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Ken Russell

Born Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell
July 3, 1927 (1927-07-03) (age 80)
Hampshire, England
Spouse(s) Shirley Russell (1956-1978)
Vivian Jolly (1983-1991)
Hetty Baynes (1992-1999)
Lisi Tribble (2001-)

Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born July 3, 1927), is an English film director. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain Shirley Russell ( March 11, 1935 – March 4, 2002) was an award-winning British Costume designer and the first wife Hetty Baynes (born 1957 is an English actress. She began her career as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School and made her professional debut at 12 Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his controversial style. His subject matter is often about famous composers or other works of art which he adapts loosely. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composer's 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 film Women in Love (1969), The Who's Tommy (1975), and the sci-fi film Altered States (1980). Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Altered States is a 1980 Science fiction Film adaptation of a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

Contents

Biography

Early career

Russell was born in Southampton, and was educated in Walthamstow and at Pangbourne College. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England This article is about a town For the album by East 17 see Walthamstow (album. Pangbourne College is a Coeducational public school located in the Civil parish of Pangbourne, just south-west of the Village, at He served in both the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy, and moved into television work after short careers in dance and photography. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Photography (fә'tɒgrәfi or fә'tɑːgrәfi (from Greek φωτο and γραφία is the process and Art of recording pictures by means of capturing

His series of documentary Teddy Girl photographs were published in Picture Post magazine in the summer of 1955, and he continued to work as a freelance documentary photographer until 1959. Picture Post was a prominent photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. After 1959, Russell's amateur films (his documentaries for the Free Cinema movement, and his 1958 short Amelia and the Angel) secured him a job at the BBC, where he worked regularly from 1959 to 1970 making arts documentaries for Monitor and Omnibus. Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. Amongst his best-known works from this period were Elgar (1962), The Debussy Film (1965), Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1967), and Song of Summer (Delius) (1968). Elgar is a Drama documentary made in 1962 by the British director Ken Russell. Isadora Duncan the Biggest Dancer in the World, was a BBC TV film based on the life of the American dancer Isadora Duncan first broadcast on The Elgar film was ground-breaking because it was the first time that an arts programme (Monitor) showed one long film about an artistic figure instead of short items, and also it was the first time that re-enactments were used. Russell fought with the BBC over using actors to portray different ages of the same character, instead of the traditional photograph stills and documentary footage. This in particular is very influential, as seen in the recent Bob Dylan film I'm Not There, where several actors of varying age and sex portray Dylan at various points in his life. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major I'm Not There is a 2007 biographical Film directed by Todd Haynes and is inspired by the life of iconic Singer-songwriter

His television films became increasingly flamboyant and outrageous. The Debussy Film claimed Strauss was a Nazi: one scene in particular showed a Jew being tortured while a group of SS men look on in delight, to the tune of Strauss music. The Strauss family was so outraged they withdrew all music rights and imposed a world-wide ban on the film that continues to this day. This would not be the first time Russell courted controversy.

Russell's groundbreaking BBC work, along with Peter Watkins, influenced many directors in British cinema in the 1960s, particularly Stanley Kubrick, who admired the settings for his films, which he used in Barry Lyndon. Peter Watkins (born 29 October 1935) is an English Film and (once Television director. Barry Lyndon ( 1975) is a Period film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844 by William

Russell's first feature film was French Dressing (1963), a comedy loosely based on Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman; its critical and commercial failure sent Russell back to the BBC. Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov (26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000 was a French Journalist, Author, Actor, Screenwriter His second big-screen effort was part of author Len Deighton's Harry Palmer spy cycle, Billion-Dollar Brain (1967), starring Michael Caine. Leonard Cyril Deighton (born February 18, 1929, Marylebone, London) is a British Historian, Cookery expert Harry Palmer is the fictional Secret agent Protagonist of three Films based on Spy novels written by Len Deighton. Billion-Dollar Brain (1966 ISBN 0-09-985710-3 is a Cold War Spy novel by Len Deighton, and the fourth protagonised by an anonymous secret agent Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr, CBE (born 14 March 1933 better known by his screen name Michael Caine, is an Oscar - and BAFTA

