Mindbender from 1995.  If you are interested in bending spoons this is one of the best films on the subject. The life story of Uri Geller.

The credits begin with "the following events are true and are interpreted through the artistic eye of Ken Russell".  Uri's father and lover dance on top of an Israeli tank beside a 3-dimensional Dali-clock.  The child Uri pulls a bullet out of a wall (the six day war recurs in the film) and when he holds it in his hand it turns into a ring.

When his teacher tells Uri to stay in class until the hands of the clock reach half past four, of course young Uri has no problems moving the hands and leaving early. But this sort of thing is really banal and the films comes over as a paid-for vanity film for Uri Geller.  There is a silly spy plot and Geller seems to save the world from nuclear war.

For the benefit of this page I watched the film again. It does not improve with repeated viewing. Also my watch stopped.

"As with most of Ken’s work, Mindbender was quite controversial, and due to Kens great ability to aggrandise, it was classed by many critics as fiction, but although it was a grand exaggeration of the events on which it was based, the basic themes of the events in the movie were fact, and not fiction" (Uri Geller, from his website, click here).

People

Ishai Golan plays Uri Geller.  A shallow insincere performance, so probably true to life.  Above the domineering father and the loving mother played by Rafi Tabor Aviva Yoel.

Terence Stamp adds some badly needed acting ability.

Hetty Baynes (Ken's wife) seems to have the role of an intelligent bimbo, though some genuine intelligence comes over.

Editors are Russell's son Xavier Russell and John Orland, Xavier is also credited as Music Editor, Cinematography is by Hong Manley who worked on four other films for Ken such as Classic Widows.   The script is co-written by Ken Russell and Yael Stern (I guess Stern wrote the original script, and Russell adapted it while filming).

The camera operator is Alf Smith who has no credits on other films.  Given Ken Russell sometimes used the name Alf Russell when he did the camerawork, there is a likelihood that Alf Smith is Russell.

The music includes

• Rocket Man, Elton John (opening sequence and repeated when the real Uri Geller appears and over the end credits)
• Ethiopia, Jericho Jones (father beating son)
• Nights in White Satin, The Moody Blues (wedding scene on beach, and repeated near the end of the film)
• I Started a Joke, The Bee Gees (on the radio in the car)
• Jive Talkin', The Bee Gees (disco scene)
• Massachusetts, The Bee Gees (on radio in the car).
• Here Comes the Flood, Peter Gabriel (listed in the credits but I can't find it in the film).

Geller himself also appears. If you buy the video it will change your life since you can have your broken watches and clocks repaired (just hold them as Uri talks). Uri also wants to touch you, so put your hand to the screen and touch his- feel it!! Geller is not very convincing as he pretends the rubbish is true.

Best Image

The black swings on the white beach, genuinely haunting images in a boring film.

Best Scene

The child Uri eating soup when his spoon bends is reasonably funny.  The child Uri about to be beaten and falling backwards among the tailors dummies.

Themes

A kite (as in Elgar) bursts into flame just like the hut in Mahler.  There is more fire as Uri (in a dream) walks through a wall of fire over a minefield.  And earth as Uri digs a pit.

Sensory deprivation with a cheap version of Tommy's torture device.

When plans go wrong character Joe Hartman says he is going to Mexico City to study hallucinogenic herbs used by the Hinchi tribesmen- this is what Eddie Jessup does in Altered States.

Films

Other films released in the same year include The English Patient, Shine and Trainspotting.