Customer Reviews

Elgar [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]

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For those of you who know little of 'early' Ken Russell, he made quite a name for himself, some four decades ago, with his films for the BBC about Elgar, Delius, and Richard Strauss.

With the Elgar film, I mean no disrespect to the cast when I suggest that you can disregard them!! They are 'lookalikes' who merely act out Huw Weldon's narration, (excellently), and have no dialogue. This really was 'early days' for such a format, (documentary using actors), and apparently Russell insisted on it. The film is in Black and White and despite a certain dated feel to some of the camera-operating for example, (it seems to have been shot in 'Wobblyscope' on occasion), mostly it is beautifully made, informative and moving. The young Elgar on his pony, galloping on the Malvern Hills to the 'Introduction and Allegro for Strings' is quite memorable, and the soundtrack is remarkably clear and clean for its age.

In those days, we had only had access to the Hollywood versions of composers' lives, - (e.g. 'biopics' with Cornel Wilde as Liszt, if memory serves me correctly), and Russell's films came as a breath of fresh air. This was pretty much a golden age for television, particularly the BBC, and we're fortunate the film was not consigned to oblivion as so much excellent material was when the accountants took charge in later years!

There are also some fascinating film snippets of the 'real' Elgar towards the end of his life. I can only beseech US readers without the facility on their machines to view PAL DVDs, to remedy that situation!!

A very moving experience, and particularly for music-loving UK viewers of a 'certain age', a landmark film. (I could use the bulk of this review were I to comment on Russell's 'Delius' film, another classic). The 'Strauss' film, although I worked on it for one day, (my first day at the BBC as a lowly camera-assistant), I have only hazy recollections of, and I seem to remember it being a bit more...'tendentious'. I remember reading that Klemperer had seen it and muttered 'I never really liked Strauss that much, but now I DO. Dreadful film!')....the truth of which I never ascertained.

'Elgar' nearly falls into the category of 'historical document', but at the end of the day, no allowances have to be made for this, and its 'dated' aspects are merely part of its appeal. Buy, watch, and be moved! ....and it's one to return to again and again......