Song of Summer

Just caught up with this wonderful piece again. I too met Fenby once (briefly) ~ a lovely man (and a bit shorter than Gable, if I recall).

Am I wrong, or is the film clip Chris G is seen accompanying at the start not 1937's Way Out West? Or does that dance appear in an earlier, silent film by L&H?

And it's always intrigued me that Melbourne's Percy Granger is not given an Aussie accent. Okay, he was of English stock and spent some years there but by the time of the story he was living in the States and was a US citizen. And I know he was a fitness freak but he doesn't look 24 years older than Fenby here! In fact David Collings and Christopher Gable were both born in 1940. The best link between Collings and Granger is that both were born in Brighton ~ Brighton Sussex and Brighton, Victoria respectively.

Enough trivia. My main fascination here is that this film expresses most succinctly what I have often called "(Ken) Russell's Paradox" ~ a question he later asked about Gaudier-Brzeska, Tchaikovsky and many others. How can some great artists live such sordid or cruel ~ at least self-obsessed ~ private lives and still bequeath those moving, inspiring and downright humane works to us mere mortals? Or, as Fenby puts it here "I can't reconcile such hardness with such lovely music?"

This touching and bittersweet BBC drama about the final years of the composer Delius, and the role played by young composer Eric Fenby in helping to set down the last great works of the blind and paralysed genius, is truly wonderful.

Now available on Region 0 DVD, thanks to the BFI's Archive Television strand, this example of Ken Russell's early work can be enjoyed by a wider audience once again. The role of Delius is taken by the overbearing presence of Max Adrian, for once not swamping the screen and portraying the composer as a man at odds with the world but at one with its mysteries as they apply to his music. Jelka, Mrs Delius, is played sensitively by Maureen Pryor - the wife brought low by the neglect and cruelty of a tyrannical spouse who nevertheless finds joy, hope and devotion in the contemplation of his musical gift.

By far the most impressive player in this small cast though is the much-missed Christopher Gable, taking the role of Fenby in his first foray into acting after retirement from leading roles with the Royal Ballet. Russell would use Gable well in other films, notably The Music Lovers and The Boy Friend, (and a further, much more controversial film about Richard Strauss), but for me it was an eye opener to see how well he portrays Eric Fenby here - a shy, complex Yorkshireman whose self-sacrifice, as Delius says, gives the ageing composer back his life.

Ken Russell's work became more and more overblown and outrageous through the 1970s and 1980s (although always interesting, visually stunning, and unique). 'Song of Summer' proves his worth as a filmmaker of sensitivity and quiet - the scene where, in flashback, Delius watches his last sunset before his sight fails him, is worth watching this film for on its own.

Ken Russell Song of Summer is a sweet and beautiful composer biopic that was made for television but seems better suited for the cinema.

In fact it is a better film than most of his theatrical releases (Maybe excluding my personal favorite Mahler), with sensitive performances, humour, and an affection for its protangonists. (I know what your thinking - no bloody corpses? Writhing nudes? Swirling visuals?) No there's not much of Russell's trademark shock tactics - but the film is all the better for it.

A film I deeply respect. Try and track down a copy and you won't be disappointed. 9/10.

The music of Delius seems to be an acquired taste. I acquired it at the tender age of 17 (perhaps just about the right age). I have heard only one piece of Delius performed live since then, a performance, and a very fine one, at the Juilliard School of his last opera, "Fennimore and Gerda." It's a shame that this beautiful music can only be heard (in the U.S. at least) on recordings, for the most part. But thank God there are the magnificent recorded performances of Sir Thomas Beecham who seems to have had an almost mystical understanding of Delius's unique style.

And thank God, too, for this wonderful film, which shows that (despite all evidence) Ken Russell once on a time had an enormous talent and impeccable taste. (What happened? Unfathomable. Oddly, though, his 1990's TV version of "Lady Chatterly" -- unlikely material indeed -- shows by and large the same kind of tasteful restraint exhibited here. Ultimately the silliness of Lawrence's ideas does it in -- not Ken's fault though, really.) The performances of Max Adrian and the late lamented Christopher Gable are remarkable. Gable as Fenby is perhaps the more remarkable, in that this was his first film role ever, after retiring from a career as a ballet dancer. He's really fine, and quite handsome as well. And Adrian is simply brilliant, without the excess he frequently exhibits.

And you can see the whole thing (albeit in 9 discrete segments and less than ideal -- though not bad -- video) on youtube! Highly recommended.

This TV film from 1968 about the last 5 years in the life of composer Frederick Delius is a moving and memorable experience thanks to director Ken Russell and the three stars.

Max Adrian is astonishing as Delius, a man crippled and blinded by disease. Despite his afflictions, his mind is sharp and his musical talent undiminished. Also excellent are Christopher Gable as Fenby, the young man who comes to Delius' country home to help him finish his work. And matching these performances is Maureen Pryor as the devoted wife, Jelka.

The household is truly odd with musical genius Delius at the center of everything. To him, nothing matters but his music. Fenby becomes a devoted member of the household as he loses his orthodox views about religion and marriage and becomes a member of the family. Jelka maintains the home and the semblance of normalcy, but it is revealed that she has sacrificed her own talent as a painter to serve Delius.

Russell gets very close to showing us the inner core of creating art, rather than just playing Delius' music. We see that this creation is a struggle against chaos and against the humdrum daily needs of life. With Fenby and Jelka as his buffers, Delius is able to work.

All three stars worked with Russell in other film projects. Most notably, Pryor was in THE MUSIC LOVERS, and Gable and Adrian were in THE BOY FRIEND (one of Russell's best films). Max Adrian was nominated for a British Oscar for the latter film. In SONG OF SUMMER, all three stars give award-worthy performances, and Russell shows us just how good a director he could be.

This is a must-see film for art and music lovers and ranks with CLEOPHAS AND HIS OWN as among the great art films.