In 1969, Russell directed what is considered his "signature film", Women In Love, a rollicking adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel of the same name about two artist sisters living in post-World War I Britain. David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930 was an English writer of the 20th century whose prolific and diverse output included Novels short World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The film starred Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed, Jennie Linden and Alan Bates. Glenda May Jackson, CBE, (born 9 May, 1936) is a British actress and Politician, currently Labour Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 &ndash 2 May 1999 was an English Actor known for his burly screen presence Jennie Linden (born 8 December 1939 in Worthing, West Sussex, United Kingdom) is an English film and television Actress Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003 was a British Actor. The film is notable for its nude wrestling scene, which broke the convention at the time that a mainstream movie couldn't show male genitalia. Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of the opponent A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute Women in Love was a groundbreaking, highly intellectual film that connected with the sexual revolution and bohemian politics of the late-60's. An intellectual (from the adjective meaning "involving thought and reason" is a person who tries to use his or her Intelligence and analytical thinking, The sexual revolution refers to the well-documented changes in social thought and codes of behaviour related to sexuality throughout the Western world that continues to evolve Bohemians are the people of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Bohemia located in the modern day Czech Republic It was nominated for several Oscars, and won 1 for Glenda Jackson for Best Actress in a Leading Role. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Russell himself was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director (his only to this day), as was his cinematographer and screenwriter.

The film is also notable for the BAFTA-nominated costume designs of Russell's wife, Shirley Russell, who he would collaborate throughout his 70's prime. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation Shirley Russell ( March 11, 1935 – March 4, 2002) was an award-winning British Costume designer and the first wife The colour schemes of Luciana Arrighi's art direction (also BAFTA-nominated) and Billy William's cinematography, which Russell used for metaphorical effect, are also often referred to by film textbooks. The term art director is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in Advertising, Publishing, film and Television, the Internet Russell enjoyed a short-lived prestige for during this period where he was praised as "Britain's Orson Welles". George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television

1970s and controversy

He followed Women in Love with a string of innovative adult-themed films which were often as controversial as they were successful. The Music Lovers (1970), a biopic of Tchaikovsky, was unusual in that it used the composer's music to tell the story of the musician's life. The Music Lovers is a 1970 British Biographical film directed by Ken Russell. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The score was conducted to great acclaim by André Previn. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> André Previn ( Andreas Ludwig Priwin) KBE (b It starred Richard Chamberlain as a flamboyant Tchaikovsky and Glenda Jackson as his wife. The film was widely panned but it was successful at the box office.

The following year, Russell released The Devils, a film so controversial that its backers, the American company Warner Brothers, still refuse to release it uncut. The Devils ( 1971) is a Film directed by Ken Russell starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, and based on the 1952 book Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Inspired by Aldous Huxley's book The Devils of Loudun and using material from John Whiting's play The Devils, it starred Oliver Reed as a noble priest who stands in the way of a corrupt church and state. Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 &ndash 22 November 1963 was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. The Devils Of Loudun, a non-fiction book by Aldous Huxley, was first published in 1952 John Robert Whiting ( November 15, 1917 – June 16, 1963) was an English Dramatist and Critic. In America, the film, which had already been cut for distribution in Britain and where it topped the box-office for eight weeks, was further edited. It has never played in anything like its original state in America. British film critic Alexander Walker described the film as "monstrously indecent" in a television confrontation with Russell, leading the director to hit him with a rolled up copy of the Evening Standard, the newspaper for which Walker worked. For the film critic of this name see Alexander Walker (critic Alexander Walker (1837 – 1889 was the son of John ‘Johnnie’ Walker

Russell followed The Devils with a spectacular reworking of the period musical The Boy Friend, for which he cast the model Twiggy, who won two Golden Globe Awards for her performance: one for Best Actress in a comedy of musical, and one for the best newcomer. Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby; 19 September 1949) is an English Supermodel, Actress, and Singer, now also The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner The film was heavily cut, shorn of two musical numbers for its American release, where it was not a big success. Russell himself provided most of the financing for Savage Messiah, a biopic of the artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, and he provided the producer David Puttnam with a rare box-office hit with Mahler, a film which helped to make Robert Powell a household name. Savage Messiah is a 1972 Biographical film of the life of French Sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, made by Russ-Arts Henri Gaudier-Brzeska ( 4 October 1891 &ndash 5 June 1915) was a French sculptor who developed a rough hewn primitive style of direct carving David Terence Puttnam Baron Puttnam, CBE, FRSA, (born 25 February 1941 is a film producer and politician Mahler is a 1974 Biographical film based on the life of Composer Gustav Mahler. Robert Powell (born 1 June 1944) is a well-known English television and film Actor, probably most famous for his title role in

