Amelia and the Angel
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| Amelia and the Angel | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Written by | Ken Russell Anthony G. Evans |
| Produced by | Ken Russell |
| Starring | Mercedes Quadros Míka van Bloemen Helen Ulman E. Collins Elisha Manasseh Helen May |
Release date |
|
Running time | 26 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Amelia and the Angel is a 1958 British short film directed by Ken Russell. It was his second completed film after Peep Show. The movie was seen by Huw Wheldon and led to his offering Russell a full-time job.
A schoolgirl, Amelia, attempts to find an angel costume in time to appear in her school play.
Cast
- Mercedes Quadros as Amelia
- Míka van Bloemen as Mike Sniver (as Mika Van Bloemen)
- Helen Ulman as The Artist's Model
- E. Collins as The Stallholder
- Elisha Manasseh as The Artist
- Helen May as The Dancing Teacher
- Nicholas O'Brien as The Brother (as Nicolas O'Brien)
Production
Russell was then a photographer who wanted to get into the film industry and thought of the idea. He says he was influenced by La Belle et Bete and The Red Balloon.[1][2] Quadros was the daughter of an Uruguayan diplomat and was recommended to Russell by a friend. Russell's wife Shirley did the costumes.
Filming took two weeks and was financed by Russell himself – the budget was "peanuts... about 100 pounds" he said.[3] Russell said Quadros "was delightful, no trouble at all – as long as I gave her scary whirlwind rides in an old, broken-down Morris 8 I had she was as good as gold. I remember she fell over on the steps of the Albert Memorial at one point and broke her hand, the poor devil. In most of the film, she has her right hand turned away from the camera."[3]
