Review for Scorpio Rising

Director: Kenneth Anger

Released: 1964
Genre: Avant-Garde

During the 1960s, a large number of low budget, experimental films were released by artists such as Andy Warhol and Stan Brakhage. The majority of such projects were not shown to a sizable audience, but nonetheless helped to permanently alter the landscape of cinema. Among the most revered of these avant-garde works is Kenneth Anger's 1964 film Scorpio Rising. Anger's visceral magnum opus proved instrumental in bringing about a sweeping change in the way Hollywood films were made by paving the way for the New Hollywood Movement- which makes Scorpio Rising is one of the most groundbreaking and historically significant movies ever produced.

With Scorpio Rising, Anger ignored many conventional rules of cinema- the film clocks in at an unusually brief 28 minutes, and contains no spoken dialogue. Instead, the story is told through a series of beautifully shot montages set to the popular radio hits of the day: depicted are a group of leather-clad bikers gearing up for a wild night of debauchery, initiations, and an odd game of checkers, among other things. Normally such a presentation would be dull and confusing, but Scorpio Rising is shot and edited so well that I was enthralled- where else can you see scenes of a raucous Halloween party and the occult juxtaposed with images cut from the 1952 film The Living Bible: Last Journey to Jerusalem? The answer, I believe, is nowhere.

Such sacrilegious overtones were considered taboo in 1964 America, and the elements of sadomasochism, Nazism, and homosexuality did not help to quell the controversy. Scorpio Rising was initially censored for indecency, resulting in a high profile case that was eventually dealt with by the Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of Anger. The raw and explicit subject matter highlighted the fast emerging counter-cultural undercurrents of the time; themes that would be more thoroughly explored by film directors during the New Hollywood Movement. What sets Anger's masterwork apart from films dealing with rebellion at the time is that it captures the teens and young adults who did not identify with the hippie movement, which was a rebellion against consumerism and materialism- dissent within middle class, suburban America. As such, Scorpio Rising documents a less recognized but equally important facet of youth culture during the tumultuous decade.

Scorpio Rising is certainly worth a watch, and serves as a refreshing break from familiarity. You can watch it on Google Video in its entirety here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4704748884284449320&ei=sbJXSu7EBZ3CqQLx7fHpAQ&q=scorpio+rising.

3.00/4.00