Rip Ken Russell

[Dimond Geezer]

Ken Russell the Southampton born film director has died aged 84. His credits include directing The Who's Tommy.

 

Rip

[Trader]

Being of a certain age, I used to love Ken's films.

 

Edgy, controversial stuff like 'The Devils', 'The Music Lovers', 'Women in Love' - as well as gentler films like 'The Boyfriend'.

 

Cinema should be like this, not the never-ending Hollywood dross we have to put up with these days.

 

RIP Ken.

[dinger]

RIP indeed. Bates and Reed will be limbering up for the great homoerotic play-fight in the sky...

[Kingsland Red]

Ah, Big Ken Russell, who burnt down South Parade Pier, Pompey during the filming of Tommy.

Surely worth a statue !!!

 

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/memories_of_pier_blaze_as_film_director_ken_russell_dies_1_3289280

[Jonnyboy]

Where in Southampton was he brought up?

[Hamilton Saint]

I remember him directing some excellent documentaries for the BBC in the 60s on famous composers - specifically, ones on Frederick Delius and Edward Elgar. Most of his films, unfortunately, still unavailable on DVD (at least in NA - how about the UK?).

[saintbletch]

I was in Ken Russell's Tommy. I met Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and Oliver Reed. To be fair I was only and extra and I was only 7 so I don't remember much about it.

 

But my sister who was 10 years older than me (still is as a matter of fact), also met them all and says that Ken Russell was a proper eccentric and properly mad.

 

To be honest I can't make my mind up on his work. I think I'm jaundiced by watching Tommy at too young an age and just not being able to fathom out what on earth it was all about.

[SuperMikey]

I remember the first time I found out who he was, he was on Celebrity Big Brother about 4 or 5 years ago so I did a bit of googling to find out who he was and found out he directed Tommy - one of my favourite films. Seemed like a proper eccentric genius and a nutter, must have been a lot of mayhem going on around him in his heyday! I have to admit I haven't seen any of his films apart from Tommy, i'll have to watch a few of those soon.