THE CULTWORTHY EP #171 - THE KEN RUSSELL TREATMENT w/ CRAIG MacNEIL!

The Cultworthy Cinema Podcast

09/12/24 • 68 min

5.0

(6)

This week I am joined by Craig MacNeil of CRAIG & FRIENDS! We discuss two obscure Ken Russell biopics: MAHLER and VALENTINO!

In Mahler:

After time away spent conducting at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gustav Mahler (Robert Powell) is returning to Austria by train with his wife, Alma (Georgina Hale). Over the course of the journey, he has occasion to reflect upon the significant moments of his life. Among others, Mahler dwells on memories of his overbearing father, of his once buoyant but now failing relationship with Alma and of the anti-Semitism that dogged him so much that he converted to Catholicism.

In Valentino:

This highly fictionalized take on the Hollywood legend, immigrant Rudolph Valentino (Rudolf Nureyev) begins his stay in the United States humbly, working for minimum wage before becoming a New York City gigolo. He then makes his way to California, where his good looks allow him to seduce respected actresses. Eventually, his famous lovers help him become a leading man, and he quickly ascends to stardom. But he cannot escape the media's questions about his past and his sexuality.

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