Did You Know?

According to Kenneth Anger, Scorpio is the zodiac sign that rules both the sex organs and machinery, so it seemed like a good choice for the title. "Rising" implies the astrological term "ascendant."

Most of the young men in the film were Italian-Americans from Brooklyn who worked during the day at the Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan, (the central location for New York City's fish wholesalers), doing heavy physical labor. Their priorities in spending their money were: motorcycles first, girlfriends second! The man with a very muscular body in the "Blue Velvet" sequence was, however, a visiting biker from Canada.

Bruce Byron worked as a motorcycle messenger in Manhattan. His zodiac sign was Scorpio, and so he called himself that, as well as carrying at all times the scorpion amulet which he is seen kissing and holding in the film. The honorable discharge certificate from the United States Marine Corps, on the wall above his bed, was his own, as were all the pictures of James Dean and Marlon Brando, of whom he was a big fan. He is seen reading the Sunday comics section from a newspaper, which really was his favorite thing to read. The newspaper clipping near his bed, with the headline "CYCLE HITS HOLE & KILLS TWO," was about an accident in Times Square that had killed one of his friends. Another friend, who worked in a medical-products factory in New Jersey, had supplied him with the pure methamphetamine powder which he snorts from his fingers during the "Heat Wave" sequence.

The party in the "Party Lights" sequence was actually the annual all-night Halloween party of the motorcycle club he was following, held in a Brooklyn garage. Kenneth Anger's contribution was four kegs of beer for the revelers. According to him, he staged nothing, but just brought in some lights and "filmed it like a documentary." Although the party looks completely all-male and gay, in fact all of the bikers were heterosexual and had girlfriends, who were present at the party but whom the young men did not want to have filmed. So all of the young women stood behind the movie camera, watching and giggling as their boyfriends carried on, pretended to be homosexuals, and in one or two cases wore drag clothes (i.e., dressed as women). Kenneth Anger has never been sure how much of the rowdy homo-erotic horseplay he caught on his film was natural joking around and how much was the result of him being there with his camera.

Considered by many to be one of the first post-modern films and a direct influence on such avant garde directors as Martin Scorsese and David Lynch.

Kenneth Anger provided all the Nazi regalia himself.