Ken Russell "In Search Of The English Folk Song"

Famed filmmaker Ken Russell tours the countryside in search of the roots of the English folk song in this eye-opening documentary. His travels reveal the history of the form, its remnants in modern music and the ways it evolved as it was carried to Ireland and the New World. Performances and interviews with Donovan, Fairport Convention, June Tabor and other artists help illustrate the changing face of English folk music through the centuries.
Broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 1997

[@donaldleidinger3419]

Far as I'm concerned, June Tabor's a cappella rendition of "The King of Rome" is a good enough sole reason for the existence of the Internet.

[@deflydoesit7292]

This is the best thing I seen in ages. The pigeon song is my fav

[@cliffhughes6010]

Thank god I've found this odd little documentary. I used to have it on a video cassette but it was lent and never returned.

[@palmereldritch7777]

God Bless Ken Russell

[@stephenhughes4043]

Weird Russell. Lovely to hear June Tabor. I saw Carthy , Carthy and Waterson in Middletown Pennsylvania, and audience of about 20 people, they were brilliant.

[@shaunlowthians7145]

NOW, I know just why I love folk music. Many thanks.

[@mrbartle7556]

This is INCREDIBLE!

[@jeffweiler9382]

Odd, but completely enjoyable. June Tabor is amazing! King of Rome...what a story. At the end of the movie, odd becomes ODD with Donovan singing Nirvana.

[@barbarajames4933]

The King of Rome. First time i heard it, everything stopped 🌿

[@fijaystudio]

witty and wise! A froth of cotton candy in a world too Ridley Scott

[@evansmith3589]

17 Come Sunday appears on the multi-disc live cd with cricket cover!

[@SleepyLestatSF]

this is a brilliant documentary - it opened my mind to a world of music I really never considered before!

[@evansmith3589]

June Tabor!!

[@markbaird6691]

Really enjoyable Doco with Ken. Some great songs in this.

[@Layla-kd4ui]

Made in 1997 you wouldn't know the folk revival was already underway, Palace Brothers and others in the US serving up accustic lowfi, Alasdair Roberts in Scotland collecting and recording traditional and modern songs, first with Appendix Out. In 1996, All The Pretty Little Horses song cycle with Current 93, and Nick Cave, restarting Shirely Collin's lapsed musical career...

[@biffin62]

The only sad part about this video is seeing the great Ken's beautiful cottage 'Old Tinsleys' before it burnt down and was replaced by a bland modern house.

[@michaeligoe3935]

Great to see the inimitable Eliza Carthy.

[@johnstevenson1709]

Funny informative and irreverent I wish I could give 2 thumbs up

[@richH1625]

24:23 king of rome

[@Taliesin-xd7ke]

That statue Ken was carrying early doors in the footage will beat a bladder beating morris boy any day and a hey! no,ne,no😂 All joking aside, this is a genre where the subjects are treated like the invisible man of folk somewhat coz: American,Australian,Basque, Brèton, Canadian,Channel Isles,Cornish, Irish, Kiwi,Manx,Scilly Isles, Scots and Welsh(Cymru)*. All these are performed at the Mod, Celtic Connections, World Pipng Championships, St Patrick's/St David's and moreover now St Andrews day events pretty much globally and hog international attention. St George and the bladder beaters tho.. even now not much but there should be, English folk music has as much right, richness and respect owed as any other indigenous sonnet of the Isles. It may be sadly viewed as fringe due to England's clear as mud homogeneous approach to all things....British, and no longer seeing or even wanting their own distinct celtic/anglo/norman twist on things advertised, or even acknowledged as this , especially with the 'chinless wonders'(English Aristocracy) who won't appreciate undue attention on them as a result of any form of cultural/artistic reawakening. Many would argue this is happening due to events since 2016.. It is not! Hate rarely fosters creativity and certainly doesn't promote diversity, this however is a debate for another forum and another time. Must be said that Ken Russell did a good thing here trying, not only to preserve a cultural part of the english people, but remind their cousins that their music, like ours, is ours just as ours is theirs. All we truly have is what was handed down by the ancestors, and this goes for any culture on Earth who love their heritage, their history and just having a bloody good time vibing to amazing tunes from contemporary to long ago. Enjoy them all people.🥳 *Apologies if any group wasn't mentioned here, middle aged, mental and mired in merry juice will do that.😬🤭

[@Eleonoretg]

thanks :)

[@ceilidhband]

Wollaton hall not Wollarton Hall. Important to get facts right when documenting folk song.

[@1220b]

Cropredy before those poxy fold out chairs took over.

[@AmazinglyGayPhil]

23:30 hahahahahhahaaaahhaa "ive always wanted to kiss the popes ring"

[@ludovica8221]

I dont think the English country music guy realised that the Stars and Bars was the flag of the pro slavery faction. He has no idea in his fervor for cultural appropriation that the "Rebel Flag" is a symbol of oppression He thinks its just a cool image from The Dukes of Hazzard

[@siriusvenus8708]

Poor Ken Russell, tried to make an interesting short film out of extremely irreverent (aka boring) music from England which has a lot of hoopula associated with being forced to laugh and smile and appear like it's all good fun and wonderful music and it's horrid and stale but appearing like it's fresh and young. Thus, the movie is lively but stale and old.

[@fractuss]

@Chase Williams There al all kinds of folk music, not all is traditional. Some is contemporary, there is no requirement that it be old to be folk.

[@nectarinedreams7208]

@Chase Williams You've really missed the point, mate. Your loss. This doc is wonderful.

[@robertnewell5057]

Well quite. That's because it is the folk music establishment who are shown, complete with right on leftward leanings. Nothing wrong with that except that it isn't what folk music is about; it's just what some people would like it to be about. The way in which collectors' agendas influenced what came to be regarded as folk music has been extensively researched. Oh, it's also a pretty bad film, and I for one haven't missed the point, having been involved with traditional and contemporary folk music (whatever that might be) for well over 50 years. SIgh. Still, it was 1997.

[@PenetratorHammer]

@@robertnewell5057 Yeah, it smacks of that darling watchword of the so-called left, "cultural appropriation" to embrace, even selectively, the revival of music whose roots and inspiration date as far back as 14th/15th century England. Not quite sure if proto-Marxian utopianism had taken root just yet back in those days.