Review of Delius:Song of Summer

Introduction

Ken Russell is easily Britain`s most controversial movie director. Admire or loathe his work, he has had a considerable influence on international cinema, not least in pushing back the boundaries of what is acceptable on screen. During the 1960`s, he made a series of biographical films for the BBC`s "Monitor" strand on the lives of famous composers - a pet interest of his.

Based on Eric Fenby`s memoirs "Delius As I Knew Him", "Song of Summer" portrays the last years of the composer`s life. In the tertiary phase of Syphilis, Delius was blind and paralysed and yet he still had unfinished works in him that he could not commit to paper. Learning of his plight, Fenby, also a composer and hailing from Yorkshire, offered his services to act as Delius` amanuensis.

As with much of Russell`s work, there is more than an air of artificiality about the proceedings. Then again, the bohemian, slightly surreal lifestyle enjoyed by the composer and his wife Jelka may have struck the naive young Fenby that way. Max Adrian plays Delius as a cantankerous, tyrannical figure confined to his wheelchair or carried everywhere. Christopher Gable (in his debut role) is the gauche Fenby, author of the piece.

Produced by the British Film Institute under licence from BBC Worldwide, this 72 minute television film is given reverential treatment as one of Ken Russell`s greatest works. The cover notes sometimes give greater credit than perhaps they should - Dick Bush`s photography is described as "elegant.. crisp monochrome", as if a television programme of 1968 would be shot any other way.

Video

As the source material for this disk was made for television in the 1960`s, it comes as no surprise that this is in 4:3 black and white. The image, transferred from the film stock original, is pin sharp although there are signs of wear and tear. Contrast is high, although this may have something to do with the requirements of 1960`s telecine transfers than digital age transfers.

Audio

The soundtrack is an extremely flat mono.

Features

The extras at first appear disappointing. There are no subtitles. There is a Director`s Biography which reveals the scandalous news that Ken Russell hasn`t made a film for the cinema since the 1980`s. Making up for any shortcomings, though, is a Director`s Commentary which offers an excellent insight into the early career of the man who brought us "The Devils" and "Women In Love".

Conclusion

This is a title for film buffs, or at the very least Ken Russell aficionadoes. As a "biopic" of Delius, it`s a warts-and-all portrait. The British Film Institute is to be congratulated for making less commercially attractive titles available on DVD, and let`s hope in the future that they can set a standard for this sort of title that is important to cinematic history.