by Chris Wade (Author)
Ken Russell: On Screen celebrates the film and television career of one of the world's most innovative, controversial, and outrageous directors of all time. Over the top, operatic, eccentric, flamboyant and magnificent, Ken Russell was a one off, a notorious enfant terrible, and the definition of a true maverick. He was also a genius. In a series of articles, writer, musician and filmmaker Chris Wade goes through Ken's long and varied career, focusing on such seminal works as The Devils, Tommy and Lair of the White Worm, as well as assessing his seminal BBC films of the 1960s. Also explored in depth is Ken's final era, The Gorsewood Years, his time as a truly independent filmmaker. The book features new recollections from Russell collaborators like Murray Melvin, who looks back on The Devils, his son Xavier Russell, Rick Wakeman and many more, plus pictures provided by Ken's wife Lisi. It is a tribute to one of the bravest and most overlooked directors of all time.