View From the Phlipside Radio - RIP Ken Russell

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

It’s become something of a tradition on this program to note the passing of interesting folks in the media.  I’m not sure we’ve ever mourned the passing of anyone more, well, interesting than movie director Ken Russell.

Russell was born in Southhampton in England to a shoe shop owner and his mentally ill wife.  Russell quickly found escape from his father’s anger and his mother’s illness at the movies.  By the end of the ‘50s he had earned himself a slot making TV programs for the BBC.  Russell had a fascination with musical composers and produced critically acclaimed programs about Strauss, Elgar and Debussy plus many others including one about dancer Isadora Duncan.  But he was also showing the flair for the outrageous that would mark his later movie career.  His movie about Strauss so outraged the composer’s family they withdrew all copyright support for any music in the film which essentially assures it will never be seen again until 2019 when the copyrights begin to expire.

And outrage was Russell’s stock in trade when he made the move into movies.  Starting with his signature movie, an adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s “Women in Love” Russell went where no one else.  The movie includes a ground breaking nude wrestling scene between two male actors.  With no attempt to be coy about the nudity.  His movie vision of The Who’s “Tommy” rock musical is a perfect example of Russell’s over the top style.  Remember Ann-Margaret covered in baked beans?  That’s Ken Russell.  The movies varied widely in their reception by both critics and audiences.  Some where huge hits, some were virtually ignored.  Then you had Lisztomania which was a huge success in Russell’s native England and a huge bomb here in the States.

His later life was a series of outrageous movies (like the short “A Kitten for Hitler”  where Russell’s goal was to make a movie that had to be banned) and equally outrageous behavior like appearing on Celebrity Big Brother which he left after only a week after getting into a fight with another cast member who was more than 50 years younger than him.

Life was never boring.

Ken Russell was 84.

Call that the View From the Phlipside