Ken Russell's ABC of British Music (1988)
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.
Director: Ken Russell
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Ken Russell as Himself |
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Benjamin Britten as Self (archive) |
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John Lennon as Self (archive) |
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Thomas Dolby as Self |
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Edward Elgar as Self (archive) |
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Elton John as Self (archive) |
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Kate Bush as Self (archive) |
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Janet Baker as Self (archive) |
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Noël Coward as Self (archive) |
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Vernon Handley as Self (archive) |
| Writing | Ken Russell | Writer |
| Production | Melvyn Bragg | Producer |
| Directing | Ken Russell | Director |