In 1975, Russell's star-studded film version of The Who's rock opera Tommy starring Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson, spent a record fourteen weeks at the No. Tommy is a 1975 Musical film, based on The Who's 1969 "rock opera" album musical Tommy. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the Ann-Margret (born April 28 1941 is a Swedish -born American actress singer Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an eight time Grammy Award -winning American Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson (born April 22 1937) is an American Actor, internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals 1 spot and played to full houses for over a year. Adapting the rock opera record for the screen, Russell had the composer, Pete Townshend, add some new numbers to fill out the story and changed a key detail in the traumatic murder that Tommy witnesses (leading to the child becoming deaf, dumb and blind). Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer,

Two months before Tommy was released (in March 1975), Russell started work on Lisztomania (1975), another vehicle for Roger Daltrey, and for the film scoring of prog-rocker Rick Wakeman. Lisztomania is a 1975 film by Ken Russell, drawn from a biography of Franz Liszt. Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949 in Perivale, London) is an English Keyboard player best known as the One of Russell's aims with this wild comic strip of a film was to explore the power of music for good (inspirational) and evil. In the film, the good music of Franz Liszt is stolen by Richard Wagner who, in his operas, puts forward the theme of the Superman. The Übermensch ( German; English: Overman, Superman) is a Concept in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Tommy and Lisztomania were important in the rise of improved motion picture sound in the 1970s, as they were among the first films to be released with Dolby-encoded soundtracks. The earlier has become a bit of a cult favourite, while the latter film was and is considered too overblown, even for Russell. Still, 'Lisztomania, tagged as "the film that out-Tommys 'Tommy'", topped the British box-office for two weeks in November 1975, when Tommy was still in the list of the week's top five box-office hits. Russell's next film, the 1977 flat biopic Valentino, also topped the British box-office for two weeks, but was not a hit in America. Valentino is a biographical Drama film very loosely based on the life of Rudolph Valentino, directed by Ken Russell.

1980s

Russell's 1980 effort Altered States was a departure in both genre and tone, in that it is Russell's only foray into science fiction. Altered States is a 1980 Science fiction Film adaptation of a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky Working from Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay (based upon his novel), Russell used his penchant for elaborate visual effects to translate Chayefsky's hallucinatory story to the cinema, and took the opportunity to add his trademark religious and sexual imagery. Sidney Aaron Chayefski ( January 29, 1923 &ndash August 1, 1981) known as Paddy Chayefsky was an acclaimed dramatist who transitioned See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The film was also noteworthy for its innovative Oscar-nominated score by John Corigliano. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. John Corigliano (b February 16, 1938, New York City New York) is an American Composer of Classical music and a teacher The film enjoyed moderate financial success, scored with critics who had otherwise dismissed Russell's work. Roger Ebert, who had given The Devils "zero stars", and had panned his composer portraits, gave it his highest rating for Russell's work (three-and-a-half stars), praising it "one hell of a movie!"

Unfortunately, Russell's behaviour on set, including a row with Chayefsky himself, caused Russell to become a virtual pariah in Hollywood.

Russell's last American film was Crimes of Passion (1984), with Anthony Perkins and Kathleen Turner was seen as an all-around failure. For the 1957 film see Crime of Passion. Crimes of Passion is a 1984 Film directed by Ken Russell starring Anthony Perkins ( April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -winning American Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is a Tony Award - and Academy Award -nominated American actress.

Unable to comply with the artistic conservatism of Hollywood, Russell returned to Europe. After taking a break from film to direct opera, Russell found financing with various independent companies. During this period he directed Gothic (1986) with Gabriel Byrne, about the night Mary Shelly came up with Frankenstein, and The Lair of the White Worm with Hugh Grant, based on a novella by Bram Stoker. Gothic is a 1986 Film directed by Ken Russell. It starred Gabriel Byrne as Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Gabriel James Byrne ( Irish: Gabriel Séamas Ó Broin; born 12 May, 1950) is an Emmy - and Tony -nominated Irish Mary Shelley ( Née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a Novel written by the British author Mary Shelley The Lair of the White Worm (also known as The Garden of Evil) is a Horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, who also Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960 is a British Actor and Film producer. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror Though dismissed at the time, both of these films are considered cult classics of the horror genre.

