The Music Lovers

[MichaelB]

Confirmed as a 17 June release.

Guided throughout by the swells and dips of Tchaikovsky’s music, Ken Russell’s The Music Lovers examines the tragedies of Tchaikovsky’s life through opulent and fantastic musical sequences running alongside a narrative of the composer’s life between 1875 and 1881. Touching on his disastrous marriage with Antonia Miliukova, his relationship with his patroness Nadezhda von Neck, and his repressed homosexuality, The Music Lovers is anchored by magnetic central performances from Glenda Jackson following her Academy Award for Women in Love, coupled with Richard Chamberlain as a neurotic Tchaikovsky.

Forming part of Ken Russell’s collection of experimental composer biopics, The Music Lovers features plenty of his signature provocation and excess, but ultimately takes a sympathetic lens to Tchaikovsky’s life in a repressive Russian society.

• Presented in High Definition
• Newly recorded audio commentary by film historian Matthew Melia
• Interview with Alexander Verney-Elliott (2024): Ken Russell's son looks back upon his father's work, and remembers his own appearance in The Music Lovers
• Emily Bronte Enters the Big Brother House (2007, 16 mins): Ken Russell staged, directed and filmed this 'Radical Bronte' ballet for young people, illustrating Jane Eyre
• The Guardian Interview: Melvyn Bragg (1988, c76mins): Ten years after the inception of The Southbank Show, Melvyn Bragg discusses his career in television and film writer Ronald Harwood, at the National Film Theatre in London.
• Galina Ulanova in "Swan Lake" (1940, 6 mins): one of the greatest ballerinas of all time is seen performing a dance from Swan Lake. As this rare footage is silent, for best results, watch it as you listen to your favourite recording of the Adagio from Act 2
• USSR Today: Edited highlights from three editions of the Soviet newsreel, gathering items about Tchaikovsky and Russian musical arts.
• Original trailer
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Matthew Melia, a new essay by Caroline Langhorst and contributions from Alexander Verney-Elliott and Lisi Russell

[patreig]

Any info about the long awaited release of Dance of the Seven Veils?

[M Sanderson]

Very excited to revisit this prime Russell, this time on blu ray.

Also would be very interested regarding news on the long suppressed 7 Veils.

[ethel]

Seven Veils is still up on YouTube if you can’t be bothered waiting another 34 years to see it…

[ethel]

I mean 54 years. Is that the time?

[patreig]

what do you mean?

[TechnicolorAcid]

Seven Veils is still up on YouTube if you can’t be bothered waiting another 34 years to see it…

Although it should be noted that the version up on YouTube is in abysmal quality and appears to be far worse than the version that appeared on BBC a while back.

Comparison Between the Two VersionsShow

The YouTube version:

The Newer Restoration:

[MichaelB]

I can confirm first-hand that the BFI is sitting on superior materials - but I suspect the Strauss rights issue is only one of many. As with all BBC productions of the era, it was only ever intended for one-off broadcast, which means that all the contracts will have to be renegotiated, including the music performance/recording rights.

Incidentally, "a while back" is February 1970 - its first and only legal screening.

[patreig]

I can confirm first-hand that the BFI is sitting on superior materials - but I suspect the Strauss rights issue is only one of many. As with all BBC productions of the era, it was only ever intended for one-off broadcast, which means that all the contracts will have to be renegotiated, including the music performance/recording rights.

You were much more optimistic a while ago :

Re: The Ken Russell Collection

#43 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 12, 2016 12:36 pm

M Sanderson wrote:
So the Strauss film could find its way to Blu ray in a few years? Russell is our most suppressed filmmaker so this would be a crucial release.

There's no good reason why not - there's almost certainly a market for it, the BFI has a pretty decent print (with far better colour than the barely watchable timecoded copy on YouTube), and the only thing preventing a release right now is the Richard Strauss Estate, whose control over the music expires at midnight on January 1st 2020 (i.e. the first day of the year after the 70th anniversary of the composer's death, in accordance with current European copyright law).

Why such a drastic (and unfortunate) change of perspective?

[MichaelB]

There's no change of perspective at all, drastic or otherwise. The Strauss copyright situation prevented any kind of release until New Year's Day 2020, but thereafter the hurdles are the same as that which would be faced by literally any other BBC drama of the period when it comes to making it viable for a commercial release. See also the Alan Clarke productions, Play for Today, etc. etc.