Kenneth Anger: His Best Short Films (Volume 1) ( Fireworks / Puce Moment / Rabbit's Moon / Eaux d'artifice / Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome )

Kenneth Anger: His Best Short Films (Volume 1) (DVD) (*)

$20.99

Original Title: Fireworks / Puce Moment / Rabbit's Moon / Eaux d'artifice / Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
Silent ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
87 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Filmographies
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Black & White

Movie filmed in 1947-1954 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Kenneth Anger

Written By:
Kenneth Anger

Actors:
Kenneth Anger ..... Dreamer
Gordon Gray ..... First Sailor
Bill Seltzer ..... Second Sailor
Yvonne Marquis ..... Hollywood Star
Claude Revenant ..... Harlequin
Jean Soubeyran ..... Pierrot
Nadine Valence ..... Columbine
Carmilla Salvatorelli ..... Lady
Samson De Brier ..... Lord Shiva
Marjorie Cameron ..... The Scarlet Woman
Joan Whitney ..... Aphrodite
Katy Kadell ..... Isis
Renate Druks ..... Lilith
Anaïs Nin ..... Astarte
Paul Mathison ..... Pan
Curtis Harrington ..... Cesare
Kenneth Anger ..... Hecate
Peter Loome ..... Ganymede

Synopsis:

Fireworks: Having awoken from his dangerous, late-night dream-within-a-dream of repressed desires, a young man in his prime gets dressed, and as if in a trance, goes to a noisy, bustling-with-people bar. There, a strong, muscular sailor catches his eye, only to trigger a sudden, almost brutal sexual assault by his fellow navy men. Amid reality and illusion, is there a truth hidden in this sadomasochistic fantasy? Puce Moment: The ritual of dressing and going out. A Hollywood star of the Twenties reviews
her spangled wardrobe, selects a gown for the evening - a sequined puce-coloured sheath. A touch of perfume, and the chaise-longue bears her away to the Spanish porch where her wolf hounds await. Rabbit's Moon: 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? Eaux d'artifice: 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.' Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome: 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.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 11 December, 2025.