Ken Russell has always been a big influence, especially his use of sound and how he really pushed boundaries with historical drama. The Music Lovers is a prime example of his extreme style, which I find very inspiring for creating atmospheric worlds.
Ken Russell has always been a big influence, especially his use of sound and how he really pushed boundaries with historical drama. The Music Lovers is a prime example of his extreme style.
— Ken Russell · MUBI Notebook interview with Peter Strickland
I devoured Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible Part 1 and 2, fascinated by their highly stylized theatricality and the way they used music and visuals to create powerful, almost operatic drama. I tried to emulate these aspects in my own work.
— Ken Russell · A British Picture: An Autobiography by Ken Russell