Kenneth Anger was one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of cinema. He was a pioneer of experimental film, a practitioner of occultism, and a lover of pop culture. He was also unapologetically provocative in his life and politics, expressing his homosexuality, his fascination with Nazism, and his disdain for Black people. He was a man of intense contradictions, who became a legend long before his death this month at the age of ninety-six.
Anger’s films can be divided into three phases. The first one consists of his early works, from Fireworks (1947) to Eaux d’artifice (1953), which show his interest in surrealism, expressionism, and silent cinema. The second one comprises his magnum opus, the cycle of films inspired by the English occultist Aleister Crowley, from Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954) to Lucifer Rising (1972-80), which explore themes of sexuality, spirituality, and mythology. The third one includes his late works, from Mouse Heaven (1992) to Ich Will! (2008), which reflect his obsession with pop culture, especially Disney and Hollywood.
In this article, we will examine the brilliant and contradictory vision of Kenneth Anger, and how he shaped and challenged the boundaries of cinema and culture.
Fireworks: The Birth of a Queer Cinema
Fireworks is Anger’s first surviving film, and one of the earliest examples of queer cinema. It is a short and shocking work, in which Anger himself plays a young man who dreams of being assaulted and mutilated by a group of sailors. The film is full of homoerotic and sadomasochistic imagery, such as a lit firecracker in a sailor’s pants, a severed hand holding a heart, and a bleeding eye.
Fireworks was made when Anger was only seventeen, and it was based on his own experiences and fantasies. He said that he made the film “in a daze” after being beaten up by a gang of sailors. He also said that he wanted to express his “feeling of the world, a feeling of being in a dream, or being asleep and having a nightmare”.
Fireworks was a bold and daring statement of Anger’s sexuality, at a time when homosexuality was illegal and stigmatised in the US. He was arrested and charged with obscenity, but he was acquitted after the judge ruled that the film had artistic merit. The film also attracted the attention and admiration of other artists, such as Jean Cocteau, Alfred Kinsey, and Maya Deren, who recognised Anger as a visionary and a rebel.
Scorpio Rising: The Pop Art of Cinema
Scorpio Rising is perhaps Anger’s most famous and influential film, and one of the first examples of pop art in cinema. It is a documentary-style portrait of a group of bikers in New York, who idolise Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Elvis Presley. The film is composed of a series of vignettes, showing the bikers preparing for a race, partying, and fighting. The film is also accompanied by a soundtrack of pop songs, such as “Blue Velvet”, “Hit the Road Jack”, and “Wipe Out”.
Scorpio Rising is a film that celebrates and criticises American culture, especially its icons and myths. Anger shows the bikers as both rebels and conformists, who emulate the images of masculinity and heroism that they see in the media. He also shows the bikers as both erotic and violent, who express their sexuality and aggression through their bikes and their bodies. He also draws parallels between the bikers and the Nazis, who share a similar fetish for leather, helmets, and symbols.
Scorpio Rising was a groundbreaking and influential film, that anticipated the music video, the documentary, and the mashup. It was also a film that challenged the conventions and censorship of cinema, by using found footage, non-linear editing, and subversive imagery. It was also a film that inspired and influenced many filmmakers, such as Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, and Quentin Tarantino, who admired Anger’s style and sensibility.
Lucifer Rising: The Occult Cinema
Lucifer Rising is Anger’s last and longest film, and the culmination of his cycle of films inspired by the occult. It is a mystical and psychedelic work, that depicts the rise of Lucifer, the fallen angel, who brings a new age of enlightenment and liberation to humanity. The film features a cast of characters, such as Isis, Osiris, Lilith, and Horus, who represent different aspects of the occult. The film also features a score by Bobby Beausoleil, a musician and a member of the Manson Family, who composed and recorded the music in prison.
Lucifer Rising is a film that expresses Anger’s beliefs and practices in the occult, especially the teachings of Aleister Crowley, whom Anger considered as his spiritual father. Anger was a follower of Thelema, a religion founded by Crowley, that advocates the pursuit of one’s true will and the attainment of one’s divine potential. Anger also used ritual and magic in the making of his films, which he regarded as sacred and powerful acts.
Lucifer Rising was a film that took Anger more than a decade to complete, and that faced many difficulties and obstacles. He had to deal with the loss of his original footage, the betrayal of his collaborators, and the lack of funding and support. He also had to deal with the criticism and rejection of his film, which was seen as blasphemous and dangerous by many. He also had to deal with the decline and disappearance of his film career, which he blamed on the Hollywood establishment and the CIA.
Kenneth Anger was a brilliant and contradictory filmmaker, who left a lasting mark on cinema and culture. He was a pioneer of experimental film, a practitioner of occultism, and a lover of pop culture. He was also unapologetically provocative in his life and politics, expressing his homosexuality, his fascination with Nazism, and his disdain for Black people. He was a man of intense contradictions, who became a legend long before his death this month at the age of ninety-six.
