Scorpio Rising

The film “Scorpio rising”, directed by Kenneth Anger uses Avant-garde practises (A French term which is defined by “people or works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox, with respect to art, culture, and society.”(2)) To undermine the morals and social conventions of American society in the 1960’s. Anger cleverly combines the conventions and imagery of the aforementioned subject with “pop” music hits made at the time of which he was creating the film (1962-1963). The fundamental feature of the film is the symbolic representation of the American biker cult; Anger builds on the imagery of it in order to convey the Sunday comics, a B-Grade film about the life of Jesus Christ, and the contextually appropriate number (13) of “pop” songs …show more content…
By relating these very opposing culturally manufactured icons in this one scene, then associating homoerotic fellatio and eventually juxtaposing them all with the “pop” song. Altogether this manages to usurp the traditional interpretations of these individuals and forces the audience to adjust their opinions and beliefs regarding said individuals. Christ as he is portrayed in the film represents the 2,000 years of sexual repression from the Christian church. The film displays this in a way where the audience recognises that Christ is revered as some form of ultimate authority whose teaching fundamentally denies the idea of sexual relations. Most evidently the complete and utter denial of those whose relationships lie outside of the very male controlled, heterosexual ideals of this era. Anger’s way of juxtaposing Christ with the song “He’s a Rebel” is a way of showing the audience that the younger generation does not relate very well to the morals and beliefs of the Christian church. Their beliefs conflict with that of the church. It therefore demonstrates that those of the younger generation feel pressured and individuals who are under pressure will usually either give in or rebel against it. The way Anger inter-cuts the fellatio as the blind man sees the world for the first time …show more content…
He disrupts the ridged social norms of the church and comparatively grasps the nature of homosexuality in a way that demonstrates anarchy toward the aforementioned place. We gain insight toward the representation of the American motorbike cult and the disruption of societal beliefs and stereotypes regarding them and how they are perceived. It is clear that Anger wants the audience to see the traditional readings of the icons and symbols to be interrupted in order for them to re-evaluate their ideal and