Elgar (Russell, 1962) & Always on Sunday (Russell, 1965):
The Jackalope 98 Stoke Newington Church Street, London, N16, 7.30pm FREE
The Scala Forever team, who organised a season of movies in the capital last year recalling the days of the wonderful Scala cinema at King's Cross, are back with Russell Forever as a tribute to the late, great British film-maker. Here are the details for the full Ken Russell season screenings.
Here's the Exploding Head Film Club introduction to the night: For anyone who thinks that Russell's work is all blood, boobs and bombast, these thoughtful, impassioned, moving films offer a new perspective.
1962's 'ELGAR' was controversial for the way it added fictional recreations to a factual account. Tracking the iconic British composer from his Malvern childhood to the end of his life, this is a heartfelt hagiography with breathtaking monochrome photography of sunlit English lanscapes.
It's 'sheer poetry', says Trevor Johnston in his Time Out write-up here.
'ALWAYS ON SUNDAY', from 1965, is a lighthearted depiction of the life and exploits of French naive painter Henri Rousseau, depicting the famous painter as what one reviewer describes as 'a rarified boob'. Goofy and comical but also deeply moving, this is a key precursor to Russell's more extreme '70s biopics, and features an early collaboration with the great Oliver Reed.
Here is an extract from Elgar.
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