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Ken Russell

Date of Birth / Doğum Tarihi
3 July 1927, Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK

Birth Name / Gerçek Adı
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell

Mini Biography / Biyografi
Ken Russell tried several professions, before choosing to become a film director.He was a still photographer a dancer and even served in the army, but it was film that was to be Mr. Russell's destiny. He began by making several short films, and those paved the way for his brilliant television films of the sixties that are acclaimed for his attention to detail and opulent visuals. His third feature film Women in Love (1969) was a triumph and he became an internationally known filmmaker. In the 1970s his talent truly blossomed, over the next 2 decades he would direct a succession of remarkable films most of them contained his trademark flamboyance that critics generally dismiss but many seem to find this engrossing.He will forever be remembered as a controversial and visionary artist with something of a third eye when it comes to making oddball dramas that have captivating images and themes. IMDb Mini Biography By: che

Trivia / Önemsiz Şeyler
Father of Alex Russell, Molly Russell, Rupert Russell, Toby Russell and Victoria Russell.Has tried to work on film with Barbra Streisand twice. First in the early 1970s on a biography of 'Sarah Bernhardt (I)', and then in the version of the stage musical Evita.Became interested in making movies after frequenting the cinema after school with his mother.According to Russell, he once met Federico Fellini, of whom he had been a fan, outside an Italian movie studio. He saw a cloaked figure in the distance who ran up to him and said, ""Ken, you know don't me, but they call me the Italian Ken Russell."" To which he replied, ""Then I know who you are because they call me the English Federico Fellini"".His films were popular in Italy. At the 1971 Venice Film Festival he won Best Director-Foreign Film for The Devils (1971).After the controversy surrounding Altered States (1980), he found it hard to get financial backing, so he directed opera for a while, including a version of Madame Butterfly.In the early 1980s during preproduction for the film version of 'Evita', he was so impressed with 'Liza Minelli' 's screen test that he refused to direct the film without her. But the producers wanted Elaine Paige and the production came to a halt. The film was eventually made by Alan Parker starring Madonna.Alumni of East London University.Stanley Kubrick once called him in the early 1970s to ask him where he had found the lovely locations for his films. Russell complied and Kubrick used the locations in his next film Barry Lyndon (1975). Russell later said, ""I felt quite chuffed"".His favorite film is Jean Vigo's Atalante, L' (1934).He was a guest of Belgrade Film Festival - FEST 2003.During his stay at Belgrade as a guest of FEST film festival he was awarded with a Golden Seal Award from Yugoslaw Cinematheque for his complete work and contribution to world cinema and film.

Personal Quotes / Kişisel Alıntılar
[concerning his style of biographical films] ""The whole idea had degenerated into a series of third-rate cliches. I wanted to dress people in old clothes and do it in a totally unreal way, and thus make it more real than ever, and in the process send up this new civil service/academic way of doing films.""""The Devils is a harsh film, but it's a harsh subject. I wish the people who were horrified and appalled by it had read the book, because the facts are more horrible than anything in the film.""""It is a pity when one, either through force of circumstance or because one is afraid of being ridiculed by others, won't produce and expose to everyone that little spark of something special which is unique to him alone.""""A critic's typical praise is 'Beautifully understated.' That means beautifully false . . . I'd rather go the other way - to gamble rather than play it safe. If I err it's by overstating, but I try to get it right.""""I never want to do a violent, disturbing film like The Devils again. That's why I did The Boy Friend. It's pure escapism and fun.""""Life is too short to make destructive films about people one doesn't like. My films are meant to be constructive and illuminating.""""I know my films upset people. I want to upset people.""""This is not the age of manners. This is the age of kicking people in the crotch and telling them something and getting a reaction. I want to shock people into awareness. I don't believe there is any virtue in understatement.""