A director with a body of work that’s particularly hard to summarize,Ken Russellis about as singular and uncompromising as filmmakers get. He proved able to excel in making movies about historical people or events, made plenty of more fantastical movies with vibrant colors and imaginative sequences, and then sometimes did something in between. Further, it’s probably easier to list the genres he didn’t tackle, rather than go through all the different genres he did.
With a directing career that lasted approximately half a century, it’s hard to provide an overview of every compelling movie Ken Russell ever made, but what follows intends to highlight the best of the best.Russell’s work definitely isn’t for everyone, but his most impressive achievements within the realm of filmmaking are worthy of attentionfor those who don’t mind being challenged and/or surprised every now and then.
10’Savage Messiah' (1972)
Starring: Dorothy Tutin, Scott Antony, Helen Mirren
Ken Russell was at his most prolific and perhaps critically acclaimed during the early 1970s, butSavage Messiahis a little lesser-known than his “classics” (if they can be labeled as such) of the time.It’s principally a drama about art and passion, following a sculptor as he travels around looking for passion, including through working with an older female writer and a group of artists who are unapologetically avant-garde.
It feels a little stripped back and simple, though Russell injectsSavage Messiahwithenough life to make the things it’s exploring feel relatively interesting. Those who prefer the director when he’s tackling a more eclectic mix of genres might not find quite as much to be thrilled by here, but as a drama with something of a period setting (the early 20th century), it mostly works.
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9’Salome’s Last Dance' (1988)
Starring: Glenda Jackson, Stratford Johns, Nickolas Grace
A controversial play is a substantial part of the plot forSalome’s Last Dance; fitting, considering how Ken Russell’s filmsalso provoked controversy and sometimes got bannedin certain territories. It’s about famed writerOscar Wildegoing to a brothel toward the end of the 19th century, and finding himself an audience member of a surprise play put on by the establishment’s owner.
Salome’s Last Dancegets to bea commentary on art and censorship while also showing unusual, bold sightsand some provocative imagery for good measure. It’s the kind of thing people might’ve been used to making, by the end of the 1980s, but he still does it well in any event.Salome’s Last Dancemight not be one of his very best films, either, yet still has interesting things to offer for curious viewers.
8’Crimes of Passion' (1984)
Starring: Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, John Laughlin
One thing that becomes apparent from watching Ken Russell’s filmography is that he was a director unafraid to show disturbing and controversial things within his films, many of them thereby dealing with some rather adult themes.Crimes of Passionis one such film of his, following various unusual characters while the plot ties together sex work, a psychopathic stalker, spying, and religion.
Most of Ken Russell’s films were UK productions, butCrimes of Passionsaw him making an American film, and working with American actors likeKathleen TurnerandAnthony Perkins(the latter best known forhis role in another provocative thriller).It might not be one of Russell’s most shocking, but it still pushes more boundaries than most films of its decade, and definitely contains enough wild moments and bold visuals to stick in one’s mind.
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7’Mahler' (1974)
Starring: Robert Powell, Georgina Hale, Lee Montague
As the aforementioned movies might’ve demonstrated, Ken Russell wasn’t shy about going back to the past and featuring real-life historical figures in his films, though these weren’t necessarily always biographical films. That being said,Mahleris one such film of histhat could be called a biopic,being centered around Austro-Bohemian composer Gustav Mahler looking back on his life.
He does so while traveling on a train, and various scenes playing out as memories show that his life has ultimately been an eventful and sometimes tragic one.Mahlerskirts around being a traditional biopic by framing most of the events as taking place in the mind of the central figure. It’s an interesting approach that still tells a life story, in a way, but from a more subjective point of view. This enablesMahlerto dodge feeling, in any way, conventional or middle-of-the-road.
6’The Music Lovers' (1971)
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Glenda Jackson, Max Adrian
WithThe Music Lovers, Ken Russell once again makes a film about a famous figure within the world of music, in turn allowing him to tell another story about art and passion. The man at the center ofThe Music Loversis Russian composerPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with the plot here predominantly focusing on how Tchaikovsky tried to hide his homosexuality by marrying a woman, given that being homosexuality was frowned upon during his time (the 19th century).
