Customer Reviews

In Search of the English Folk Song / Ken Russell, Fairport Convention, Osibisa, Percy Grainger Chamber Orchestra

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4 star:		(1)
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Ken Russell's stomp through rural England in the search for the archetypal folksong is bright and fun, but chatting politely about pigeons with June Tabor, or picking daisies with the lefty ladies of Greenham Common does not an overblown, self-indulgent, black comedy make - so anyone with pre-set ideas of the elderly 'enfant' need to be wary about this outing.

Regardless, Russell digs deep in his quest: from Fairport Convention's tangible rock frisson at a huge festival, to a gang of janners cawing away in a churchyard, he applies equally impressive honesty; he is lucid and keen, and far too eccentric to EVER be considered a cliché.

His subjects on the other hand are certainly of a type: cider imbibing, dungaree sporting, flute toting soap dodgers to a man. This type of anti-fashion is resolutely uniform in every sense; as decisively conservative as the obligatory shots of bonnie country lasses in muddy fields, and the fibrous yokel accents of people whose fathers were in the Hussars. The whole environment appears socially mechanical, it's only the warmth and sheer psychotic enthusiasm of Russell that prevents a fair percentage of them disappearing down the Ouse...

There's Barry Lowe, a big beardie given to writing 3 songs a week about American Indians (he hates Custer and claims the Sioux have adopted him!) and has penned such immediate anthems as 'You Don't Need to be in the Ku Klux Klan to be a Wizard Under the Sheets' and 'I'm Gonna Put a Bar in My Old Car, and Drive Myself to Drink'. There's charmingly intense Bob Appleyard, whose excellent songs chronicle his local industrial environment; a fierce folk-thrash turn called So What play a chaotic set at Ken's local; fetching Eliza Carthy does something sexy with a fiddle and the whole odyssey is completed with a virile rendition of 'English Country Garden' by the Percy Grainger Chamber Orchestra, whose conductor seems to be having some sort of amusing fit.

Only 60's dullard Donovan is truly uninteresting; droning on about pretentious, well-after-the-event Beatles-and-gurus tripe. Russell susses him immediately; he and his producer/chauffeur Maureen can hardly keep straight faces as they cheekily chant "Nirvana, Nirvana" after the oaf; who despite undoubtedly thinking the whole programme should be about him and his worthless philosophies, only has a suspiciously brief two minutes (thanks Ken) in the final cut.

The quality of the music is hugely variable, and there isn't much middle-ground; some of it's very good, some very bad. It doesn't seem to matter to Russell (sporting some hideous attire, including a scary socks-and-sandals combination and an alarming line in gaudy shirts), who interviews them all politely and diligently, while directing some nicely droll promos and lashing wine down him at every jiffy.

'In Search of the English Folk Song' is one of Russell's relatively calmer ventures, how entertaining you find it depends entirely on your tolerance of rustic British music.

It quietly reveals snippits of the man himself: his charming Blyton-esque cottage in the New Forest (which burnt down!), his bluff and simplistic humour, and engagingly, his happy optimism about pretty much everything.

Well, if you'd been divorced as many times as Ken Russell, you'd certainly have that, wouldn't you?

I have always enjoyed Ken Russells films, but only recently have I been able to listen to the man talk about the things he loves in life, or his opinions of film via his commentaries. So when I saw he had made a special on English folk music, something he loved, I knew I had to see this. The film is far beyond my expectations. Taking a fun look, almost like a childerens show but with a witty edge for adults, at the current state of English folk music.

Ken travels around his neighborhoods and near by villages, interviewing local musicians to learn what has evolved from traditional folk music. As his quest continues, he meets up with the likes of June Tabor, and even Donovan (the pop singer from the 60's) and many others. Ranging from private performances, to music festivals, we see many enetertaining songs ranging from simple to political to popular, to controversial.

A great movie, and proof that Mr. Russell should do more films such as this!

Very wonderfully talented and light hearted look at folk music in the UK. Ken Russell steps away from his Gothic, Sci Fi and high art personas to get right in the pub with his friends and neighbours and on the road travelling all about the UK. This was originally shot for UK's Channel 4 so this is not a feature film documentary though Ken's camera work is of course top notch, light and crisp. Ken is such a great biographer and chronicler of artists both centuries renowned and totally unknown that he opens up new worlds for anyone who watches. So many highlights In Search of the English Folk Song but I especially loved So What doing "Kick It" in Ken's local pub, the sensual and wild Native American enthusiast/singer song-writer Barry Lowe who is known as "the Oliver Reed of Grosewood Films" Ken's production company and Osibisa. Will make a great gift for any singer/musician of folk, classical, jazz or world.