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 ...
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Title: Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Samson De Brier | ... | Lord Shiva / Osiris / Nero / The Great Beast |
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Marjorie Cameron | ... | The Scarlet Woman / Kali |
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Joan Whitney | ... | Aphrodite |
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Katy Kadell | ... | Isis |
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Renate Druks | ... | Lilith (as Renata Loom) |
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Anaïs Nin | ... | Astarte |
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Paul Mathison | ... | Pan |
| Curtis Harrington | ... | Cesare / Slave / Sleep-walker | |
| Kenneth Anger | ... | Hecate | |
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Peter Loome | ... | Ganymede |
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Plot Summary
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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>
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USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1954 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
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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.