This updated autobiography of one of the most controversial film directors, the creative force behind" Altered States," "The Devils," "The Music Lovers," "The Rainbow," "Tommy," and "Women in Love," is as unconventional and brilliant as his best films. Moving with astonishing assurance through time and space, Russell re-creates his life in a series of interconnected episodes--his 1930s childhood in Southampton; his first sexual experience (watching Disney's "Pinocchio"); his school days at the Nautical College in Pangbourne; early careers in the Merchant Marine and the Royal Air Force; dancing days at the Shepherds Bush Ballet Club; and of course his career as a filmmaker; beginning with an extraordinary interview with Huw Weldon for a job on "Monitor." Full of marvelously funny anecdotes and fascinating insights into the realities of the film director's life, "A British Picture" is a remarkable autobiography.