Happy Birthday, Ken Russell! Born today in 1927 as Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, this British screenwriter and film director is known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style.
His films in the main were liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era.
Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios.
Of the 1960s, Russell is known for directing his Oscar-winning film 1969 British romance/drama film 'Women in Love'.
Of the 1970s. Russell is known for directing the 1971 British historical/drama film 'The Devils' and the 1975 British satirical operetta fantasy musical/drama 'The Who's Tommy'.
Of these, Russell is best known for writing, co-producing and directing the former.
The film is a dramatised historical account of the rise and fall of French Roman Catholic priest Urbain Grandier. He was accused of witchcraft following the supposed possessions in Loudun, France; it also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Agnes, sexually repressed a nun who inadvertently incites the accusations.
A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, 'The Devils' was partly adapted from English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley's 1952 historical biography non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun.
The film is also partly based on the 1960 play by English actor, dramatist and critic The Devils by John Whiting, based off of Huxley's book.
United Artist originally pitched the idea to Russell, but abandoned the project after reading his finished screenplay. The did this because they felt that it was too controversial in nature.
Warner Bros. subsequently agreed to produce and distribute the film. In late 1970s, the majority of principal photography took place at the English film and television studio Pinewood Studios.
Set in 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) is a priest whose unorthodox views on sex and religion influence a passionate following of nuns, including the hunchbacked, sexually obsessed Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave).
When the power-hungry Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) realizes that he must eliminate Grandier to gain control of France, Richelieu portrays Grandier as a satanist and spearheads a public outcry to destroy the once-loved priest's reputation.
Post release, 'The Devils' faced harsh reaction from national film rating systems due to its disturbingly violent, sexual, and religious content. It originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
It was banned in several countries, and eventually heavily edited for release in others. 'The Devils' has never received a release in its original, uncut form in various countries.
Critics similarly dismissed the film for its explicit content, though it won the awards for Best Director at the 32nd Venice Film Festival, as well as from the U.S. National Board of Review the following year in 1972.
Film scholarship on 'The Devils' has largely focused on its themes of sexual repression and abuse of power.
It has also been recognized as one of the most controversial films of all time by numerous publications and film critics. Until 2001, the film had remained banned in Finland.
Of the 1980s, Russell is known for directing the 1980 American science-fiction horror film 'Altered States'.
Starring William Hurt, the film had been adapted from American playwright, screenwriter and novelist Paddy Chayefsky's only novel, published in 1978.
Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Sir Edward Elgar, Fritz Delius, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alma Mahler, and Franz Liszt.
According to his personal life, Russell has been married four times. He was also a father to eight children.
His most notable marriages were to his first wife, British costume designer Shirley Ann Kingdon (m. 1956; div. 1978) and English film, television and theatre actress Hetty Baynes (m. 1992; div. 1999).
The former was nominated for two Oscars. These were for her designs on the 1979 British mystery/drama thriller film 'Agatha' and for Warren Beatty's 1981 American epic historical romance/drama film 'Reds'.
Speaking in 2006, English film critic and musician Mark Kermode, also attempting to sum up the director's achievement, called Russell, "somebody who proved that British cinema didn't have to be about kitchen-sink realism—it could be every bit as flamboyant as [Federico] Fellini.
Later in his life, he [Russell] turned to making low-budget experimental films such as Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and 'out there' as ever".
Russell had been active from 1956–2011.
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