The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome

The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome

1954 · 38 min · ★ 6.3 · Fantasy, Horror

Lord Shiva wakes. A convocation of magicians in the guise of figures from mythology; a masquerade party at which Pan is the prize. The wine of Hecate is poured: Pan's cup is poisoned by Shiva. Kali blesses the assembly as a bacchic rite ensues.

Directed by Kenneth Anger · Written by Kenneth Anger

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The Magick Lantern Cycle

FireworksFireworks · 1947
Fireworks
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A dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.
Puce MomentPuce Moment · 1949
Puce Moment
5.71949
MovieFantasyMusic
This film resulted from the unfinished short film Puce Women. The film opens with a camera watching 1920s style flapper gowns being taken off a dress rack. The dresses are removed and danced off the rack to music. (The original soundtrack was Verdi opera music; in the 1960s, Anger re-released the film with a new psychedelic folk-rock soundtrack performed by Jonathan Halper.) A long-lashed woman, Yvonne Marquis, dresses in the purple puce gown and walks to her vanity to apply perfume. She lies on a chaise lounge which then begins to move around the room and eventually out to a patio. Borzois appear and she prepares to take them for a walk.
Eaux d'ArtificeEaux d'Artifice · 1953
Eaux d'Artifice
6.41953
MovieDrama
A woman dressed elegantly walks purposely through the water gardens at the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, as the music of Vivaldi's Winter movement of The Four Seasons plays. Heavy red filters give a blue cast to the light; water plays across stone, and fountains send it into the air. No words are spoken. Baroque statuary and the sensuous flow of water are back lit. Anger calls it water games.
Scorpio RisingScorpio Rising · 1964
Scorpio Rising
6.61964
MovieMusic
A gang of bikers prepares for a race as sexual, sadistic, and occult images are cut together.
Kustom Kar KommandosKustom Kar Kommandos · 1965
Kustom Kar Kommandos
6.11965
MovieMusic
A man in tight jeans buffs his car to the strains of The Paris Sisters' "Dream Lover".
Invocation of My Demon BrotherInvocation of My Demon Brother · 1969
Invocation of My Demon Brother
5.91969
MovieHorrorFantasy
The shadowing forth of Our Lord Lucifer, as the Power of Darkness gather at a midnight mass. The dance of the Magus widdershins around the Swirling Spiral Force, the solar swastika, until the Bringer of Light—Lucifer—breaks through.
Rabbit's MoonRabbit's Moon · 1971
Rabbit's Moon
6.21971
MovieFantasyDrama
A Japanese fairy tale meets commedia dell'Arte. All in white, the naïf Pierrot lies in a wood. Doo-wop music plays as he rises, stares about, and reaches for the moon. Although music abounds and the children of the wood are there at play, Pierrot is melancholy and alone. Harlequin appears, brimming with confidence and energy. He conjures the lovely Colombina. Pierrot is dazzled. But can the course of true love run smooth?
Lucifer RisingLucifer Rising · 1974
Lucifer Rising
6.81974
MovieFantasyHorror
Egyptian gods summon the angel Lucifer, in order to usher in a new occult age.

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This exhibition focuses on Jonas Mekas’ 365 Day Project, a succession of films and videos in calendar form. Every day as of January 1st, 2007 and for an entire year, as indicated in the title, a large public (the artist's friends, as well as unknowns) were invited to view a diary of short films of various lengths (from one to twenty minutes) on the Internet. A movie was posted each day, adding to the previously posted pieces, resulting altogether in nearly thirty-eight hours of moving images.
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Covering the first half of Anger's career, from his landmark debut FIREWORKS in 1947 to his epic bacchanalia INAGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME, Fantoma is very proud to present the long-awaited first volume of films by this revolutionary and groundbreaking maverick, painstakingly restored and presented on DVD for the first time. Contains the films: Fireworks (1947) Puce Moment (1949) Rabbit's Moon (1950, the rarely seen original 16 minute version) Eaux d'Artifice (1953) Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)
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Cinematic magician, legendary provocateur, and author of Hollywood Babylon, Kenneth Anger was a unique figure in post-war American culture. His iconic short films are characterised by a mystical-symbolic visual language and phantasmagorical-sensual opulence that underscores the medium’s transgressive potential. Anger’s work fundamentally shaped the aesthetics of 1960s and 1970s subcultures, the visual lexicon of pop and music videos and queer iconography. These nine films form the basis of Anger’s reputation as one of the most influential pioneers of avant-garde film and video art. Fireworks, 1947, 14 min Puce Moment, 1949, 6 min Rabbit's Moon, 1950/1971, 16 min Eaux d'Artifice, 1953, 13 min Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, 1954, 37 min Scorpio Rising, 1964, 28 min Kustom Kar Kommandos, 1965, 3 min Invocation of My Demon Brother, 1969, 11 min Lucifer Rising, 1981, 27 min
Ich will!Ich will! · 2008
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7.52008
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Composed from footage found in the Imperial War museum, London, of Hitler Youth in full swing.
Birth of a NationBirth of a Nation · 1997
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7.01997
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Jonas Mekas assembles 160 portraits, appearances, and fleeting sketches of underground and independent filmmakers captured between 1955 and 1996. Fast-paced and archival in spirit, the film celebrates the avant-garde as its own “nation of cinema,” a vital community existing outside the dominance of commercial film.
Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood BabylonKenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon · 1991
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Reenactments of passages from the controversial Kenneth Anger collection of tawdry gossip about the golden age of Hollywood.
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A short film featuring various vintage Mickey Mouse toys.
Rescued from the ClosetRescued from the Closet · 2001
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6.52001
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Rescued from the Closet is a 2001 documentary consisting of interviews originally recorded for the 1995 film The Celluloid Closet. It explores the history and impact of LGBT representation in cinema, providing insights into the portrayal and evolution of LGBT characters and themes within the film industry.
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6.52010
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A dream-like intoduction of the 2011 Missoni fashion ad.
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6.41994
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Not a documentary in the strictest sense of the word. Rather, it is a journey through the world of the artist Jonas Mekas - one of the exponents of independent U.S. movies; founder and director of the New York Anthology Film Archive.
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Invocation of My Demon BrotherInvocation of My Demon Brother · 1969
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The shadowing forth of Our Lord Lucifer, as the Power of Darkness gather at a midnight mass. The dance of the Magus widdershins around the Swirling Spiral Force, the solar swastika, until the Bringer of Light—Lucifer—breaks through.
FireworksFireworks · 1947
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5.91947
MovieHorrorDrama
A dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.

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