Ken Russell film on English folk music?

Subject: BS: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Desdemona
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 09:33 AM

In searching (unsuccessfully) for a DVD of Ken Russell's truly bizarre early 1970s film "The Devils of Loudon," I stumbled across a reference to a documentary he made in 1997 called "In Search of the English Folk Song," in which he interviews Eliza Carthy and Donovan, amongst others.

Here is the IMDB entry: http://imdb.com/title/tt0183349/

Has anyone here seen it, perchance? It seems a curious subject for the man who gave us "Tommy" and "Altered States"!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Alec
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 10:55 AM

I didn't see it but it was broadcast on Channel 4 in 1998.
June Tabor & Fairport Convention were also participants.
"Tommy" was actually Russell's introduction to Rock music. Prior to that he was a noted enthusiast of Classical music.

Subject: RE: BS: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 12:25 PM

Never saw the Devils of Loudon. Did see The Devils though - Wasn't that Russell as well? Never knew nuns did things like that!

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 12:51 PM

Yes, it's the same film. It was called "The Devils" in some places and "The Devils of Loudon" in others...no matter what you call it, that *was* some convent, huh?!

To say nothing of Oliver Reed's mustache...

~D

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Chris Green
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 08:16 AM

It's not available on DVD in the UK. Dunno about the States though.

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: julian morbihan
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:04 PM

I still have a VHS copy from the TV of Ken Russell's "In search of English Folk Song".

Mainly it is pure tosh, saved only by June Tabor singing "The King of Rome".

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST,Murray MacLeod
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:14 PM

the man who gave us "Tommy" and "Altered States" also gave us in 1959, a documentary on the rise of the guitar in Britain, of which this is a brief excerpt

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST,Dan
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 02:02 PM

"In Search of English Folk Song" ended with Fairport miming a particularly awful version of "Seventeen Come Sunday" at Cropredy 1997. I was in the audience (with about 20,000 others) when it was filmed. It wasn't a very well informed or put together programme all in all.

I have a VHS somewhere.

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: CharleyO'Neill
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 02:08 PM

Nonsense, if my memory serves me well.....

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 02:27 PM

No, that's "Wheel's on fire"

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Joybell
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 06:05 PM

The book "The Devils of Loudun" by Aldous Huxley (1952) was named just "The Devils" when it was made into a movie -- directed by Ken Russell. It's available on video but I don't know about DVD.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Dazbo
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 05:56 AM

Based on a true story I believe.

I too was at Cropredy for the 17 come sunday didn't think it was mimed though. The programme resulting was dire in my recolection of it:-(

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 06:59 AM

Yes I still have the video of it somewhere and the good performances by Waterson/Carthy, Edward11 & Eliza Carthy&SaulRose failed to mask the totally ill-informed crap that it turned out to be. His instant dismissal of folk clubs summed up the programme entirely.

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 12:43 PM

In search of English Folk Song - DVD is being released later in 2007

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 30 Jun 23 - 02:59 AM

Now on Youtube:

Ken Russell - In Search Of The English Folk Song

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 02 Jul 23 - 11:01 AM

Certainly eccentric.

Subject: RE: Ken Russell film on English folk music?
From: RTim
Date: 02 Jul 23 - 11:40 AM

In Ken Russell's "weird" film...It includes Chris Leslie (of Fairport) and his son Sam, of The Adderbury Morris Men, dancing "Jockey to the Fair" on Dave Pegg's lawn...

Tim Radford