1971 - THE MUSIC LOVERS, another life of a composer story courtesy of Ken Russell

I generally enjoy Ken Russell's over the top films on the lives of composers but this one may be a little too over the top even for me. Russell has been quoted as saying The Music Lovers was "about a homosexual who fell in love with a nymphomania," and that's probably not far from the truth in this version of the life of Tchaikovsky.

With over the top visuals, lots of nudity although no gay stuff, (which I'm certain no audience could have handled in 1971) and lots of Tchaikovsky's music, it's certainly a very unusual experience watching it. The film could have almost been shot as a silent film with the composer's music as the soundtrack.

As always in a Ken Russell film the actors are encouraged to go for it.  Richard Chamberlain plays Tchaikovsky as a very tortured artist.  Glenda Jackson is his crazed wife.  Jackson is really a fearless performer in this film exposing her self in just about every conceivable manner physically and emotionally.

Usually Ken Russell for all his craziness stays reasonably close to the facts in the lives of the composers however this time he plays a little loosey-goosey with the life of Tchaikovsky even for him. Still the film is a visual treat.  Nobody knows how to combine music and image like Russell did when he was in his prime.

 

The screenplay was by Melvyn Bragg who had worked with Ken Russell before so he must have known what he was getting into.  The running time is 124 minutes

1971 - THE DEVILS, Ken Russell's crazed film about god knows what.

The Devils is based on a historical incident involving a convent of nuns in 17th century France who claimed to be possessed by the devil.  Since Ken Russell directed it you can be sure he will really take his outrageous style to the extreme.  The movie was subjected to a lot of censorship and considering the scenes of sex and violence, its amazing the whole film wasn't repressed.

Interestingly enough the film does appear to follow the general historical situation of what happened in Loudon, France where a group of nuns accused the  bishop, Urbain Grandier of witchcraft.  Grandier played by Oliver Reed was apparently a rather independent fellow and had a lot of conflict with everyone's favoring Catholic villain Cardinal Richelieu.  Looking for an excuse to get rid of Grandier, Richelieu used the trumped up charge of witchcraft to ultimately have him burned at the stake.

 

Russell really pours it on in this film with lots of nudity, blood, torture and just plenty of sick stuff in general. The acting is very good.  Reed actually manages to create some sympathy for Grandier, and Vanessa Redgrave is just nutty as the head of the convent walking around with a hunchback of all things.

 

The Devils will never be endorsed by the Catholic Church  and I doubt it will ever be on a double bill with Going My Way.

Russell wrote the screenplay, the running time is 111 minutes

1967 - BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, third in the Harry Palmer spy series

 The third and last of the Harry Palmer series.  Michael Caine sort of plays the anti James Bond, Harry Palmer.  Palmer wears glasses and is basically a civil servant working for British Intelligence.  The first two films attempted to steer way from the elaborate James Bond type story lines of crazed rich madmen attempting to destroy the world for the most part.

But  Billion Dollar Brain is actually more in line with a James Bond movie fantasy.  The plot concerns a rich American played by Ed Begley in a scenery chewing performance,  attempting to start a revolution that will overthrow Communism.

 The film has a very good cast.  Besides Caine the always reliable Karl Malden plays a sneaky ex CIA agent, Oscar Homolka is Colonel Stok back from the previous Harry Palmer film Funeral In Berlin and the stunning Francoise Dorleac is the sort of love interest.  This was Dorleac's final film, she died in a car accident five weeks later.

 The film was directed by Ken Russell who wasn't particularly interested in the story.  However Russell did a very good job taking what by this time had become a bunch of spy movie cliches and putting a new spin on them.  

 

The photography in Finland is at times stunning and filming in the snow was probably no one's idea of a good time. This is an enjoyable espionage film.

Written by John McGrath running time 111 minutes.

1974 - MAHLER - Ken Russell takes a shot at Gustav Mahler

Flamboyant filmmaker Ken Russell takes a shot at ultra lush romantic composer Gustav Mahler with typical yet not typical results.

On a long train ride Mahler looks back at incidents in his life.  This gives Russell a chance to indulge his strong visual sense and disregard a more conventional narrative structure.  The result is really very entertaining in Russell's usual crazy way.

Russell's musical sequences are as absurdly over the top particularly an extended montage where Mahler converts from Judaism to Catholicism.  Here Mahler confronts Cosima Wagner who in Ken Russell land is a goose stepping Christian Nazi in fishnet stockings.  It's all pretty incredible stuff.

Ken Russell had been filming this kind of free form film about artists for years so any viewer expecting something conventional from this director had been watching films under a rock.

This is an entertaining film from a great if rather crazy director that is impressive to look at and listen to as well. 

115 minutes