Fireworks (1947 film)
| Fireworks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Kenneth Anger |
| Starring | Kenneth Anger |
| Music by | Ottorino Respighi |
| Distributed by | Mystic Fire Video (DVD) |
Release date |
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Running time | 14 min. |
| Country | United States |
Fireworks (1947) is a homoerotic experimental film by Kenneth Anger. Filmed in his parents' home in Beverly Hills, California, over a long weekend while they were away, the film stars Anger and explicitly explores themes of homosexuality and sado-masochism.[1] It is the earliest of his works to survive.
Anger synopsizes the film thus: "A dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before." Adding later, "This flick is all I have to say about being seventeen, the United States Navy, American Christmas, and the Fourth of July."[2]
Anger was arrested on obscenity charges following the release of Fireworks.[citation needed] In 1958, a lawsuit was brought against the manager Raymond Rohauer of L.A.'s Coronet Theatre for screening Fireworks.[3][4] The case became "an epic obscenity trial" in the California Supreme Court[5] which declared the film to be art.[6]
References
- ^ Hoberman, J.; Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1983). Midnight Movies. New York: Harper & Row. p. 55. ISBN 0-06-090990-0.
- ^ Smith, Claiborne K.H (1997-10-30). "Kustom Film Kommando: Interview With Filmmaker Kenneth Anger". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ John R. Burger (1995). One-handed histories: the eroto-politics of gay male video pornography. Routledge. p. 9.
- ^ James, David E. (2005). The most typical avant-garde: history and geography of minor cinemas in Los Angeles. University of California Press. p. 375.
- ^ Mazur, Matt (5 March 2007). "The Films of Kenneth Anger, Vol. 1 (1947)". popmatters.com. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
- ^ Frye, Brian L. (2007-04-24). "Angry Young Man". The Stranger. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
External links
- Fireworks at IMDb
- Fireworks at Rotten Tomatoes
- Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle
- Anger's films at Mystic Fire Video
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