Ken Russell’s Pitch-Perfect Perversions
Programmed by: Danielle Momoh
“That’s either an obscene call or the beginning of Michael Tippett’s Fourth Symphony.”
Ken Russell traded mainly in sexual and musical energy. As much as he spurned organized religion, particularly Catholicism, he believed deeply in the power of the music, the natural world, paganism, even sex magic. This inclination to indulge in the strangeness of life melded with his lifelong obsession with music and the people who make it, resulting in the most unique musicals and musician biopics in film history. The unabashed sexuality and mind-expanding imagery in his films are not distractions from his sharp, often satirical jabs at any systematic attempt to rationally categorize a naturally mystical, sexual and terrifying world. They are part and parcel of his vision. His films are explosive renderings of characters’ psyches, visual meditations on confusion and fear, and sometimes are simply an acid trip. Nothing captures the tone of this collection of Russell’s films more than this: his mother once caught him feverishly dancing naked to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Enjoy!
Altered States (1980)
Ken Russell · 103m · Digital
Grad school frequently reminds us that some of our greatest young (male) minds are selfish opportunists hiding behind a dusty tome or a crisp white lab coat. Professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) confronts his own states of matter via a psychedelic trip gone terribly wrong. Or terribly right, if you believe one must wade through waking nightmares and hallucinogenic freak outs to confront one’s psyche and truly change.
Thursday, October 1 9:30 PM
The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Ken Russell · 93m · Digital
Perhaps one of the most calmly surreal of Russell’s cinematic efforts, nightmare sequences feature murderous sacrilegious nuns, vampires seduced by bagpipes, and of course a dragon. Russell’s deep interest in pagan mythology and the Roman century is most evident here, as well as his profound investment in homoeroticism. Come for Amanda Donohoe’s fantastic outfits and giant snake strap-on, stay for Hugh Dancy and Peter Capaldi’s incredible sexual tension.
Thursday, October 8 9:30 PM
Lisztomania (1975)
Ken Russell · 103m · Digital
Not exactly your average musician’s biopic. Russell’s fascination with Romantic composers continues with this bombastic fantasy tribute to Frank Litz and the soul of a musician. Senseless, fun and completely original, there is not much that can be written to summarize this film effectively. Roger Daltrey climbs into a massive vagina? Ringo Starr is the Pope? There’s a flame-throwing piano? You just have to see it to believe it.
Thursday, October 15 9:30 PM
Tommy (1975)
Ken Russell · 111m · DCP
After a formative, yet traumatic childhood event, a now deaf, dumb and blind boy grows up to become both a master pinball player and the idol of a religious cult. Is it an adaptation of a The Who album for the silver screen, an off-the-rails rockglam opera, or a treatise on how religion and celebrity worship keep perpetuating cycles of abuse? Or, somehow most probably, all three? This larger-than-life surrealist fantasia features performances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton (and The Who, of course), as well as some comically large pairs of boots.
Thursday, October 22 9:30 PM
Gothic (1986)
Ken Russell · 88m · Digital
The story is familiar to any classic literature lover: Lord Byron and his lover Claire Clairmont are visited by Percy and Mary Shelley. They tell spooky stories while roaming around Byron’s estate, high off their own fear, and Mary Shelley inaugurates an entirely new genre of storytelling. Russell takes this real life event as an opportunity to create some of his most deranged and horrifying imagery yet. The resulting film feels like watching a frankly incestous friend group have the worst acid trip of their lives. Perhaps Russell’s most disjointed film, but it contains some of the most breathtaking hallucination sequences of his entire career.
Thursday, October 29 9:30 PM
Mahler (1974)
Ken Russell · 115m · 35mm
Ken Russell’s idea of a more “traditional” biopic, only because you do come away from this psychedelic feverish and overtly symbolic film with at least two facts about Mahler’s life. Mostly though, it stays true to Russell’s inclination to depict the emotive forces that shape a composer’s life instead of the literal events. Endlessly inventive, the film is anchored to earth just enough by Robert Powell and Georgina Hale’s unique performances as Gustav and Alma Mahler.
Thursday, November 5 9:30 PM
Salome’s Last Dance (1988)
Ken Russell · 89m · Digital
Russell’s skewed adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play balances the director’s freewheeling hedonism with a reflection on its own excesses. Staged as Oscar Wilde and his lover having a rendition of Salome thrust upon them by the overeager owner of a gay brothel, Russell resists reproducing Wilde’s ideas. Instead, Russell watches Wilde watch his own art, leaving the audience to question the function of provocation in art. And there’s plenty to ponder here. One hint: John the Baptist, a large appendage, and three very accomodating women.
Thursday, November 12 9:30 PM
The Rainbow (1989)
Ken Russell · 113m · Digital
A D.H. Lawrence adaptation and a quasi-prequel to Russell’s Women in Love, the film follows Ursula Brangwen, an ambitious young woman determined to pursue sexual freedom after an encounter triggers her sexual awakening. Tied together by Sammi Davis’ incredible lead performance, The Rainbow has a curious, perhaps feminist view on sexual exploration. Unexpectedly, Russell ruminates on societal systems as they are, instead of capturing the moments where they are broken down.
Thursday, November 19 9:30 PM
The Boy Friend (1971)
Ken Russell · 138m · Digital
A 70s pastiche of 30s American musicals from a British cult filmmaker. Starring Twiggy in a role that seems tailor-made for her, Russell knows exactly how to wield her wide eyes to create a deeply unsettling (and arresting) effect. Features brilliant costuming from Shirley Russell, Ken Russell’s incredible creative collaborator and wife. An exercise in just how far you can push a genre before it breaks, and the crowning glory of Russell’s filmography.
