Ken Russell

Ken Russell Trailers

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Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was an English film director. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film, and for his controversial style. He has been criticized as being over-obsessed with sexuality and the church. His subject matter is often about famous composers, or based on other works of art which he adapts loosely. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning romantic drama Women in Love (1969), the notoriously controversial The Devils (1971), the rock musical Tommy (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980). One noted admirer, British film critic Mark Kermode, attempting to sum up the director's achievement, called Russell; "somebody who proved that British cinema didn't have to be about kitchen-sink realism – it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini. He now makes very strange experimental films like Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and out there as the work he made in the 1970s."

Most Popular Ken Russell Trailers

Total trailers found: 107

Trapped Ashes Trailer (2006)

12 September 2006

Trapped in a house of horror, seven people discover that the only way they'll get out alive is to tell their scariest stories.

The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

The life of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner and his numeromania.

The Mystery of Dr Martinu Trailer (1993)

27 September 1993

This biographical film of Czech composer Martinu is in two parts: the first part is a recurring dream; the second, a Freudian analysis of the dream.

The Real Oliver Reed Trailer (2000)

13 January 2000

A documentary portrait about the life and times of the infamous hellraiser, who died in May 1999, having starred in more than 100 films.

Faust Trailer (1985)

01 June 1985

In an epic tale of good versus evil, Faust sells his soul to the Devil and tries to save Marguerite from an eternity in Hell.

The Devils Trailer (1971)

16 July 1971

A charismatic 17th-century French priest becomes the target of a sexually obsessed nun’s witchcraft accusations, which corrupt church and state officials are all too happy to exploit.

Revenge of the Elephant Man Trailer (2004)

14 July 2004

A short directed by Ken Russell.

Aria Trailer (1987)

27 May 1987

Ten short pieces directed by ten different directors, including Ken Russell, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, and Nicolas Roeg.

Valentino Trailer (1977)

07 September 1977

The untimely death of silent screen star Rudolph Valentino prompts the many women in his past to reminisce about his troubled rise to superstardom.

Altered States Trailer (1980)

25 December 1980

A research scientist explores the boundaries and frontiers of human consciousness. Using sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic mixtures from Native American shamans, he explores these altered states of cognizance and finds that memory, time, and reality itself are states of mind.

Colour Me Kubrick Trailer (2005)

06 October 2005

The true story of a man who posed as director Stanley Kubrick during the production of Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, despite knowing very little about his work and looking nothing like him.

Crimes of Passion Trailer (1984)

19 October 1984

Fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the attention of a sexually frustrated private detective, and a psychopathic priest in possession of a murderous sex toy.

Prisoner of Honor Trailer (1991)

02 November 1991

France, 1897. Colonel Georges Picquart challenges the French government when he discovers the obscure political maneuvers that led to the imprisonment of the Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus after being convicted of espionage in 1894.

10 Best Elgar Trailer (2007)

27 April 2007

A line up of star performers celebrate the very best of Edward Elgar's music in the 150th anniversary year of his birth.

Amelia and the Angel Trailer (1958)

12 May 1958

A young girl (Amelia) is distressed and feeling guilty about losing the wings she was to wear in her school play.

Pandora's Box: It's All Coming Back to Me Now Trailer (1989)

01 July 1989

Video promo for Pandora's Box: It's All Coming Back to Me Now

The Real Blue Nuns Trailer (2006)

16 October 2006

An investigation into nunsploitation, and why men find images of nuns involved in sexual situations erotic.

Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World Trailer (1966)

02 January 1966

The outrageous life of the American dancer of the 1920s, Isadora Duncan, whom Ken Russell described as "part genius and part charlatan".

Tales of Erotica Trailer (1996)

01 January 1996

Four erotic short films, all with similar unexpected endings: 'The Dutch Master': a woman who enters a living painting; 'The Insatiable Mrs.

