A dear and lovely chum from New York, singer Robert Conroy, has just alerted us to some splendid news! The Boy Friend (1971), one of Ken Russell’s most elegantly outrageous gems, was recently released to DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection. It’s a remastered disc of the 136-minute UK version, and it’s… oh, if you haven’t seen it before, just watch a wee bit, see what you think:

Some background info, courtesy of the YouTube clip:

Working at the height of his formidable powers, Ken Russell braids a whole new layer of story onto the hit stage musical that made Julie Andrews a star and opens it up to some astonishing flights of fancy. Wrapping a narrative frame around the original – a seaside theatrical company mounts a production of the ’20s musical spoof The Boy Friend – allows Russell, in turn, to explore and parody the conventions of ’30s musicals with elaborate fantasy sequences, slapstick, and sentiment. RESTORED DIRECTOR’S CUT/ROADSHOW presentation with Intermission and Entr’Acte, as Ken Russell intended the film to be seen. SPECIAL FEATURES: vintage “behind the scenes” making-of featurette about the film and theatrical trailer.

With Antonia Ellis! Twiggy! Tommy Tune! An uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson! And… Mister Boogalow?! (Aka Vladek Sheybal, a tragically under-appreciated gem of screen and stage.)

As Robert puts it, The Boy Friend “looks like how Bowie’s Aladdin Sane or Roxy Music’s debut LP sounds!” Swoon…

Buy it here.

Posted by Meredith Yayanos on May 21st, 2011
Filed under Dance, Faboo, Fashion, Film, Music