Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome - Response |riˈspäns|

Kenneth Anger has always puzzled me to some extent. I really do enjoy his shorter films like Fireworks, but longer ones like Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome always seem to leave me confused even upon multiple viewings. Now I don't think thats really a negative thing to say, but sometimes I wish I could make more of it. With Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome I tend to get lost in the colors and the layers of this very thick visual film, and as for and kind of progression whether it be vertical or horizontal without sitting down and thinking about it, I see none. So with this film i did just that. I began to this this may be the point. The layers are so extensive at some point its hard to even make out what action is on what plane. I enjoyed trying to separate out the different shots and found it very interesting when it became impossible to do so. As the film progresses the pace of the editing becomes faster and the colors become more intense. After three viewings I'm still not sure if I could tell you exactly where the climax or peek of the film is but the feeling of a build up is very present. With further research into the film Anger says his inspiration was a costume party in which each individual was to dress up as their 'madness' within. I remember thinking to myself during this viewing that it looked like an Hindu ritual ceremony on a very tight budget.