Hot Pants Trilogy
The Hot Pants trilogy received its world premiere at the Oldenburg Festival, Germany in Sept 2005. Three short home-made films by Ken and friends.
2004 Revenge of the Elephant Man
In the Maryland Medical Institute is a hybrid, the elephant man, with "a unique deformity". Barry Lowe and Lisi Tribble star, along with Ken Russell.
2004 The Mystery of Mata Hari
"A tearful tale from the days of World War One, when millions of innocent lives were lost, including one of the most blameless of them all". The story of Mata Hari.
2005 The Goodship Venus
"A musical trip around the Horn with as horny a crew of sex crazed sailors who ever sailed the seven seas."
You can download clips from the films by clicking the image below (a large file, 5 Meg).
A Kitten For Hitler/ Ein Kitten Fur Hitler, a short 8 minute film from 2007.
Mother (Eliza Russell) and son Lenny (Rusty Goffe) during the Second World War at the cinema watching a film about Hitler. Lenny decides to go to Germany to give Hitler a Christmas present and make him see sense.
Hitler (Philip Pritchard) and Eva Braun (Rosie Thewlis).
Lenny gives Hitler the present, a kitten.
Lenny is given a bagel, with a swastika design, but Hitler notices his star of David and things go wrong.
Written and directed by Ken Russell. The editor was Russell regular Michael Bradsell and costumes by Russell's daughter Vicky Russell.
All images from the film.
2009 Boedica Bites Back
Boudica Bites Back from 2009, a short film described as a cine-opera.
"Boudica Bites Back tells the story of an unsuccessful, but heroic, rebellion by the British against Roman rule, and this 23-minute collection of ten art songs, co-credited to dulcimer accompanist David Massengill, singer Lisi Tribble, and Ken Russell, recounts that story with hope, unhappiness, and, finally, determination. (Boudica was the queen of the Iceni in 60 A.D.) Massengill's chords match Tribble's breathy soprano note for note as she embodies the British in their righteous anger, decision to revolt, and failure to throw off the foreign yolk. Appropriately, however, "Hymn" closes the short disc with a renewed sense of faithfulness to the cause of independence, set to the music for the popular British anthem Jerusalem'" (Review in All Music, click here).
On the DVD commentary to Lisztomania Russell says the film was made like that film. "I wanted the chance to do a satirical film... I wanted at last to have the freedom to have a bit of fun". Lisi Russell plays Boedica and co-wrote the music with David Massengill and Hugo Wassermann, with students playing other roles.
In a talk at the European Film Festival Russell says he was invited by the Univerity of Wales [Swansea Metropolitan University] to make a film in five days and completed it in four. He was given access to facilities such as green screen. (click here). Cinemaatography was by Mark Veysey and Michael Bradsell was editor.
