Ken Russell's 'Elgar'

[Guest]

Ken Russell's 1962 film about Elgar will be broadcast on BBC4 at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 20 January.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

good news, not seen it since originally broadcast when it swept us away .... interesting to see it again since i now recall very little of the film

[Serial_Apologist]

The child Elgar riding horseback across the Malverns.........unforgettable - as far as I remember.

Thanks indeed, NB - noted on the calendar.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's also available on a DVD along with every surviving scrap of film of the composer.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's also available on a DVD along with every surviving scrap of film of the composer.

Great! Will look out for that.

[teamsaint]

wrong place I expect, but the "discovering music" look at Elgar 1 and the subsequent performance provided me with a really very nice drive home last night. Well done BBC !! (for once).

[Nick Armstrong]

Glad I did a search first, I was poised to duplicate the vigilant Norfy's thread. Good news, I've never seen it

[Nick Armstrong]

Whilst bumping this thread to remind people about tomorrow's broadcast, I've just noticed that BBC4 are also broadcasting "Song of Summer", the Ken Russell film about Delius - next Tuesday 24th at 23:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b66rs

[Chris Newman]

Thanks for the bumps, Caliban...


...or should I say "supercalifrajiesticexpialidotious"?

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks for the bumps, Caliban...


...or should I say "supercalifrajiesticexpialidotious"?

Just Supercali will do



While writing, a week tomorrow on Friday 27th Jan will be a re-broadcast of

"Britten's Children" on BBC4, 7.30 - 9 pm.

[salymap]

Thanks for the reminders Caliban. I saw that the Delius and Britten programmes were due in January, [from the BBC MM], but hadn't found the details.

I recorded the Elgar b/w film on video all those years ago but shall re-record as old videos seem to deteriorate.

[salymap]

I watched the Ken Russell Elgar film but didn't think it stood the test of time very well, apart from the mock ups of Elgar as a child on the hills.

Very little music apart from bit of the Enigmas and the overplaying of Marches 1 and 4. I suppose I have seen too many recent programmes that paint a rather different picture of a complicated genius. Nice to see the actual pics of Carice, though. I saw her once as an old lady, but don't remember those young snaps in this film.
A pity those shots of the Hills aren't in colour; practically my favourite part of England.

[Norfolk Born]

salymap: I suspect cost and copyright considerations may explain the limited musical content. Given the constraints under which KR and the 'Monitor' team were operating, it's a miracle the programme got made at all! And I'm not at all sure that the film would have the same impact had it been in colour.

[salymap]

yes NB I forgot the copyright angle. Elgar died in 1934, film made in 1962, a mere 28 years.

[Anna]

I had never seen it before and enjoyed it greatly and, beautiful as the Malverns are (many a time I have tramped across them) I agree with Norfy, black and white is so much more atmospheric, colour would have bee too lush and distracting. One quibble, as soon as it finished and credits began to roll, just when you are beginning to reflect and ponder on the programme, the dreaded voice over telling us what's coming next!