PHALLIC FRENZY: Ken Russell and His Films

Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (1927-2011) made some of the most daring, disturbing, establishment-baiting and beautifully-shot films of all time. His films have been drawn from a wide range of historic, religious and literary references and have offered the viewer not just brazen sensationalism but also food for thought - they horrify yet inspire. Deranged Ursuline nuns, the demons of Mary Shelley and Byron, the sexual angst of Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Mahler, Tommy the messianic pinball wizard, prostitutes, Lady Chatterley, lesbian vampires and frightening sex toys, not to mention Alan Bates and Oliver Reed wrestling in the buff, the list of morally deleterious images to his credit kept Mary Whitehouse and friends in a state of constant outrage, but people kept on coming to his films in their droves. Throughout all this, Russell's puckish and intellectual sense of humour was never far from view, and in this first full biography, far from being a dry film-by-film analysis, we see how Russell's real life was often just as engaging and vibrant as the films he created. As you would expect, the list of characters here is a veritable Who's Who of 20th century film. 365pp, with a wealth of b/w stills and other photos.