Russell finished off the 1980s with The Rainbow, another D. The Rainbow is a 1915 Novel by British author D H Lawrence. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family particularly focusing on the sexual H. Lawrence adaptation, which also happens to be the prequel to Women In Love. Glenda Jackson played the mother of her character in the previous film. It was a more subdued film for Russell and impressed critics. It is largely regarded as his last "personal film".

1990s

In the 1990 film The Russia House, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, Russell made one of his first significant acting appearances, portraying Walter, an ambiguously gay British intelligence officer who discomfits his more strait-laced CIA counterparts. The Russia House is a Novel by John le Carré published in 1989 Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( IPA: /mɪˈʃɛl ˈfаɪfɜr/ born April 29 1958 is an American Actress. An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organisation to collect compile and analyse information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organisation near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Russell has since occasionally acted.

In 1991, Russell directed his final film of any note, Whore. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. It was highly controversial and branded with an NC-17 rating for its sexual content. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U The MPAA and the theatre chains also refused to release posters or advertise a film called "Whore", so for this purpose was re-titled "If You Can't Say It, Just See It". Russell protested that his film be given such a rating when Pretty Woman gets an R, since his film showed the real hardships of being a prostitute, and the other glorified it. Pretty Woman is a 1990 Romantic comedy film. The film centers around the titular character down-on-her-luck Prostitute Vivian Ward ( R is the eighteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled ar (ɑr pronounced or) Often considered one of his worst efforts, it also served as the final nail in his professional coffin.

By the early 1990s, Russell had become a bit of a celebrity: his notoriety and persona had attracted more attention than any of his work. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 He became largely reliant on his own finances to continue making films. Much of his work since 1990 has been commissioned for television, and he has contributed regularly to The South Bank Show. The South Bank Show is an award-winning Television arts magazine show made by London Weekend Television, presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast Prisoner of Honor (1991) was Russell's final work with Oliver Reed; his final film with Glenda Jackson before she gave up acting for politics, The Secret Life of Arnold Bax (1992) is also (to date) his last composer biographical drama. Prisoner of Honor is a 1991 Television movie made by Warner Bros Mindbender (1996) was dismissed as propaganda for mentalist Uri Geller and Dogboys (aka Tracked) (1998) was unrecognizable as a Russell film. Uri Geller (אורי גלר born György Gellér ( Hungarian name December 20, 1946) is an Israeli British performer

2000s

Russell had a cameo in the 2006 film adaptation of Brian Aldiss's novel Brothers of the Head by the directors of Lost in La Mancha. Brian Wilson Aldiss, '''OBE''', (born August 18, 1925 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England) is a prolific English Plot Summary Brothers of the Head is the 2005 Mockumentary featuring the story of Tom and Barry Howe ( Luke Treadaway and Harry Lost in La Mancha (2002 is a documentary movie narrated by Jeff Bridges about Terry Gilliam 's failed first attempt to make He also had a cameo in the 2006 Colour Me Kubrick. Colour Me Kubrick (released in the US as Color Me Kubrick) is a Comedy-drama Film released in 2006 ( March 23 He directed a segment for the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2007) which also includes segments directed by Sean S. Cunningham, Monte Hellman, and Joe Dante. Sean Sexton Cunningham (born December 31, 1941 in New York City) is an American Film director, producer and writer Monte Hellman (born July 12, 1932, in New York City, New York) is an American Film director, producer, and Film editor Joseph Domenick "Joe" Dante (born November 28, 1946) is an American Film director and producer of films generally with He is currently in pre-production for two films: The Pearl of the Orient and Kings X.

Efforts such as The Lion's Mouth (2000) and The Fall of the Louse of Usher (2002) have suffered from low production values (for example, being shot in video on Russell's estate, and often featuring Russell himself) and limited distribution.

Since 2004 Russell has been visiting professor of the University of Wales, Newport Film School. The University of Wales ( Prifysgol Cymru in Welsh) is a confederal University founded in 1893. The International Film School Wales (IFSW is part of Newport School of Art Media and Design at University of Wales Newport. One of his many tasks is to advise students on the making of their graduate films. He also presented the Finest Film Awards (for graduate filmmakers of Newport) in June 2005.

