Controversial on release in 1984, the erotic thriller Crimes Of Passion proved to be a turning point in Ken Russell’s career. Screening from a 16mm archival print, this is a rare chance to see Kathleen Turner’s fearless performance as a Reagan-era businesswoman who moonlights as a sex worker.

But this is no mere tale of a fallen angel, as Russell heightens the religious anxiety, psychic repression, and visual splendour to deliver a fantasia of late-20th century anxiety. Plus, an unhinged performance from perverse priest Anthony Perkins!

The feature will be preceded by Nunsploitation short film Visions of Ecstasy (Nigel Wingrove, 1989), chosen by film club Siren Screen.

Cinema Year Zero is a London-based journal of film criticism, covering cinema history and archive, with an ethos of ‘slow criticism from the end of the world’. Volume 20 of their periodical takes a new look at Ken Russell’s body of work as an alternate history of mankind. The issue will be exclusively available at the event.

Siren Screen is a London-based community film club dedicated to celebrating myths in motion. From cult cinema to the esoteric and under-seen, they showcase cinema that explores the fantastical and the mystical through ancient stories and modern visions alike. Delving into archetypes and symbolic narratives, they investigate how the cinematic mythic shapes identities and cultures across the globe.

Read cinema year zero at www.cinemayearzero.com and https://www.instagram.com/cinemayearzero, and keep up with Siren Screen https://www.instagram.com/siren.screen

Content warning: strong sex, nudity, sexual assault, sex worker theme, drug use, injury detail.

Doors open at 18.30, for a 19.30 start.

Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.

TICKETS & PRICING

Tickets £8, 18+ only.
Advance tickets may be purchased from Ticketlab, or direct from the Museum by calling 020 7840 2200 in office hours.