Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios. Russell is best known for his Academy Award-winning romantic drama film
Women in Love (1969); the historical drama horror film
The Devils (1971); the musical fantasy film
Tommy (1975), featuring the Who; and the science fiction horror film
Altered States (1980). Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky,
Mahler, and Liszt. Film c...
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