Kustom Kar Kommandos and Invocation of My Demon Brother are the final two films left to review from The Films of Kenneth Anger: The Complete Magick Lantern Cycle. Kenneth Anger is truly a master with the visuals and every last film in the set is appealing in varying degrees. As I wrote in my introduction this surreal, violent, homoerotic, melodramatic, esoteric, gorgeous spectacle of a collection is nothing short of a masterpiece! Kenneth Anger is a visual poet, an innovator and a genuine original. I could not recommend this collection more highly; it is a solid gold treasure that I will cherish forever!
KUSTOM KAR KOMMANDOS (1965)
Kustom Kar Kommandos was intended to be a longer film but the final cut ended up being three minutes long. Custom cars were a popular hobby in California at the time. Anger met Sandy Trent at a car show who agreed to let the director immortalize his car on celluloid. Anger had Mr. Trent polish his car with a giant powder puff and used pink paper in the background. The pink paper hid the clutter of the garage and added a dreamy sort of feel to the production. Anger was going for the esthetics of an album cover which I think he achieves nicely. The Paris Sister’s Dream Lover compliments the vibe. Watch Kustom Kar Kommados…
INVOCATION OF MY DEMON BROTHER (1969)
Invocation of My Demon Brother was assembled from scraps left over from Anger’s first version of Lucifer Rising he made in San Francisco. This first production came to a halt after the script was stolen by Bobby Beausoleil. Invocation of My Demon Brother summed up Anger’s feelings about the Vietnam war and is a collection of images intended to invoke a spell and induce a drug-like experience. The film was shot in The Straight Theater and The Russian Embassy in San Francisco. Anger also works in war shots, a cat funeral and footage from a Rolling Stones concert. Mick Jagger improvised a soundtrack for Invocation of My Demon Brother on a Moog Synthesizer.
Speed Hacker as the Wand Bearer. Speed Hacker is an albino Anger met at Haight Ashbury. Anger was fascinated by his eye spasms when he was exposed to bright light and included the shots in the film.
Anger cuts in war footage.
The torso of Bobby Beausoleil made to look like a Hindu god of many arms.
Countless trippy shots !
Anton LaVey founder of The Church of Satan shows off his shrunken cat head collection.
Kenneth Anger as The Magick.
The many eyes of Bobby Beausoleil.
Solar Swastika projected onto the body of Bobby Beausoleil.
GOREGIRL'S DUNGEON 