The Lair of the White Worm Trailer (1988)

21 September 1988

When an archaeologist uncovers a strange skull in a foreign land, the residents of a nearby town begin to disappear, leading to further inexplicable occurrences.

Women in Love Trailer (1969)

13 September 1969

Growing up in the sheltered confines of a 1920s English coal-mining community, free-spirited sisters Gudrun and Ursula explore erotic love with a wealthy playboy and a philosophical educator, with cataclysmic results for all four.

Tommy Trailer (1975)

19 March 1975

After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.

Whore Trailer (1991)

21 June 1991

This melodrama investigates the life of a sex worker, in a pseudo-documentary style.

Lisztomania Trailer (1975)

10 October 1975

In the 19th century, Romantic composer/pianist Franz Liszt tries to end his hedonistic ways but keeps getting sucked back in by his seductive fellow composer Richard Wagner.

Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil Trailer (2012)

14 January 2012

Following the recent death of Ken Russell, Alan Yentob looks back over the career of the flamboyant film director responsible for Women In Love, Tommy and The Devils.

Empire of the Censors Trailer (1995)

28 May 1995

The history of film and video censorship in Great Britain.

Kitsune Trailer (2016)

29 October 2016

A man trapped in purgatory must come face to face with his own demons.

Gothic Trailer (1987)

27 February 1987

Living on an estate on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lord Byron is visited by Percy and Mary Shelley. Together with Byron's lover Claire Clairmont, and aided by hallucinogenic substances, they devise an evening of ghoulish tales.

Il Mefistofele Trailer (1989)

01 January 1989

Arrigo Boito's Il Mefestefele was first performed in 1868 and his most known work. In Ken Russell's modern interpretation presented by the Genoese Opera, it has Faust as an ageing hippy.

The Russia House Trailer (1990)

21 December 1990

Barley Scott Blair, a Lisbon-based editor of Russian literature who unexpectedly begins working for British intelligence, is commissioned to investigate the purposes of Dante, a dissident scientist trapped in the decaying Soviet Union that is crumbling under the new open-minded policies.

Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song Trailer (1997)

14 November 1997

This documentary begins with Ken Russell posing the question: "What is a true English folk song, if there is such a thing?" After recieving an indifferent response from his dog, Ken journeys around the countryside of England searching for an answer.

Billion Dollar Brain Trailer (1967)

16 November 1967

A former British spy stumbles into in a plot to overthrow Communism with the help of a supercomputer. But who is working for whom?

Song of Summer Trailer (1968)

15 September 1968

An immensely moving story of sacrifice, idealism and musical genius which charts the last five years of Frederick Delius's life through the eyes of a young composer and aide, Eric Fenby.

The Rainbow Trailer (1989)

05 May 1989

Born to a rich landowner in the waning days of the Victorian era, Ursula Brangwen grows into a beautiful young woman full of imagination and ambition.

Elgar Trailer (1962)

11 November 1962

An astonishing documentary of the life of classical composer Sir Edward Elgar. This partly dramatised account is remarkable for its sensitive portrayal of the rise of a young musician from an underprivileged background to international fame.

Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell Trailer (1987)

27 November 1987

A courtroom 'drama' featuring Bob Guccione versus Ken Russell in a breach of contract case regarding disagreements over a script for a film version of Daniel De foe's "Moll Flanders" which Guccione hired Russell to direct.

Brothers of the Head Trailer (2006)

28 July 2006

In the 1970s a music promoter plucks Siamese twins from obscurity and grooms them into a freakish rock'n'roll act.

Twiggy Trailer (2025)

07 March 2025

Twiggy takes a comprehensive look at the life story of UK model and cultural icon Twiggy, real name Lesley Lawson, whose career kickstarted in the 1960s.

Russell at Work Trailer (1966)

01 January 1966

Documentary shows Ken Russell at work on various BBC TV documentaries, with clips from Diary of a Nobody, The Debussy Film, Always on Sunday, Don't Shoot the Composer, Elgar and behind the scenes directing of Isadora Duncan.

