The Complete Magick Lantern Cycle

I bought this DVD because I’m interested in experimental films that contain fantastic/surreal imagery, and I’d read that Anger’s films fit that category. Most of the ones on this disc certainly do.Anger is perhaps best known for his homoerotic films, which I gather he was one of the first to make or at least to get into relatively wide circulation. Three of the films in this collection, two very short ones (Fireworks and Kustom Kar Kommandos) and one longer one (Scorpio Rising), fit that description (I don’t recall any actual sex, but there is male nudity). Two of the three feature hunky young guys and their hunky cars and motorcycles, with which they have a clear quasi-sexual relationship (Anger carefully explains in his commentary for Scorpio Rising that the men did have girlfriends, they just didn’t want them on camera; true, maybe, but it’s obvious where their real affection lies). Overall, this aspect of Anger’s work is not my cup of tea, so I can’t really judge it. I will say, though, that I think his idea of having the man in Kustom Kar Kommandos caress his beautiful car with a giant powder puff was brilliant.I was more interested in the other main theme of these films, occultism based on the doctrines of Alastair Crowley, which lies on the borderline between standard paganism and Satanism (Anton LaVey makes a brief appearance in one film). I don’t know Crowley’s ideas in detail, but I’m interested in this kind of mythology and imagery and was curious to see what Anger did with it. I’m still not really sure what he was trying to do with it, but he certainly produced some arresting images in the process. They mix characters from ancient Greek (in Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome) and ancient Egyptian (in Lucifer Rising) mythologies with Christian ones in a thought-provoking, if often puzzling, blend.If anything, I think Anger’s eye for imagery and mood shows best in two films that don’t fit either of the above categories, Eaux d’artifice and Rabbit’s Moon. Both are tinted completely in blue to suggest night scenes. The woman in Marie-Antoinette-style costume running through the gardens and fountains of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli (a midget, Anger explains, chosen to make the fountains look taller) is quite haunting, though I wish there had been more of a story with her. For Rabbit’s Moon, a tale with commedia dell’arte characters (Pierrot, Columbine, Harlequin) with a little Japanese mythology (the rabbit in the moon) rather incongruously thrown in, focus on the 1979 version, in which Anger has removed the excess repetition that (to my eye) marred his original 1950 version and also improved the moon images. (The later film is clearly an altered version of the earlier one, featuring the same actors and set.) It’s really beautiful.In my first pass through the disc, I played the films with Anger’s commentary turned on. The commentary does give some interesting information about events during the filming, the background of some of the actors, etc. However, I plan to watch at least my favorites again with the commentary off. (I’ve so far done that only for Lucifer Rising.) That allows the music and imagery to come to the fore and play around in the mind without distractions, which they richly deserve to do.

I’d heard about these influential short films for years, so finally getting to see them was a revelation. They were better and more entertaining than I anticipated. A few are enjoyable on their own, and others have deep occult symbolism to decode. All have commentaries by Anger which are very informative and enlightening.I think these films really depict some of the forces, malevolent or otherwise, that are shaping the current world we live in. Anger obviously has a sensitivity to such forces.The version I bought was the two disc Fantoma dvd set, I have no problems with it and think it’s a quality edition.I’d recommend these films to film students, occult students, and people interested in the Manson family, given the contributions of Bobby Beausoleil. Weird but enjoyable.

It worksa nd it looks amazing. Superb works from Anger.

Is Kenneth Anger a masterful filmmaker? No. But he is fearless. If you are really interested in film, this set is worth the purchase price. Don't expect narrative, don't expect cohesion or color correction or good sound editing or timeless themes. But what you can expect is to see some of the raw material of genius and ideas which continue to inspire other filmmakers. If you primarily like romantic comedies and family friendly films, stay away. But if you can devote yourself to a Godard marathon, then dive into this.And besides all that high-falutin' stuff, this collection is a trip to watch over an evening or two. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I sure as hell had not ever seen anything quite like "Invocation of My Demon Brother."I purchased the entire set because I had been searching for a long time for some way to see "Scorpio Rising," a film I had a vague memory of seeing when in high school. A friend mentioned it one day and it turned into a mission to get my hands on a DVD or a video file or even a 16mm print. Fortunately, this collection popped up on Amazon and I had the pleasure of not only revisiting "Scorpio Rising" (my memories of it were completely incorrect) but discovering Anger's wild oeuvre.Well worth it.

Having all these films together and on dvd is wonderful! Some I had only read about and a few I had on VHS. Very pleased.

Would prefer better packaging, cleaner box. Anger’s work is seminally amazing and hypnotic, however, so it’s still worth the shoddy design.

Great

It was good to see the films on this DVD set. I had seen Scorpio Rising when I was in college 40 years ago, but had not been able to see the other films until I purchased this collection. Kenneth Anger appeared recently at the newly opened IU Cinema. Although he never made a feature-length film, he has influenced many directors over the years because of his willlingness to experiment with different subjects and techniques.

