PREVIEW: RUSSELLMANIA: Videodrome Brings Legendary Auteur’s Work to Atlanta
The striking director's work is on full display at the upcoming Taradrome series
This fall, Atlanta’s reigning video rental store, Videodrome, will be partnering with The Plaza and The Tara Theatres to screen works from one of the most audacious and striking auteurs of the twentieth century: Ken Russell.
Russell’s (1927-2011) work spans decades and formats, ranging from film to photography to art to opera, with iconic works like Tommy (1975), Crimes of Passion (1984), and The Lair of the White Worm (1988). Beginning October 15th,Warner Brothers is launching their boutique label Clockwork with a theatrical distribution of Russell’s restored controversial classic, The Devils (1971). This re-release has prompted cinemas and cinephiles far and wide to explore the depth of his catalog, which includes seventy-eight (!!) directorial efforts. Thankfully, Videodrome has Atlanta covered with their upcoming Taradrome series: RUSSELLMANIA.
The series begins October 5th with Gothic (1986) presented on 35mm, a tale of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and co. on the eve of Frankenstein’s creation. Altered States (1980) follows November 3rd, a gripping science-fiction film with William Hurt as a compulsive researcher. It concludes in December with Women in Love (1968), an intricate tale of desire in turn-of-the-century pastoral England. Plazadrome will screen The Devils (1971) in 4k, a psychedelic tale of lust, religion, and mania, on October 15th.
“When the programming crew at Videodrome found out that Ken Russell’s The Devils was getting a long-awaited theatrical re-release, we knew we would be programming it for a Plazadrome, but that simply didn’t feel like enough of our favorite iconoclast,” Videodrome’s Jordan Kady told ASA. “Looking at Russell’s entire oeuvre and teasing out thematic threads between his films is a programmer’s dream. Despite their diverse settings, Russell’s films share an unmistakable commonality, a no-holds-barred exploration of the transgressive. To that end, Russell has the unique ability to make us psycho-naut explorers dropped into a moment in time, be it the fabled shores of Byron’s Swiss villa, deep inside a sensory deprivation tank, or sat before a roaring fire that sprung from D.H. Lawrence’s pen.”
Kady’s words ring true: Russell’s films make time travellers of its viewers, explorers of a fantastical realm. I’m particularly excited for this series, as I have quite a personal and formative connection with Russell. I saw my first Ken Russell film when I was twelve years old. My father, an inveterate cinephile himself, figured I should watch Tommy – Rocky Horror Picture Show had gone over great, as had Across the Universe and Rent. What was another rock musical added to the mix? After all, my dad had been around the same age when he watched the film.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I remember it in fragments: a young boy berated into losing his senses, a neon-lit game of pinball, Tommy falling into the water with his arms outstretched. I had decided that this was too much for me. I wouldn’t watch the film again for over a decade, nor think of Russell at all.
Twelve years later, while volunteering at Videodrome, I would stumble upon Women in Love, cover face out, peeking its head at me from around the counter. Russell occupies a long bottom-shelf in the director’s room, nestled under fellow artists such as Lynch, Cronenberg, and Carpenter. If you angle yourself just so, it’s in perfect eyeline from the computer where I’d spend days cataloging inventory. To my complete surprise, and despite my half-baked memories of Tommy, Women in Love knocked me off of my feet. For the following year, I’d spend many of my weeks returning home with more discoveries from that special shelf: The Music Lovers, Savage Messiah, Valentino… Now, I have seen fourteen of Ken Russell’s films, and still I can’t wait for more.
Videodrome presents the public with the opportunity to not only experience Russell’s brilliance on the big screen, but to explore his extensive catalog on that very special shelf. If you find yourself inspired by any of these screenings, we recommend diving further into Russell’s world through the physical media Videodrome has to offer. And, remember to stay tuned for further exquisite programming from Videodrome's excellent team throughout the upcoming year.
Most importantly, the Plaza, Tara, and Videodrome invite you, as per Kady, to “bask in the insanity this fall and winter for RUSSELLMANIA.”
THE DEVILS (Uncut Restoration) - Thursday October 15th at Plaza Theatre 9:30pm (kicking off a one week only theatrical run)
WOMEN IN LOVE - Tuesday December 1st at Tara 7:30pm
