Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was an English film director. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film, and for his controversial style. He has been criticized as being over-obsessed with sexuality and the church. His subject matter is often about famous composers, or based on other works of art which he adapts loosely. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning romantic drama Women in Love (1969), the notoriously controversial The Devils (1971), the rock musical Tommy (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980). One noted admirer, British film critic Mark Kermode, 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. He now makes very strange experimental films like Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and out there as the work he made in the 1970s."
Filmography
Twiggy
as (archival footage)
Twiggy
as (archival footage)
The Who: One Band's Explosive Story
as Self (archive footage)
The Who: One Band's Explosive Story
as Self (archive footage)
Director of Devils
as Self
Director of Devils
as Self
Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil
as Self (archive footage)
Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil
as Self (archive footage)
The Devils Original on-set footage
The Devils Original on-set footage
Mr. Nice
as Russell Miegs
Mr. Nice
as Russell Miegs
The Aristofrogs
The Aristofrogs
Boudica Bites Back
as Roman Senator
Boudica Bites Back
as Roman Senator
A Kitten for Hitler
as Santa
A Kitten for Hitler
as Santa
10 Best Elgar
as Self (archive footage)
10 Best Elgar
as Self (archive footage)
The Real Blue Nuns
as Self
The Real Blue Nuns
as Self
Trapped Ashes
as Dr. Lucy (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Trapped Ashes
as Dr. Lucy (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Brothers of the Head
as Himself
Brothers of the Head
as Himself
Colour Me Kubrick
as The Man In Nightgown
Colour Me Kubrick
as The Man In Nightgown
Revenge of the Elephant Man
Revenge of the Elephant Man
100 Greatest Sexy Moments
as Self
100 Greatest Sexy Moments
as Self
Celebrity Naked Ambition
as Self - Contributor
Celebrity Naked Ambition
as Self - Contributor
Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils
as Self
Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils
as Self
Elgar: Fantasy on a Composer on a Bicycle
as Narrator (voice)
Elgar: Fantasy on a Composer on a Bicycle
as Narrator (voice)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
as Dr. Calahari
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
as Dr. Calahari
The Real Oliver Reed
as Self
The Real Oliver Reed
as Self
Lion's Mouth
as Ken
Lion's Mouth
as Ken
In Search of the English Folk Song
as Self
In Search of the English Folk Song
as Self
Tales of Erotica
as Mr. Kirsch (segment 'The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch') (uncredited)
Tales of Erotica
as Mr. Kirsch (segment 'The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch') (uncredited)
Empire of the Censors
as Self
Empire of the Censors
as Self
Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue
as Self
Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue
as Self
Alice in Russialand
Alice in Russialand
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
as Sir Arnold Bax
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
as Sir Arnold Bax
Whore
as Waiter (uncredited)
Whore
as Waiter (uncredited)
Road to Mandalay
as Self
Road to Mandalay
as Self
The Russia House
as Walter
The Russia House
as Walter
A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible
A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible
The Lair of the White Worm
as Police Radio (voice) (uncredited)
The Lair of the White Worm
as Police Radio (voice) (uncredited)
Salome's Last Dance
as Cappadocian
Salome's Last Dance
as Cappadocian
Gothic
as Tourist
Gothic
as Tourist
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
as Self
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
as Self
Valentino
as Rex Ingram (uncredited)
Valentino
as Rex Ingram (uncredited)
Tommy
as Cripple (uncredited)
Tommy
as Cripple (uncredited)
Song of Summer
as Priest
Song of Summer
as Priest
Don’t Shoot the Composer
as Himself
Don’t Shoot the Composer
as Himself
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
as Captain Patterson
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
as Captain Patterson
Russell at Work
Russell at Work
Walk With The Damned
as Hood
Walk With The Damned
as Hood
PuzzleFace
as god
PuzzleFace
as god