Kenneth Anger is where the worlds of sub-culture, counter-culture, surrealism, the Avant Garde, Aleister Crowley's Thelema and Anton LaVey's Satanism meet. Anger became interested in Crowley's Occult writings and philosophy of Thelema when in his teens and became a life-long friend of LaVey's - being involved in the founding of the Church of Satan. Notable for his scandalous, revelatory books on the private lives of Tinseltown Stars, "Hollywood Babylon" & "Hollywood Babylon II", his involvements with the Rolling Stones in the 1960's and Jimmy Page in the 1970's have become legendary. Born in 1927, the now Octogenarian Anger has made in excess of 40 films during his cinematic career - one which has seen his films being banned, stolen and/or destroyed. The Magick Lantern Cycle is the collective title given to 9 of his most influential, infamous, Magickally powerful and beautiful creations. They are vivid, wildly colourful, richly symbolic and completely dialogue-free films, with Anger often employing existing songs or classical pieces as soundtracks.All of the films on this 2-DVD set are Artistic and Magickal masterpieces which Magus Anger created as actual Magickal Talismans to act on the subconscious of the viewer. The full employment of Anger's creative, imaginative and Magick powers to pay homage to Aleister Crowley began properly with "Inauguration Of The Pleasure Dome" in 1954, which is an elaborate, fully costumed Thelemic Ritual of many participants, played out to Janacek's "Glagolithic Mass". 10 years later, Anger made "Scorpio Rising" - banned soon after release on obscenity grounds; later liberated by a Supreme Court ruling. "Scorpio" features a real-life biker gang whom Anger befriended, cut with images of Christ & his disciples (from a Sunday School film).In 1966 Anger started work on another homage to Crowley - his Magnum Opus: "Lucifer Rising". Much of the original film-footage of Anger's "Lucifer" was stolen by Bobby Beausoleil, whom Anger had chosen to play Lucifer in the film. Beausoleil took off in Anger's car with the stolen footage; the car broke down in the Death Valley area of California, right outside of the Charles Manson Family Ranch. Beausoleil fell-in with the Family and later murdered a drug-dealer on Manson's orders, being later sentenced to life imprisonment. Out of the remaining "Lucifer" footage, Anger put together a work called "Invocation Of My Demon Brother" (1969), which is heralded by many as being his most Magickally potent, disturbing and prophetic creation. By this time, Anger had befriended the Rolling Stones, whose brief association with Crowleyan/Satanic things has often been linked to Anger's perceived influence. Many people similarly linked the death of Brian Jones and the Altamont Festival nightmare as having been incurred by Jagger & Richards not taking Anger, Crowley & real Occultism seriously. Anyways, Mick Jagger supplied the soundtrack for "Invocation": an eerie, monotonous, Mellotron drone. The film itself remains a darker kaleidoscopic vision than any of Anger's previous works, being simultaneously unnerving, beautiful, unsettling, seductive, and featuring a cameo role by Anton LaVey. Nightmare newsreel footage of Vietnam is cut/juxtaposed with scenes of Ritual Magick, footage of Hells Angels and the Pagan Funeral Ceremony of Anger's Black Cat. Many who have seen the film on a number of occasions are surprised to discern the presence of "new" images and symbols with each new viewing.In the early 1970's Anger met & befriended Jimmy Page: not only Led Zep's axe-man but an avid Crowley disciple and owner of an extensive archive of Crowley's rare books and Magickal paraphernalia - including Aleister's former house, Boleskine, on the banks of Loch Ness. In discussing the "Lucifer Rising" project, Page took up Anger's offer to put a soundtrack together for the film, somehow didn't come up with suitable material and kicked off an almighty row. The high-profile fall-out between the two Crowleyites culminated in Anger calling a Press Confrence at which he threatened to throw a "Kenneth Anger Curse" in Page's general direction. The catalogue of "beyond coincidence" misfortunes, reversals, tragedies & disasters that Page & Led Zeppelin then subsequently endured (culminating in the actual demise of the group after drummer John Bonham's death in 1980) were cited by many as evidence that the Anger Curse had, indeed, been levelled.Anger finally completed "Lucifer Rising" in 1981, complete with a soundtrack composed by Bobby Beausoleil from inside his Tracy Prison home, along with some other musicians/lifers calling themselves "The Freedom Orchestra". The finished film is an overtly Magickal, Symbolic and Ritual homage to the coming of the New Aeon of Horus (or Lucifer) as originally stipulated by Aleister Crowley: a cinematic Ritual Invocation of Lucifer himself, entrancing, hypnotizing and seducing the viewer to the point of actual participation in that Invocation. Anger has stated that there appears an archetypal Lucifer figure in each of his Magick Lantern Cycle films - if only one looks for him...DVD extras here include "The Man We Want To Hang", which is Anger's 2002 documentary on an exhibition of Crowley's paintings. There is also an alternative version of "Invocation Of My Demon Brother" with a soundtrack by "The Magick Powerhouse Of OZ". Now in his mid-80's, Kenneth Anger is still making films, touring and lecturing. He is the last of the true, genuine Occultists & Magicians.

If you're at all interested in Kenneth Anger - or even in just unusual film-making - then this is a must-have dvd. All his notable shorts on two discs. I watched them one afternoon in a semi-drowsy state and felt transported to a strange dream-like world. They really are like fairy-tales for adults. You won't forget these images in a hurry. And intriguing to notice how influential these films have been on so many film-makers since. Snap up this bargain!

I've always been a fan of Kenneth Anger's work. Having this collection of films in my possession has been a dream come true. This is really something special from an icon of the underground. Very fun, engaging, at times mystifying and cryptic. I have nothing but praise for The Magick Lantern Cycle.

Kenneth Anger ha inspirado a muchísimos cineastas. Es una buena compra este kit

Truly the work of a great man!