In exploring both true and fabricated love,The Music Loversworks as a solid romance filmalongside being another engaging drama about the eventful life of a historical figure Russell admires. It’s well-acted and does much more than you’d expect a movie about Tchaikovsky to do, were it in the hands of a less distinctive filmmaker.
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5’Tommy' (1975)
Starring: Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Roger Daltrey
Tommyis perhaps the most famous musical Ken Russell ever directed, with a big reason for that being the fact that it was a collaboration with legendary English rock bandThe Who. All four core members –Roger Daltrey,Pete Townshend,John Entwistle, andKeith Moon– are credited as writers here, as is Russell, with the screenplay being an adaptation of sorts of The Who’s 1969 concept album, also calledTommy.
It’s a little like what happened withPink Floyd: The Wall;it’s a musical that features the music from a famous album, all complemented with striking visuals and elaborate sequencesthat are intended to tell the concept album’s story visually.Tommyis undeniably bizarre, and also features members of The Who acting in the film: both Keith Moon and Roger Daltrey, the latter of whom isnoticeably not much younger thanAnn-Margaret, who’s purportedly playing his mother.
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4’The Boy Friend' (1971)
Starring: Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Max Adrian
Being a little less bizarre thanTommy, but still feeling quite strange in places,The Boy Friendisanother intriguing musical filmdirected by Ken Russell, and probably the director’s best within the genre. It explores art and music like some of the director’s aforementioned historical films did, butThe Boy Friendalso has a fantastical feeling throughout, with its on-stage musical numbers often transforming and merging to become far more elaborate than they really are in-universe.
The main plot involves an understudy getting her chance at genuine stardom, after an accident puts the leading lady of a stage musical out of action. As luck would have it, there’s a Hollywood director in the audience, and everyone on stage tries to do their best to impress him; comedy, singing, dancing, and some romance ensues. It’s all a bit silly and potentially infuriating for those who don’t like musicals, but musical fans will likely have a blast, andThe Boy Friendis also quite stunning to look at.
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3’Women in Love' (1969)
Starring: Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson
Standing as what’s likely Ken Russell’sbest movie released in the 1960s,Women in Loveis also up there with the filmmaker’s best-known works regardless of the decade released. It’s another drama by the filmmaker that deals with romantic themes, pairing such thematic content with hard-hitting tension and emotion, the plot here being about the consequences that befall four people who all engage in various sexual escapades.
This kind of thing would’ve been fairly shocking for viewers in the ‘60s, so even ifWomen in Lovemight’ve been eclipsed by other provocative films in the decades since, it still should be respected for the boundaries it pushed back then. It’s also noteworthy for having great performances from actors Russell worked with on more than one occasion; notably,Oliver ReedandGlenda Jackson.
2’Altered States' (1980)
Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban
WithAltered States, Ken Russelltried his hand at science fiction, and the results represent what might well be one of the filmmaker’s most accessible and popular movies. That being said,Altered Statesprobably isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, and indeed, it did manage toget an X rating in the UKwhen it was first released (though that rating has since been changed).
It combines horror and thriller elements with a sci-fi story, here being about a man going to great lengths to explore titular altered states of consciousness, in the process finding strange sights and feelings that could prove to be his undoing. As a psychological horror movie,Altered Statesis very effective, and while time might have dulled some of its scares a little, it still has a fascinating premise and explores numerous engaging ideas.
Altered States
1’The Devils' (1971)
Starring: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Dudley Sutton
Despite being calledThe Devils, this earth-shattering 1971 film is more ofa drama than it is a horror movie, though it’s grisly and disturbing enough in parts to qualify, at least in part, as a work of horror. The premise here centers on a group of nuns accusing a Roman Catholic priest of being involved with witchcraft, at which point his life begins to unravel and things get very intense.
The Devilscontains scenes and sights that still manage to feel shocking to this day, even though the film came out well over 50 years ago at this point. It’s somewhat understandable why the movie proved shocking and is perhaps Russell’s most infamous, but it also holds enough power to be his most memorable and arguably bravest film. It’s challenging but also oddly mesmerizing, and therefore,it’s also not too difficult to labelThe Devilsthe best film Ken Russell ever directed.
