Kenneth Anger – Magier des Untergrundfilms [Magician of Underground Film] (1970) A film by Reinhold E. Thiel. Colour, sound, Deu/Sub Eng, 54 mins.

I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO EXPLAIN WHAT MAGIC IS NOT.
IT IS NOT A CONJURING TRICK.
TO ME, MAGIC IS THE BACKGROUND OF ALL LIFE.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE FOR ME BETWEEN MAGIC IN DAILY LIFE OR WITHIN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT’S LIKE WAITING THERE AS A BACKGROUND AT ALL TIMES.
IT IS A SCIENCE AND AN ART TO CAUSE CHANGE ACCORDING TO WILL.
AS AN ARTIST, I HAVE CHOSEN THE CINEMA AS MY MAGICAL WEAPON.
– Kenneth Anger

Could film be a magical weapon, a magical ritual? It’s certainly what cult underground American filmmaker Kenneth Anger thinks. With films such as Lucifer Rising (1967-1980) and Invocation of my Demon brother (1969), Anger blazed through the underground and artistic avant-garde in the late Sixties with his singular vision and philosophy. Resolutely uncommercial, Anger sees film as ritual – his chosen medium through which to channel visions, cast spells, and recreate Myth.

In this rare portrait, director Reinhold E. Thiel attempts to film a documentary of Kenneth Anger, during the making of his film ‘Lucifer Rising’. But what begins as an attempt to a documentary is quickly overtaken by Anger’s play and sense of fantasy. Kenneth constructs a series of staged scenes, notably creating “an altar behind which he makes his statements, robed as a magician and artist“. As the director notes, Kenneth  “never had an affinity for documentary filmmaking“.

Magier des Untergrundfilms is a fascinating insight into Kenneth Anger’s artistic process and vision. We follow Anger from his home to Stonehenge in the UK, where he pays tribute to his interest in ancient solar cults. Kenneth shares his thoughts on symbolism, his concept of Magick, the influence of Aleister Crowley on his work, film as a spiritual expression, Hollywood, and his inspiration of the cosmic French filmmaker George Méliès. He also details certain elements of his working process, such as astrological signs playing a vital role in casting actors.

KENNETH ANGER ON:

THE ART OF MAGICK

Magic means to make the forces of the universe work for us and not against us.

CASTING MAGIC ONTO FILM

My movie camera is the equivalent of the wand. By means of technique, I summon spirits to do my bidding. I invoke elementary powers such as electricity, light and colour.

Text by Sophie Pinchetti