The Opening Scene Of Inauguration Of The Pleasure Dome And...

Rituals or cults are part of the average’s man or woman’s everyday life. From following a religion and practicing its ceremonies, to performing tasks in order to belong to a certain crowd, people are constantly involving themselves in cult-like activities and the rituals that come attached to them. Avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger in his films Inauguration of The Pleasure Dome and Scorpio Rising does not only highlight some of these cult rituals, but also induces the viewer to become part of them. On one hand, Scorpio Rising depicts an actual ritual by creating the portrait of the leader of a motorcycle gang who is part of a sacrifice while Inauguration of The Pleasure Dome does not only suggest a religious ritual practice, but also creates a trance state for the viewer––allowing them to be part of the ritual. Both films use similar tools to achieve the ritualistic reference. They both do it through alluring set design and costumes, reference to religio us acts, and through repetitive and detailed narrative schemes. The opening scene of Inauguration Of The Pleasure Dome consists of a colorful sequence in which an unusual man is putting gold rings on his fingers and diamond necklaces down his throat. The camera follows this extravagant man down bright orange corridors until he reaches a mirror––his reflection shows a demon figure that opens the gate to the following sequence. For the following thirty minutes the visuals content is quite shocking. Every figure shown from