Asked to make a programme about British music, one of his greatest passions, Russell came up with this video A to Z. His shamelessly personal selection of music – the best and the worst – ranges from Britten to The Beatles and from Purcell to Punk. The items come in a variety of forms, including specially-recorded performances, archive film, pop videos and television clips, and link man Russell also comes in many guises – butler, nun, undertaker and Hell’s Angel, among others!
George Barker
This film was made with George Barker (1913-91), the charismatic English poet, novelist and critic, a few years before he died. It looks back over his prolific writing career, traces his full and extraordinary life, and includes Barker reading from his own work.
Marcel Proust
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal has long been a thorn in the side of the American establishment, which he goads constantly with his liberal opinions, his controversial political analyses and his incisive wit. In interview, Vidal – as outspoken as ever – discusses his work and the birth and death of the American empire.
Patrick Dupond
This portrait documents a star’s effort to be, and to stay, the best. The cameras follow Patrick Dupond to Tokyo, Paris and Milan and show him training, rehearsing, performing and talking about his career. He is seen dancing Coppelia with the National Ballet of Marseille, working on Daniel Ezralow’s Soon and Alwin Nikolais’s Arc en ciel, performing in the Salome choreographed for him by Maurice Béjart, and rehearsing Giselle with Carta Fracci.
John Neumeier at Work
The American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier is renowned for his work with the Hamburg Ballet. He was filmed with the company over a busy six-month period, which encompassed rehearsals for Artus Sage, the creation of The Magnificat, and performances in Hamburg, Paris and Avignon of works including his acclaimed St Matthew Passion. Throughout the programme Neumeier talks about his methods and his creative influences.
Sylvie Guillem at Work
This portrait shows the prima ballerina in her daily round of classes, rehearsals and performances, revealing her dedication to perfection. Sylvie Guillem’s preparation for Nureyev’s Raymonda, her first performances in Rudi van Dantzig’s Four Last Songs and William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and her appearance at a gala, dancing Bejart’s La Luna, are all recorded for posterity in this film.
Bernardo Bertolucci
Shot on location in China, this programme looks at the making of Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning epic, The Last Emperor. The director is seen filming various sequences, including the coronation scene in the Forbidden City in Beijing, for which he used thousands of extras from the Red Army. He also talks about the particuiar challenge of this huge multi-national production and his fascination with the story of Pu Yi, the last Chinese emperor. An interview with Peter O’Toole, who plays the young emperor’s tutor, is included.
Andy Warhol
Warhol’s death in 1987 was the end of a classic American rags-to-riches story. Born in the slums of Pittsburgh, he grew up dreaming of Hollywood stars and eventually became a cult hero himself, famous for his Pop Art, his bizarre Underground films and simply for being a celebrity. This film looks at the whole range of his creativity and focuses on his unique understanding of mass culture, using archive and newsreel footage, extracts from his movies and interviews with many of his closest associates.
George Bernard Shaw
For biographer Michael Holroyd the writer George Bernard Shaw is an all-consuming passion. This programme follows Holroyd’s detective processes, his research through paperwork and visits to locations where Shaw spent time, to get under the skin of the renowned playwright and political theorist. Rare archive footage of Shaw is used as Holroyd considers to what extent Shaw’s life fed his art – and vice versa. The writer’s role as biographer also comes under scrutiny.