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.

Directed by Ken Russell

Top cast

Ken Russell

Himself

Benjamin Britten

Self (archive)

John Lennon

Self (archive)

Thomas Dolby

Self

Edward Elgar

Self (archive)

Elton John

Self (archive)

Kate Bush

Self (archive)

J

Janet Baker

Self (archive)

N

Noël Coward

Self (archive)

V

Vernon Handley

Self (archive)

Details