Scorpio Rising (film)

Scorpio Rising
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kenneth Anger
Starring	Bruce Byron
Release date(s)	1964
Running time	30 min.
Country	United States

Scorpio Rising is a 1964 experimental film by Kenneth Anger, starring Bruce Byron (who Anger asserts was "half-crazy") as Scorpio. Themes central to the film include the occult, biker subculture, Catholicism and Nazism; the film also explores the worship of rebel icons of the era, namely James Dean and Marlon Brando (referred to by Anger as Byron's "heroes"). As with many of Anger's films, Scorpio Rising contains no dialogue - it instead features a prominent soundtrack consisting of 50s and 60s pop, including songs by Ricky Nelson, The Angels, The Crystals, Bobby Vinton, Elvis Presley & Ray Charles.

When the film was screened at an art theatre in Los Angeles, police arrested the theatre manager for public obscenity and canceled the film's run. The case went to the California Supreme Court, where the case was settled in Anger's favor. Anger explained in an interview:

"When Scorpio Rising was — we've forgotten, in a sense, that it was a groundbreaker, legally. Because there are only a few flashes of nudity, genitalia, whatever in the film, I mean, they're very, very short and, if you blink, you won't even see them. At any rate, when it was shown, at the Cinema — it was called the Cinema on Western Avenue in Hollywood — the premiere run, someone denounced it to the Hollywood vice squad and they raided the theater and took the print. And the case had to go to the California Supreme Court to be freed and then it became, like, a landmark case of redeeming social merit. That was the phrase that was used to justify that it wasn't pornography. And, indeed, there's nothing pornographic about it. Somebody had to break the ice and have that kind of case at that time to establish the freedom, because, before then, the police could seize anything they wanted to. What I was doing on the West Coast, Jack Smith was doing on the East Coast with Flaming Creatures. The two films happened at about the same time."

Soundtrack

Scorpio Rising is considered by some to be the first drama film to feature a rock & roll soundtrack. Another of Anger's films which utilizes a rock & roll soundtrack (Rabbit's Moon), though filmed fourteen years before Scorpio Rising, did not see release until 1972.

1. Ricky Nelson - "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)"
2. Little Peggy March - "Wind-Up Doll"
3. The Angels - "My Boyfriend's Back"
4. Bobby Vinton - "Blue Velvet"
5. Elvis Presley - "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
6. Ray Charles - "Hit The Road Jack"
7. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave"
8. The Crystals - "He's a Rebel"
9. Claudine Clark - "Party Lights"
10. Kris Jensen - "Torture"
11. Gene McDaniels - "Point Of No Return"
12. Little Peggy March - "I Will Follow Him"
13. Surfaris - "Wipe Out"
14. The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack"

Critical response

West Coast critics praised the film and when it was screened in New York City in 1966, Scorpio Rising garnered positive reviews in The New Yorker, Variety and Newsweek.

In Popular Culture

• "Scorpio Rising" is the title of the 5th track on Adam Ant's 3rd album, Vive Le Rock. The lyrics revolve around "Scorpio", with his "leather jacket and big package".

• The third album by British electronica band Death in Vegas takes its name from the film.

References

• Denisoff, R. Serge and William D. Romanowski (1991). Risky Business: Rock in Film. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0887388434.

External links

• Scorpio Rising at the Internet Movie Database
• Scorpio Rising at AllRovi
• The film itself on Google Video