7.1/10
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17 user 25 critic

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)

| Short, Fantasy, Horror | 1954 (USA)
Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Poster
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 ... See full summary »

Director:

(as Anger)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Samson De Brier ...
Lord Shiva / Osiris / Nero / The Great Beast
Marjorie Cameron ...
The Scarlet Woman / Kali
Joan Whitney ...
Aphrodite
Katy Kadell ...
Isis
Renate Druks ...
Lilith (as Renata Loom)
Anaïs Nin ...
Astarte
Paul Mathison ...
Pan
Curtis Harrington ...
Cesare / Slave / Sleep-walker
...
Hecate
Peter Loome ...
Ganymede
See full cast »
Edit

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, 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." Mythological images from Aleister Crowley, cabalistic symbols, artifice, and magic combine to render the pleasure dome both as prison and as celebration. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

satanism | cage | torture | ritual | initiation | See All (8) »

Genres:

Short | Fantasy | Horror

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1954 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Торжественное открытие храма наслаждений  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Kenneth Anger was inspired to make the film after attending a Halloween party where the theme was "Come as your Madness". See more »

Connections

Referenced in Enter the Void (2009) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Why don't more people like this film?
21 November 2000 | by – See all my reviews

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.
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