Ken Russell's ABC of British Music Trailer (1988)

04 February 1988

An irreverent survey of British Music.

The Secret Life of Arnold Bax Trailer (1992)

22 November 1992

A biopic about the eminent composer Sir Arnold Bax.

The Who: One Band's Explosive Story Trailer (2022)

26 August 2022

The story of Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums): The Who, one of the most original, creative and relevant British bands of the sixties and of the entire history of pop music.

Director of Devils Trailer (2012)

19 March 2012

Behind the scenes of the making of Ken Russell's 1971 film 'The Devils. Shown are the construction of the sets, filming of the courtroom scene, the performance of the musical score for the execution scene.

Mr. Nice Trailer (2010)

07 October 2010

Biopic about 1970s Welsh marijuana trafficker Howard Marks, whose inventive smuggling schemes made him a huge success in the drug trade, as well as leading to dealings with both the IRA and British Intelligence.

Savage Messiah Trailer (1972)

27 June 1972

In the Paris of the 1910s, brash young sculptor Henri Gaudier begins a creative partnership with an older writer, Sophie Brzeska.

Mindbender Trailer (1996)

02 October 1996

Scientist Joe Hartman introduces self-proclaimed Middle Eastern psychic Uri Geller to America.

A Kitten for Hitler Trailer (2007)

01 June 2007

The result of a challenge from Melvyn Bragg to write a film that Ken Russell himself would be eager to see banned, was A Kitten For Hitler – a 10-minute short in which a plucky young Jewish boy traverses the globe on a quest to warm the Führer's heart with the gift of a cuddly feline.

Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue Trailer (1995)

04 April 1995

Documentary covering the career of French composer Georges Delerue, famous for film scores for such films as Platoon, Contempt, Shoot the Piano Player, and Jules and Jim.

The Boy Friend Trailer (1971)

16 December 1971

When the leading lady of a low-budget musical revue sprains her ankle, the assistant stage manager is forced to understudy and perform in her place.

Old Battersea House Trailer (1961)

04 June 1961

Mrs Wilhelmina Sterling shows her vast collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings, pottery and other artefacts at her home in Battersea.

Mahler Trailer (1974)

04 April 1974

Famed composer Gustav Mahler reflects on the tragedies of his life and failing marriage while traveling by train.

The Who: The Kids Are Alright Trailer (1979)

15 June 1979

Through concert performances and interviews, this film offers us a comprehensive look at the British pioneer rock group, The Who.

The Fall of the Louse of Usher Trailer (2002)

02 February 2002

Rock star Roddy Usher is confined to an insane asylum after murdering his wife. There, he is given various shock treatments by Nurse Smith and Dr Calahari, resulting in a series of bizarre and nightmarish adventures.

The Music Lovers Trailer (1971)

12 February 1971

Composer, conductor and teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexual tendencies by marrying, but unfortunately, he chooses wacky nymphomaniac Nina, whom he is unable to satisfy.

Bela Bartók Trailer (1964)

24 May 1964

A portrait of the life and work of the great Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, exploring both his music and his passionate interest in his country's folklore.

Women and Men: Stories of Seduction Trailer (1990)

02 April 1990

This trio of tales, based on classic short stories, chronicles the complicated relations between the sexes.

The Devils Original on-set footage Trailer (2012)

01 January 2012

On-set footage of the film The Devils (1971) with commentary by editor Mike Bradsell

Celebrity Naked Ambition Trailer (2003)

19 July 2003

Documentary looking at how nudity has been used in the movies, sometimes shrewdly and other times without thought.

Gordon Jacob Trailer (1959)

29 March 1959

A portrait of the English composer Gordon Jacob.

Journey Into a Lost World Trailer (1960)

28 March 1960

John Betjeman reminisces on Britain's great historical exhibitions since the 1870s: including Alexandra Palace, the Empire Exhibition at Wembley and the Festival of Britain.