Russell was appointed visiting fellow at the University of Southampton in April 2007, where he will act in a similar capacity to his role at the Newport Film School, until March 2008. The University of Southampton is a university situated in the city of Southampton, on the south coast of England. The International Film School Wales (IFSW is part of Newport School of Art Media and Design at University of Wales Newport. His arrival was celebrated with a screening of the rare director's cut of The Devils hosted by Mark Kermode. Mark Kermode (born Mark Fairey, 2 July 1963) is an English film critic who regularly writes for Sight and Sound

Russell is currently (2007) in production of his first full length film in almost 5 years, Moll Flanders, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe's novel, starring Lucinda Rhodes-Flaherty and Barry Humphries. Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 — April 24, 1731 was an English Writer, Journalist, and Pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (commonly known as simply "Moll Flanders") is a Novel written by Lucinda Rhodes-Flaherty (born 1981) is a British television actress dancer and singer John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE (born 17 February 1934, Kew, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian

In 2007 Russell produced A Kitten For Hitler, a short film hosted by the Comedybox. tv website. Russell commented that "Ten years ago, while working on The South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg and I had a heated discussion on the pros and cons of film censorship. Melvyn Baron Bragg, FRSL, FRTS (born 6 October 1939) is a British author and broadcaster Broadly speaking, Melvyn was against it, while I, much to his surprise, was absolutely for it. He then dared me to write a script that I thought should be banned. I accepted the challenge and a month or so later sent him a short subject entitled A Kitten for Hitler. "Ken," he said, "if ever you make this film and it is shown, you will be lynched. " [1]

Writings

Russell has written books on filmmaking and on the British film industry; a brilliant and witty 1989 autobiography entitled A British Picture: An Autobiography (published in the United States as Altered States: The Autobiography of Ken Russell). An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" He has also published five novels, three on the sex lives of composers - Delius, Brahms and Beethoven; one a science-fiction rewriting of Genesis. Frederick Albert Theodore Delius CH (29 January 1862 &ndash 10 June 1934 was an English Composer born in Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. His latest novel, published in 2006 is called Violation. It is a very violent future-shock tale of an England where football has become the national religion. He currently writes a column for the Times every Thursday in the Film section of times 2. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register.

Celebrity Big Brother 5

Russell joined Celebrity Big Brother on January 3, 2007, at the start of the series. Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the highly controversial fifth series of the United Kingdom Reality television series Celebrity Big Brother Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He left voluntarily on the following Sunday (7 January), after an altercation with Jade Goody. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (born 5 June 1981 is a British Television Celebrity. He had however earlier that day before his argument with Goody told Big Brother in the diary room not to be surprised if he asked to leave.

As he entered the house, he sang "Singin' in the Rain"; his entrance was unusual as he was escorted down the stairs to the interior of the house by host Davina McCall. " Singin' in the Rain " is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. [2]

On the January 7 episode of Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother it was revealed that Russell had made the decision to leave the house, citing difficulty dealing with the arrival of Jade Goody and her family. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental This is a complete list of shows about and relating to Big Brother (UK. The cause of the argument between Goody and Russell was the servant task set by the show, in which eight celebrities were told they had to wait on Goody, her family, and three other contestants — including Russell. Ken Russell left the Big Brother house on the afternoon of January 7, even after he and Jade had called a truce. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental In a statement he said: "I don't want to live in a society riddled with evil and hatred". [1]

During his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house it emerged that Russell once had a cameo in an episode of the popular British soap EastEnders. EastEnders is a most popular and award-winning Television Soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985

Photography

In the early stages of his career Ken Russell struggled to break into the film industry. Before 'making it', Russell enjoyed a brief fling with photography. An exhibition displaying some of Russell's work is currently on display in central London's Proud Galleries in The Strand, London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

The exhibition, entitled Ken Russell's Lost London Rediscovered: 1951-1957, is set to run until August 21, 2007 and includes over fifty limited edition prints from Russell's personal collection. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. As implied by the title, the prints displayed are all taken in and around London, with many of the pictures being taken in the Portobello Road area of London. Portobello Road is a road in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England.

References

  1. ^ My Kitten for Hitler is all in the best bad taste - Times Online
  2. ^ The Sun: Latest news from the Celebrity Big Brother

[2] --BBC Interview with Ken Russell and Tony Lane on Invasion of the Not Quite Dead (2008)

Selected Filmography

External links

Achille-Claude Debussy (aʃil klod dəbysi (August 22 1862 &ndash March 25 1918 was a French Composer. Sir Huw Pyrs Wheldon OBE MC ( 7 May 1916 &ndash 14 March 1986) was a BBC broadcaster and executive
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