Ken Russell

[Make Them Die Slowly]

I've just finished watching Ken's Trogadelic head trip "Altered States" which starts out as a blinder, focussing on religious hallucinations and experimental psychology involving altered states of mind with images to match: Christ on the cross floating through the sky with a multi-eyed goats head instead of a human one;early Christian iconography being splashed with blood; snakes and ice cream! The film then shifts gear and focusses on the process of evolution with lead actor William Hurt regressing into a proto human apeman, who like all good apemen goes on the rampage. Finally we are taken back to the moment of creation which comes from a void that Hurt is sucked into, luckily he escapes all this high weirdness via the power of love.

A very messy film with an incredibly weak ending but what a joy the trippy scenes are, as Ken lets loose with the full blast of his artistic vision. Hurt is great in the lead role as the blinkered psychonaut who searches only for the truth even if it means the end of his marriage and not giving a toss that he has nearly killed a man as the experiment gets out of control.

So, what are your favourite Ken Russell films and what do you like about them?