A RARELY-seen TV film about composer Edward Elgar, made in Malvern by maverick film director Ken Russell, is set to see the light of day again after years of obscurity.

The British Film Institute, based in London, has started to rerelease classic TV programmes on video and DVD.

And Russell's Elgar, filmed in 1962, is one of those chosen for release.

Erich Sargeant, BFI's head of video publishing, said: "We are in negotiation with the BBC over Elgar and we have just got a couple more music clearances to make. We hope to have it released early next year."

Elgar was one of the films which established Russell's early reputation but has rarely been seen.

It was screened as part of the Malvern Festival some years ago.

One Malvern man looking forward to the film's release is Clive Smith, former chairman of Malvern Hills District Council.

As an 11-year-old schoolboy, he was selected to be an altar boy in one of the film's early scenes, meaning a day away from lessons.

"That was my brush with fame," he said. "It was the scene where Elgar was playing the organ in St George's RC Church in Worcester.

"We had to do a whole mass with incense and the works and when we'd got to the end, Ken Russell asked if we could do the whole thing again.

"It was the nearest I've ever come to see a priest swearing at the altar, but we did the second take."

The film also features scenes shot on the Malvern Hills, one of Elgar's favourite landscapes.