Ken Russell's ABC of British Music

Overview

A feat that fully matches its title, an alphabetical trawl through both the history of British music and Russell's own likes and dislikes, the latter summed up by a scene in which he takes a phone call and listens for a bit before concluding that 'it's either an obscene call or the beginning of Michael Tippett's Fourth Symphony.' Gleefully exploiting an already contrived format, Russell uses alphabetical coincidence as an excuse to throw wildly disparate material together: Elgar is fused with Elton John, Holst with Heavy Metal and Punk with Purcell.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

February 4, 1988

Original language

English

Production

LWT

Cast

Ken Russell,Benjamin Britten,John Lennon,Thomas Dolby,Edward Elgar,Elton John,Kate Bush,Janet Baker,Noël Coward,Vernon Handley

Director

Ken Russell

Writer

Ken Russell

Producer

Melvyn Bragg

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt1118507