The Debussy Film Explained

Director:	Ken Russell
Producer:	Ken Russell
Starring:	Oliver Reed Vladek Sheybal
Cinematography:	Ken Westbury
Editor:	Allen Tyrer
Music:	Claude Debussy
Company:	BBC
Network:	BBC
Runtime:	82 minutes
Country:	United Kingdom
Language:	English French

The Debussy Film: Impressions of the French Composer (also known simply as The Debussy Film) is a 1965 British television documentary film directed by Ken Russell, and co-written by Melvyn Bragg. Produced for the BBC's Monitor, it was the first of five collaborations between director Russell and star Oliver Reed. Russell cast Reed following Reed's performance in The System.^[1]

Plot

A film company shoots a dramatised account of the life of the French composer Claude Debussy.

Cast

• Oliver Reed as Claude Debussy
• Vladek Sheybal as Director/Pierre Louys
• Annette Robertson as Gaby
• Iza Teller as Madame Bardac
• Penny Service as Lily

Production

Debussy's estate disliked the film and prevented repeat screenings.^[2]

External links

• The Debussy Film at IMDb
• The Debussy Film at BFI Screenonline
• Article on film at Diabolique Magazine
• Article on film at Dangerous Mind
• The Debussy Film at Letterbox DVD

Notes and References

1. Oliver Burns--at the Stake and at Film CriticsKramer, Carol. Chicago Tribune 22 Aug 1971: e3.
2. KEN RUSSELL'S THE DEBUSSY FILM (1965)Tibbetts, John C. Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television; Dorchester-on-Thames Vol. 25, Iss. 1, (Mar 2005): 81-99.