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Scorpio Rising
A gang of Nazi bikers prepares for a race as sexual, sadistic, and occult images are cut together.
Release : | 2013 |
Rating : | 6.8 |
Studio : | Puck Film Productions, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Director of Photography, |
Cast : | Nelson Leigh |
Genre : | Music |
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Rating: 10
Reviews
Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Fantastic!
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
This movie, which runs for only a half hour, is a lot of fun. The movie is filled will oldies, like Devil In Disguise and Hit The Road Jack. There is no plot, just a man fixing his car and then going for a ride in it. Because of that, you don't have to watch it. Just listen to it while you do chores or something! It's a lot of fun either way!Note: A guy pees in a bucket near the end-in case that would offend anyone.
One of Kenneth Anger's most popular and thematically accessible short films, "Scorpio Rising" consists of a series of montage images overlain by thirteen pop songs of the early 1960s. The film expresses nonconformist themes that herald the onset of the American counterculture movement. As the visuals focus on a group of New York City motorcyclists, viewers perceive a bohemian lifestyle, a nihilistic subtext, elements of erotica, and an amusing sense of irony from the juxtaposition of images and music.There is no plot, no dialogue, no sets, no acting. Anger simply records on camera what he finds as he happens onto these bikers, who are not actors. Sans music, the film could easily be thought of as a polished home movie. It conveys a sense of realism and frankness. Cinematography is somewhat grainy; colors are muted. There are many close-up camera shots, and quite a few extreme close-ups.The music gives thematic depth to the images and imposes varying moods and feelings, not the least of which is nostalgia, along with melancholy, lost childhood, rebellion, humor, and just a hint of fatalism. Probably one of the better sequences is the Bobby Vinton recording of "Blue Velvet" recorded over images of a couple of young guys who don their biker uniforms. A sequence or two in the middle seems either unnecessary or out of place. Editing is a bit fast and erratic in the second half.Prospective viewers should expect the unexpected, given that "Scorpio Rising" is a 1960s underground film. It is definitely different. This is one of several that Anger made, all experimental. In retrospect, he can be thought of as a poetic visionary whose cultural influence is still being felt in the 21st century, especially in cinema.
The film turns out to be a riff on the gay fetish for black leather - and all the imagery/rites associated with it.The Black Leather scene - certainly in the 60s - was very codified, and incorporated drugs (much like all gay culture at the time).The songs chosen have, no doubt, much appeal to the gay community of the time ("Heat Wave" is also heard in "Boys in the Band), most of them citing lustful love from a female point of view.There are coy/blatant references to water sports, anal rape, fisting and "pussy" (in the form of an on screen cat).Anger's black leather queens doll themselves up in leather gear which is uber-accentuated with studs and other forms of steel (no real bikers ever wear that stuff). This is then intercut with footage of genuine, presumably str8 biker clubs (note the motorcyclers in the exterior shots - those racing each other - do not sport all the "accessories" that the black leather queens do, but, rather, "simple" black leather jackets, besides which, the biker clubbers actually seem to be wearing SHIRTS under their jackets - as opposed to the leather queens who do not).There is also plenty of idolization of James Dean and Marlon Brando, two movie stars who, in addition to having gained fame as young punks who wear leather jackets, were also two of the most sexually-ambiguous male stars of their time. Anger, having grown up in Hollywood, might even have known men who slept with Dean and Brando! The whole Jesus/male-bonding thing is ingenious. As for the references to Hitler, well, perhaps Anger was Jewish and put Adolf in there to make it seem as if the life of a black leather queen is one which continually lived on the edge, always testing limits to see how far can go beyond them. Or maybe Anger was simply citing irony in the persecution of gays during the Third Reich compared to the subsequent gay American leather culture of the 50s/60s which is grounded in the role-playing of bondage and domination.
I saw this movie when the Filmmuseum in Brussels held an Anger marathon, and I was hypnotized by this masterpiece of work from the very beginning, with that great soundtrack Fools Rush In (sung by Ricky Nelson, I believe) mixed with images of leather and bikes shot in a Brooklyn garage. It's really fascinating to see how 'Scorpio Rises'. But Scorpio isn't only the kind of hero in this movie, it's also the sign Anger has with 'Scorpio rising'. Interesting info. I enjoyed this movie, because I like biker movies, such as 'The Wild One' with Brando, and 'Rebel without a Cause' with James Dean. But I was a bit disappointed too, I found it not so homo-erotic as everybody thinks it is. Surely, there are some things like a gay party and the whole leather outfits, but I wasn't actually thinking that this was a gay film. Some other short films directed by Kenneth Anger I liked, Kustom Kar Kommandos and Lucifer Rising, for example. But nothing caught my eye the same way this one does. The thing I liked the most about 'Scorpio Rising' was the title shot. A red wall is seen on the background, and suddenly appears this man dressed in leather in front of the camera. We see his back, 'Scorpio Rising' spelled in very big letters. I'll never forget these opening credits. I recommend this movie to everyone, but if you're not keen on leather or bikes, please do not see this movie.