.
He went on develop a flamboyant style in later films through the 70s and 80s, including The Music Lovers, Savage Messiah, Mahler, Lisztomania and Valentino. In 1971, he directed the X-rated religious drama, The Devils, and The Boy Friend, which starred Twiggy.
Some of his heavily violent or sexually charged films were slated by critics, but this was partly because they were so different to the realism-soaked “kitchen-sink” dramas of the 1960s, Geoff Andrew, head of the film programme at the British Film Institute (BFI) told Channel 4 News.
“He used surrealism, exaggeration, colour, music, costume, to push things beyond realism. No-one was doing that in Britain, and the ‘shockingness’ of his style was part and parcel of that. He didn’t feel he had to restrain himself – he didn’t want to be part of this grey world.”
Russell said his love of film started at the age of 10 when he was given a film projector, but it was not until his 30s that he started working in the industry.
In his late teens, Russell joined the merchant navy and later worked as a ballet dancer for five years in his 20s. He then tried his hand at fashion photography and from there, moved into black and white silent films. He pitched one of these, Amelia, to the BBC, and was offered a job on the arts programme Monitor.
In total, he made 32 films for British TV, including one about the life and work of composer Edward Elgar, which is largely responsible for the revival of Elgar’s music.
Many of Russell’s films reflected his passionate love of music and the arts. In 1975, Russell directed a film version of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, and his films about composers Tchaikovsky and Delius were also celebrated.
A ‘great sense of fun’
Over time, the film director’s colourful character became as well known as his films.
In 2007, he became known to a new generation after taking part in Celebrity Big Brother, only to leave the house after four days, saying: “I don’t want to live in a society riddled with evil and hatred.”
The BFI’s Mr Andrew interviewed him in 1989 as his film, Gothic, was released and met him again when the BFI presented a retrospective of his TV work in 2007.
“Irrepressible would be how I describe him,” Mr Andrew told Channel 4 News.
“He enjoyed provoking people and was very much his own man. He was not reticent, but neither was he arrogant. One of the nice things about him, was that he didn’t take himself very seriously and had a great sense of fun.”
Others have also paid tribute to the director.
Jonathan Ross described Russell as “a film-maker of rare vision and unique talent. Also, a lovely man to spend time with”, while David Baddiel said Russell was a “massively underrated film-maker. In his prime – The Music Lovers, Women In Love – one of our best ever.”
The BFI Southbank is screening The Boy Friend on 9th and 9th December. The X-rated version of Russell’s controversial The Devils will also be released by the BFI in March 2012 for the first time.
