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Savage Messiah: Ken Russell => Savage Messiah: Ken Russell => Topic started by: Iain Fisher on September 04, 2011, 06:36:09 PM

Title: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: Iain Fisher on September 04, 2011, 06:36:09 PM
An article "How altered aspect ratios on TV ruin feature films" by Nick Gillis on |Den of Geek here:
www.denofgeek.com/movies/1028066/how_altered_aspect_ratios_on_tv_ruin_feature_films.html (http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1028066/how_altered_aspect_ratios_on_tv_ruin_feature_films.html)

"British television despises films, it seems. Every day, UK channels alter the very shape of the movies we watch, otherwise known as their aspect ratio.
 
Old films that are almost square will often have the top and bottom cut off to fit the shape of modern 16:9 screens – The Ladykillers, screened this month, is but one example. Big films shot in Panavision (Master And Commander, for example) will frequently have the left and right hand portions of the image cropped for the same purpose.
 
...This isn’t just geeky nitpicking, either. Your first exposure to a director’s work is likely to be on television, and in the case of Ken Russell, a poorly presented version of one of his films may discourage viewers from seeking out other examples of his work. This is particularly true of his 1967 movie, Billion Dollar Brain, which I’ll come back to later.
 
How much worse, then, is the offence of changing the aspect ratio of a movie? Two films of Len Deighton’s books illustrate the barbarity of fitting everything to 16:9. The Ipcress File is famous for its angles and split screen work – that is, unless it’s aired by the BBC.
 
Billion Dollar Brain has often been regarded as inferior to The Ipcress File. That’s because most people have seen it on TV. Ken Russell had a gift for composition, filling his wide screen with memorable images: the helmets of soldiers as they wait to invade Russia, or Helsinki in winter, for instance..."

I've never liked Billion Dollar Brain but someone else recommended it to me as well, so maybe I need to re-watch.
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: Iain Fisher on September 11, 2011, 01:47:40 AM
I've updated the site on Billion Dollar Brain
www.iainfisher.com/russell/ken-russell-film-billion-dollar-brain.html (http://www.iainfisher.com/russell/ken-russell-film-billion-dollar-brain.html)

Donald Sutherland on the right
(http://www.iainfisher.com/russell/ken-russell-billion-dollar-brain-24.jpg)
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 17, 2011, 10:24:48 PM
"Billion $ Brain" may not be the worst film Ken has ever made, but it is certainly my least favorite of those I have seen. I hated it so much, the first and only time I saw it, if I had known it had been made by Ken, I might not have never seen another one of his films. And looking at the images, I doubt if I'd have liked it any better on a second go round.
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: Iain Fisher on September 20, 2011, 11:54:56 PM
Agreed.  Ken can't do action films, and the film does drag a lot.  I watched it again and I liked the imagery, but this was at the cost of the film.

Worst Ken film: B$B or Mindbender?  Probably Mindbender.
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 13, 2011, 10:46:41 PM
Agreed.  Ken can't do action films, and the film does drag a lot.  I watched it again and I liked the imagery, but this was at the cost of the film.

Worst Ken film: B$B or Mindbender?  Probably Mindbender.

"Mindbender" That is one Ken film I have yet to see, but must see. If only to see if there is one of his films that I dislike more than "B$B."
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: Iain Fisher on November 01, 2011, 12:07:33 AM
My problem is that if I watch his bad films repeatedly I start noticing little bits (minute bits in b$b and mindbender) that I start appreciating it more.  This is my root to geek-hood. [added later- geek-hood: aleady there: route not root]

Iain
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on November 05, 2011, 08:00:22 PM
My problem is that if I watch his bad films repeatedly I start noticing little bits (minute bits in b$b and mindbender) that I start appreciating it more.  This is my root to geek-hood.

Iain

Yes, that is one of the things I like about Ken's films. They are so filled with minute bits, that no matter how many times you watch them. You always notice something new.
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: Iain Fisher on March 26, 2014, 03:57:55 PM
Bernard Rose on Billion Dollar Brain:

"Ken is basically on this film by mistake..."

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/trailers-from-hell-bernard-rose-on-billion-dollar-brain (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/trailers-from-hell-bernard-rose-on-billion-dollar-brain)
Title: Re: Billion Dollar Brain
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on March 30, 2014, 09:21:45 PM
Bernard Rose on Billion Dollar Brain:

"Ken is basically on this film by mistake..."

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/trailers-from-hell-bernard-rose-on-billion-dollar-brain (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/trailers-from-hell-bernard-rose-on-billion-dollar-brain)

And it shows.