Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)

• Year: 1954
• Released: N/A
• Country: United States
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047114/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inauguration_of_the_pleasure_dome
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: N/A
• Genre: Short, Fantasy, Horror
• Runtime: 38 min
• Writer: Kenneth Anger
• Director: Kenneth Anger
• Cast: Samson De Brier, Marjorie Cameron, Joan Whitney
• Keywords: magic, mythical creature, occult, short film,

	7.0/10
	81% – Critics
	81% – Audience

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Storyline

A Slavonic Mass by Leos Janácek plays as historical figures, biblical characters, and mythical creatures gather in the pleasure dome. Aphrodite, Lilith, Isis, Kali, Astarte, Nero, Pan, the Great Beast and the Scarlet Woman are part of a visual feast of superimposed images, hallucinations, and the spirit of decadence of the “Yellow ’90s.” Mythological images from Aleister Crowley, cabbalistic symbols, artifice, and magic combine to render the pleasure dome both as prison and as celebration.—Nick Riganas

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Photos

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Torrents Download

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Subtitles Download

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Movie Reviews

ALEISTER CROWLEY ON ACID

Quite possibly,the most incomprehensible film every made, Kenneth Anger’s INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME deserves a place in cultural, if not film history. Arcane satanic references merged with bizarre hallucinogenic Egyptian rituals, and all done with a straight face, are endlessly fascinating to any student of the subculture of Hollywood and San Francisco in the post-war years. This was a time when to be gay or of a mixed gender was considered not just socially unacceptable, it was considered a sign of sickness. I don’t think that a film like this could have been made without the cultural stigma associated with being part of the sexual underworld.

As an ‘experimental film,’ though, it’s not really that original. Anger borrows heavily from Cocteau, Luis Bunuel, Maya Deren and others, whose work was far more original and far less self-conscious. It nevertheless, amazingly I should say, holds your interest (since it’s only 35 minutes, partially) and I would reccomend it to anyone interested in the fringes of the art world.

Kenneth Anger is a Strange Dude

A Slavonic Mass by Leos Janácek plays as historical figures, biblical characters, and mythical creatures gather in the pleasure dome. Aphrodite, Lilith, Isis, Kali, Astarte, Nero, Pan, and the Great Beast and the Scarlet Woman are part of a visual feast of images superimposed, hallucinations, and the spirit of decadence of the “Yellow ’90s.” Kenneth Anger is a strange dude. No one else, before or since, has really made a name for themselves in blending mythology, the occult and elaborate costumes. How seriously you are to take his occultism is up to you, I suppose.

The version I watched had a rock score over the top. I am not sure it was there originally and I rather doubt it, but it helped the picture out tremendously. A retrospective on Anger really needs to be done, as it is surprising how few modern directors cite his work.

Why don’t more people like this film?

Browsing the record for Kenneth Anger I was staggered to see that this masterpiece and Scorpio Rising were languishing in the 6.somethings ratings while the much less impressive Lucifer Rising was in the upper 7s… I can still recall the thrill I had in seeing this film at an ‘underground’ (literally!) screening in 1968. The colours seared from out of Anger’s blackness and the characters have haunted my subconscious ever since. This is the most Crowley-like of Anger’s films and all the better for it. There is true magic in his style and imagery.