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On Films
Ken Russell on directing, 2000. What is involved in every stage of the process of making a film. With lots of pictures and anecdotes.
Ken Russell on films, 1993. It is also called Fire Over England: The New British Cinema Comes Under Friendly Fire. This includes an essay on The Wicker Man, one of Ken's favourite films.
The American title with an extra chapter is Altered States, 1989. Ken Russell's autobiography from 1989 is enjoyable and informative and worth reading. At the same time he made the television film covering the same material.
The script by Ken Russell for a proposed Dracula film. The first half follows Bram Stoker's novel but the second, more interesting half, has Dracula philosophising "When one is immortal, one cannot live by blood, alone" and "How jealously God guards his immortality. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Tchaikovsky: as soon as they challenged him with their vision of heaven he cut them down". Russell's love of art and music comes out with references to the erotic works of Beardsley (similar to the paintings in Song of Summer), Turner, Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. There is also a reference to Salome. Lucy from the novel is made an opera star which makes her a more interesting character. Van Helsing is described as "a stout old man with a round cheery face and billowing silver locks"- was Russell going to take on this role?
The dialogue in the script is poor- "Driver do
you see that- not a forest fire is it" and the Dutch Van Helsing's
poor English is not how foreigners speak. But this could have
been corrected during filming.
The film was to have been made by Vestron. In another Vestron film Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat from 1989 there is a poster for the unmade Dracula on the wall. In the insightful introduction to the book Paul Sutton states Mike Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) was Russell's choice for Dracula.
A very early article by Ken Russell from his amateur days, 1959. "The images in my mind are all perfectly exposed, there are no scratches, nothing is out of focus, the actors are superb and do everything without being told and the weather conditions are all one could ask for." Novels
Four Composers: Beethoven, Brahms, Elgar and Delius A quartet of novels about composers- Beethoven Confidential, Brahms Gets Laid, Elgar the Erotic Variations and Delius A Moment with Venus. Beethoven Confidential. This is adapted from his proposed film on Beethoven with Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster and Glenda Jackson which didn't go ahead because the finance disappeared at the last moment. Brahms Gets Laid was premiered on this site as an e-book. Elgar the Erotic Variations. Russell said he made two films on Elgar but still had more to say and wanted to cover it in a novel. Delius A Moment with Venus. Each chapter is named after a piece by Delius and is written to match the music. "Revenge" of the White Worm As yet unpublished, Ken's novel from 2003 is based on a filmscript for a follow-on film. With similarities to Cronenberg's Rabid, the female vampire preys on virgin flesh. "And arm in arm they walk off together back into the side door of the British Museum. And as it closes on her, Dolly takes the first step into a world of horror such as even Dracula himself could never have dreamed of".
Ken Russell's best novel, a tale of a 1984 future. "Have your I.D. cards and travel permits ready for inspection," rasped an amplified voice from the CCV as the chilling wail of the siren died away and the back of the black torpedo slid open to disgorge half a dozen official 'Crowd Control Regulators'. To people with long memories they looked very like the typical football hooligans that had given Britain such a bad name at the end of the last century- except they were now condoned. Their heads were shaved, their boots were steel tipped.
Ken Russell's ebook about composer Brahms. The book is exclusively available through this site. "She came at him out of the mist. Perhaps that is why he did not recognise her at first. And although he had known her for nigh on half a century and lusted after her on more than one occasion, he had never seen her naked before. Not even in his wildest dreams. Her bright hair was loose, as he had not seen it for years. A slight breeze lifted strands of it, as though spinning a gossamer cloak from off her bare shoulders. Her breasts made him weep with loneliness and desire." You can read a chapter from the book, and buy the whole book if you want, from here.
Ken's first novel, 1999. Two robots, Mike and Gaby, seek to create a species that will be intelligent enough to save the robots from a virus (rust) that is killing them. RIP: Rust in Peace. They plant two creatures in Eden and name them Adam and Eve, after their pet Triffids. But things do not go as planned when an alien creature (SATAN- Scientific Aeonistic Technological Angel of Nihilism) interferes. Years later Mary, pregnant, and Joe have their reservation at the Holy Day Inn cancelled so have to sleep in the stables. - Please Salome I'll give you half my kingdom The novel was based on a film script Ken had written. The book is dedicated to Ken's biographer The Rev. Gene Phillips S.J. |
Directing
Film from Pitch to Premiere
The
Lion Roars / Fire Over England
A British Picture/ Altered States
Dracula film script
Ideas for films
Violation
Mike and Gaby's Space Gospel
