Savage Messiah: Ken Russell > Savage Messiah: Ken Russell
Music Videos by Jon Sorensen
Jon Sorensen:
Hi, Iain.
ALIEN (1979) never dies. And why should it? 45 years on we are on the eve of a new incaranation called ALIEN: ROMULUS.We defintely created a classic monster. A film we are all very, very proud of, the alchemy and team in its' production was unforgettable. But, as I say in the interview, "You can only do something for the first time once". Ken never did sequels. So what of this new film? Since they constantly ran a 35mm print of our orginal during the shoot and post production referencing our lighting, sets and camera set-ups, it sounds like a flattering emulation. As Gaudier-Brezka said in Ken's "Savage Messiah" when he was caught copying old masters, "Better a good copy than a bad original". But in this case, the original is a classic which looks even now like it was shot last week. So, apart from Disney's commercial instincts, do we really need another version and why do the fans crave more "Alien". Six sequels with all the good books laying around waiting to be filmed? Perhaps G.K. Chesterton was close when he said, “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again,’ and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. Grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.” Below is a link to a download for any who might be interested. It contains an interview I gave years ago about my time on ALIEN. Plus two short recent CGI conceits of mine from my website, both "Alien" related, "Sailors" and "Brides". You see, the original underlying themes of ALIEN were that, like Lovecraftian lore, the aliens had an intelligence and a long culture. Hence the two CGI shorts. The notion was of a creature who took the basic nature of its' host, its' parent. In the case of ALIEN it was man. And we are definitely the realkillers, not the Alien. Witness Gaza. So it was born a savage on the Nostromo Kane's son was out to pick a fight. Of course, by part two, we were onto big guns and Vietnam tropes, excellent though they were, but the culture and history of the species never materialised since. "I admire their purity", to paraphrase the android Ash in ALIEN. I'm being taken to see this ALIEN: ROMULUS by two sweet diehard fans of which there are Legion. I am sure it will have merit. I hope they had fun doing it. But we'll no doubt have yet more Facehuggers and gore galore. I guess we will never see the science or the love within this species. Speaking of SPECIES, that is the Ken connection. He turned down another sci-fi after ALTERED STATES. I asked him which film that was. He could'nt remember. So we went through a list. I said "SPECIES". "Yeah, that was it", said Ken. It would have been cool to see him work with Giger, who was himself a cultured and sensitive man, just like the ALIENS. It was a wonderful time in the industry, and speaking of which, in hand is another short CGI music by me referencing a film I did photographic and visual effects for, one of my heartfelt absolute favourites, "The Watcher In The Woods". It'll appear when it's ready. That film was also made by Disney. Not the Disney we have now, but the Disney we had back then. The real one. The one who sent you a Christmas card if you had done work for them. I worked on that 45 years ago too, including hand drawn FX animation, front projection and Bette Davies, and a wonderful English director called John Hough. A film about a dimensionally displaced girl who played ring 'o roses with her friends and ended up far from home. A wonderfully English movie too. Another anniversary. That covers it. Thought I'd drop by. Keep watching the skies and keep your sense of wonder. And you're welcome. I think the two ALIEN fans taking me along to see this new one are simply fascinated to see if I'll burst into tears. I'll try to exult the monotony.
The link to download the file is here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zfxeeoxw39vhihadaciw0/On-Alien-2024-Jon-Sorensen.mp4?rlkey=knja62l01h0pjv6ceipbxch91&st=4janorlz&dl=0
Very Best,
Jon
www.jonsorensencreative.com
Jon Sorensen:
Hi, Iain,
This photo of myself, Ken and Lisi Russell surfaced in my files.
Fun times. Thought you guys might like it. It was a mask day.
I'm on the road again and will check in later in the year when I resurface.
Take care of yourselves. Keep Your Sense Of Wonder.
My Very Best
Jon
www.jonsorensencreative.com
Iain Fisher:
Hi Jon,
Thanks for all these. I have watched a few of the videos, all good stuff, music and stunning imagery. I liked the Edinburgh reference, I always though of Edinburgh as a city of various levels.
Clouds of Glory is better than my copy. I was at the BFI filming (Melvyn Bragg was there). Good seeing it on a large screen and an even better copy but still still with some damaged film. The BFI said their copy was very fragile, but is the best copy still around.
Iain
Jon Sorensen:
There is now a link here for anyone interested to download a file I have done of Ken's wonderful Lake Poet films, "Clouds Of Glory". My pleasure. Both 50 minute films, "William and Dorothy" and "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" are on here. Enjoy.
The link is here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zs2k1fnctpl0z4jovazw0/Jon-Sorensen-Clouds-Of-Glory.zip?rlkey=lw8gabqe0qouhx8w4rbmulh6v&dl=0
That covers it. Have a great year, guys.
Jon Sorensen
www.jonsorensencreative.com
Jon Sorensen:
Yep, just to reassure you, Iain, it was me who posted the rattle below. Me and the internet. I think I accessed your site pressing the wrong buttons. Pretty par for the course. So, no, it's not Donald Trump under a pseudonym. Take care, guys.
Jon.
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