Lucifer Rising

I think the most interesting about this short is the back story, which I highly recommend reading up on. For good or for worse, the back story alone makes this movie notable.

When it comes to the movie itself, it's visually stunning and the music is brilliant. And that's about it. As an art flick, there's not meant to be an explicit storyline, so if you are not comfortable with that, this movie will probably not be very enjoyable as a "short" - but maybe as a music video of sorts. The previously mentioned music and visuals are good and match somewhat, so watching this is a good way to let your mind wander.

If you are interested in the occult/spiritual world Anger taps into in his shorts, then you might get a kick out of this just for that. To me, that's less interesting. While I made an effort to connect the images with ideas and concepts that might lie behind them - I eventually lost interest and started following my own trains of thought.

Among the 1960's counterculture philosophy of moral liberation, free-love, and flower-power utopianism were dark stirrings which came to a malignant fruition with the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont festival and the Tate/LaBianca slayings courtesy of Charles Manson's "family", thus bringing the fledgling Aquarian age to an abrupt end. And what, you may ask, has any of this to do with 'Lucifer Rising'? And well, the answer, is everything(!) as the 1960s were essentially an unconscious mass evocation of English Occultist Aleister Crowley's oft misunderstood maxim "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law"...and no other figure has done more to promote the name and work of Crowley in the arena of popular culture than Kenneth Anger.

Fascinated by fame (especially its darker aspects) from an early age, Anger had long been a fringe figure in Hollywood making and independently distributing obscure, homo-erotic, and occult inspired works that eventually attracted Their Satanic Majesties themselves the Rolling Stones. Anger was attracted to the power and pop-culture shamanic potency wielded by rock stars, and none more so than Mick Jagger who, hard as it is to believe these days, was back then viewed by parents and moral guardians as an androgynous, drug-addled threat to society. Perfect casting then, Anger reasoned, to play the part of Lucifer in his Magnum Opus 'Lucifer Rising'.

In the end Jagger chickened out, eventually leaving the role to be played by unknown Leslie Huggins. However, despite the lead role being played by an unknown, the film still boasts Donald Cammell (writer/director of 'Performance') as Osiris and Marianne Faithful as Lilith who play out a bizarre archetypal psychodrama against stunning backdrops of giant statues in Egypt, including, most evocatively, the Sphinx. Originally, the soundtrack was to be composed by Led Zeppelin guitarist, and fellow Crowley devotee, Jimmy Page (who puts in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo) but owing to contractual obligations with Led Zeppelin he was only able to complete 22 minutes worth of material and was subsequently fired from the project following a bitter fallout with Anger. Eventually the soundtrack was composed by Manson "family" member Bobby Beausoleil (Anger's original choice for the role of Lucifer but who had a disagreement with Anger and buried the original print of the movie in the Death Valley desert forcing Anger to reshoot the film) whilst serving a prison sentence for his part in the murders performed under the orders of the counterculture anti-messiah Charles Manson. The soundtrack itself is part chilling, haunting soundscape and part dynamic quasi-classical rock opus which has a magnetic and spellbinding quality which complements the film in a way impossible to imagine from any other composition.

So, all told, 'Lucifer Rising' is more than a short film, and more than a work of art…even though the film is an exemplary example of both. However, more than these, it is the tortured result of a labour of love more than a decade long (filming began in 1966 yet was only finally released in 1980) which serves as a curious post-script to an era of fervent creativity in music, film, and art as well as being a curious admonition to those that seek unadulterated spiritual and moral exploration in the name of "Do what thou wilt" that with such potent virtues come all-encompassing costs.

Entertaining, slow moving, insightful, and sometimes shocking fourth installment to the Kenneth Anger short film collection; it possesses all these attributes, as well as being influential to experimental directors of today. A lot of what Anger was doing in "Invocation of My Demon Brother" (film layers, fast edits, bizarre soundtracks) can be seen in most of the music videos on MTV; a characteristic that has driven parents, as well as teenagers, crazy. The primary source of these ideas came from the Acid Trip footage, extensively explicated in Tom Wolfe's lysergic-fused biographical novel, "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." Nevertheless, the idea caught on and Anger utilized the technique to the fullest in "Demon Brother," counterweighted by an equivocal tape-loop supplied by Mick Jagger. In the second film "Lucifer Rising," Anger had already developed his experimentation with edits and layers, this time presenting a more formalized run to the film. Marianne Faithful makes an appearance in the film, as well as an assortment of 60's notables, which includes Manson family member Bobby Beausoleil who also wrote the film's score. Altho not Anger's best volume, (Scorpio Rising is the better) it still has many elements -- as I explained -- that will turn some people on; ergo, a cult following.

A nice little trip for the connoisseur on the hunt for something bizarre, grotesque and visual interesting and/or the adept of magick a la Crowley and his kin. Luckily, the "movie" just runs 28 minutes and so we do not get the time to get bored by this experimental piece.

How can I truly describe this film without giving away any spoiling details? Well let me see to begin with I will go into what commonly (in my perspective) qualifies as a movie these days. Normally something that is out of the ordinary and eye catching is a good plus; don't forget something with some sort of mysterious element that makes viewers want more. Most importantly is the ability for a movie to peak interest just upon seeing a clip of it.

Kenneth Anger's "Lucifer Rising" definitely meets these qualities head on and goes beyond them. I find it saddening that a few people are incapable of seeing the pure art presented here but alas to each their own. What is perhaps more saddening is the state the film industry is in today; we have countless movies being made out of 3D effects and action laced scenes of dramatized color. There is no soul to some music anymore some say and the same can be said about the film industry.

I gave this film a 10 out of 10 because it carries every aspect of mystique and mystery anyone interested in these premises could hope for. There is a definitive occult inspired quality to the film, the soundtrack is phenomenal (I began to tear up towards the end due to the music fused with the wonderful imagery, I won't spoil the details, see for yourself). How long has it been since you last saw a movie that not only made you want to feel and think but outright FORCED you to!? These days thinking and feeling a connection to a movie's characters is optional but this film reflects just the opposite. There is no way around connecting to every character present in this film; dialog isn't even needed to do so, simple proof that humanity can convey a message better without word and instead with pure imagination. Is it any wonder that ancient civilizations used symbols and carvings in their culture to capture the attention of others? This film goes beyond the human into the mystical then back into the human world once more. This film feels like it is, in itself, a spiritual experience of some sort, perhaps something simply on the human level.

If you have not seen this film yet then all I can say is see it. Light a candle, sit in the dark, turn up your speakers, play the film. Despite being only a half hour long the movie doesn't need much more than that to truly capture the attention of your eyes (all 3 of them); you may find your heart swelling with life as well in pure connection to the emotion put into this that is beyond description. See for yourself why don't you? Overall this film is timeless in every manner.Oh and I should also mention I was born fairly recent into the "newer" generation, in fact 18 years after this film was made. You'd think someone in my age group would not even know this film existed but I have the greatest respect for what Anger and Page, in fact, what every person behind this work accomplished.

As much as I'd love to give more specific details I feel this film is too unique to be perfectly described with simple words.