Phallic Frenzy: Ken Russell and His Films

A biography of director Ken Russell that details the wild ideas, surreal moments, personal faith, and cavalcade of colorful personalities surrounding this eccentric filmmaker—on and off the set. Best known for the acclaimed movies Altered States, The Devils, Gothic, The Music Lovers, Tommy, and Women in Love, Russell redefined cinema in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, working with magnetic actors like Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Ann-Margret, William Hurt, Gabriel Byrne, and Vanessa Redgrave. Moments of Russell’s career are highlighted in this intimate biography, including how creative differences between Russell and producer Robert Stigwood stopped production of a movie version of Evita, how he creatively staged the love duet between Faust and Helen over a bowl of pasta in the opera Mephistopheles, and how Alan Bates and Oliver Reed compared their penis size for the nude wrestling scene in Women in Love.