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Back in January, Fantoma released what still stands as one of the greatest releases of 2007: The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume I. The release collected the esteemed director’s earlier short films together with stellar transfers and wrapped it all up in an educating package. The delayed Volume II has made for an awful wait, during which time I could have gestated a child had I seen fit (or had the necessary genetalia) but now it’s here. It’s here in my grubby little hands. Finally!
This set is compiled with films that Anger has made since 1964, a decade after Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, the last film included on Volume I. It was during this break in filming that Anger wrote Hollywood Babylon, a notorious little book which graphically detailed various scandals of the Hollywood community – complete with pictures. Something that would probably pass unnoticed if released today in the gossip-congested era of the Internet and supermarket trash rags rocked the world upon its initial release. It cemented Kenneth Anger not just as a filmmaker, but as an agent provocateur to the masses, which consequently only serve to make his films more fascinating than they already are.
Kenneth Anger started making short films in the 1940’s but there can be no denying that his films are extremely stylized personal works with every frame marking a very intentional look. Included here are all the films made by Anger between 1964 and 1981. They include:
 Scorpio Rising (1964) – 28 min
Scorpio Rising reminded me a lot of Fireworks from Volume I. In a near documentary fashion, Anger’s camera follows several different motorcyclists as they go about their routines. Nothing is left unrevealed. As their passion for their bikes is shown, their descent into the drug culture that went along with it is also clearly revealed, leading to the central subject’s death while riding. The attentiveness to the sexuality of bike riding and the near fetishistic camera eye which focuses on the leather and stud dressings suggests, like many of Anger’s films, serious homoerotic overtones. However, Anger dismisses on the commentary track, saying that most of the men in the film were straight but more than likely playing up to the camera. The music is one of the major highlights of this film with a collection of Rock and Doo-Wop songs that thematically fit the piece.
Kustom Kar Kommandos (1965) – 3 min
The shortest film on this set, Kustom Kar Kommandos is nevertheless one of the more brilliant pieces in Anger’s catalogue. The film features little more than a young man very lightly caressing his hot rod with a soft duster in preparation to going for a ride, all the while rhythmically moving to a cover of Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover” by The Paris Sisters. In doing so, for all its brevity, Anger perfectly captures the sexuality of the American automobile and our obsession with them.
 Invocation of My Demon Brother (1969) – 11 min
Anger explains that this film is made up of footage from an aborted first attempt to make an earlier version of Lucifer Rising. The groaning score, apparently by Mick Jagger is painful, which is a rarity for an Anger film. The film itself is little more than just various scenes spliced together. Pure abstraction, and with little artistic merit, the ultimate effect of which makes the film almost completely unwatchable.
Rabbit’s Moon (1979) – 7 min
Seen through a blue tint filter, one mime is confronted by a more whimsical mime, and sees through a lantern a beautiful ballerina mime brought to life. The first mime laments over her beauty, but is merely being tricked by the other. This version of Rabbit’s Moon was the first Anger film I ever had the chance to see. I was presently surprised when I saw the longer version included on Volume I, because the two films while sharing the same footage couldn’t feel more different. This shorter version is a bit more sinister, yet still comical and no doubt it has to do with the song that accompanies it. As I praised in my previous review, the Rabbit’s Moon films are reason enough to purchase these collections.
 Lucifer Rising (1981) – 28 min
The last of the main films in this set, Lucifer Rising has a number of interesting things going on with it. On the surface it is an occult film foreshadowing the coming of Lucifer. I see it more as an interesting “end of times” story that crosses time and locations. The use of Egyptian imagery in the film gives it more of a prophetic feeling. However you look at it though, everyone is bound to have their own interpretation. This is one of the more true abstract films in Anger’s catalogue, but it’s also his biggest budgeted and has a cast of celebrities. Singer Marianne Faithfull plays Lilith. Jimmy Page and Mick Jagger’s brother have a spot of screentime and the score is even composed by Bobby Beausoleil, whom Anger initially wanted to cast as Lucifer, but couldn’t by the time filming came around since he was by then already incarcerated for murder as a member of the Manson Family.
Kenneth Anger’s films, even when they aren’t great are always fascinating. For an avant-garde filmmaker, he seems a bit more obvious in his message, but that never sacrifices the intense atmosphere of his films, and his ability to craft pop songs to set this mood is undeniably impressive.
 The DVD Presentation
The look of these films, like the films themselves, is a bit of a mixed bag. While it is obvious that restorative work was done on all of these, none of them really look brand new or anything. When you look at the restoration feature on each of these films, you can clearly see how lucky first time viewers will have it watching these films on DVD. They look great considering their limitations, and for pure archival purposes they are wonderful. All of these films are essentially silent. There isn’t a stitch of dialog among them, but they are all very musical in nature. Thankfully, the music comes across beautifully. For a Mono track, I must say I’m very impressed.
And the Extras Are?
Screen specific audio commentaries for all films by Kenneth Anger – I actually think that the commentaries on this disc beat Volume I, with the exception of Rabbit’s Moon, where Anger kind of covers the same ground. Every single track is worth listening to, especially for the Hollywood Babylon-esque insight on the people that he worked with. Jimmy Page was supposed to score Lucifer Rising, the death scene in Scorpio Rising was someone’s actual death. Fascinating stuff I wouldn’t have thought about or even question before hand.
Alternate audio track for Invocation of My Demon Brother –
The script that comes up when selecting this option says that this is not meant to replace the existing soundtrack for Invocation. This is a shame, because while this alternate track is pretty droning, at least it offers more variation than what is seen in the end product.
Bonus film – The Man We Want to Hang – (13:48)
The Man We Want to Hang is one of Anger’s more recent works where he basically an examination of the art of Aleister Crowley. I personally don’t find much of interest in Crowley’s art and found the commentary track more interesting than the feature itself.
Restoration demonstrations – This time around, every single film gets a restoration demonstration. It definitely couldn’t have been any easy chore. There was a considerable amount of dirt that had  to be painstakingly removed from the prints, and these clips help the viewerappreciate the restoration team and their work.
48-page full color book – And a really nice book it is! This square bound deluxe, high-gloss paged book is introduced by Anger fan extraordinaire Martin Scorsese and followed by tons of pictures from the five films included on this set. Additional material includes Anger’s own notes on what the unrealized completed Kustom project would have been like. But really, the great stills are reason enough to examine this closely. There are some amazing behind-the-scenes features as well.
The Bottom Line
Nearing the end of the year, Fantoma has delivered a stellar release that matches the excellence of their first volume. The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume II is hypnotic, beautiful, and fascinating on numerous different levels. Fans of the avant-garde and experimental cinema would be doing themselves a huge disservice by not picking this up. But make sure you pick up both releases. It’s even more enjoyable a trip if you go through Anger’s catalogue in order.
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