Once upon a time in a small town, there was a false witch and a prison officer who crossed paths in an unexpected turn of events. The false witch, known as Morgana, had been conning the townspeople into believing she possessed magical powers and could perform miraculous spells. She would perform her tricks, promising to heal the sick, bring luck, and grant wishes, but it was all an elaborate act. On the other hand, the prison officer, Peter, always had a deep sense of justice and despised deception. He worked at the local jail, ensuring that the prisoners were treated fairly and that law and order prevailed. Peter had heard rumors about Morgana's deceitful practices but had never paid much attention to them until one particular incident.
In Fireworks (1947) the protagonist, played by Anger himself, also "goes out in the night seeking 'a light,'" as Anger writes in a program note for the film. [17] The phrase carries sexual connotations, which are reinforced by the film's overt treatment of homosexual longing and (temporary) fulfilment. But there are other and more interesting connotations as well. Unlike Pierrot, the protagonist of Fireworks succeeds in his search for "a light." First he gets a light for his cigarette from a muscular sailor whose match is a flaming bundle of sticks. (That image is echoed in Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome when the Great Beast magically produces a flame in his hand and uses it to light the cigarette of the Scarlet Woman, and in Scorpio Rising when separate shots of Scorpio and Marlon Brando are intercut to suggest that in lighting their own cigarettes they are also lighting each other's.) Then, the protagonist finds—or, more precisely, is found by—a sailor-lover whose penis is a Roman candle ejaculating sparks and balls of fire. The protagonist's response is to enter wearing a sparkling Christmas tree on his head. A flaming candle tops the tree. At the end, as the lover lies in bed, a corolla of light (scratched by Anger into the film's emulsion) surrounds his head. From head and loins comes evidence that this is, indeed, the bearer of light sought by the protagonist.
favor of Harlequin, and the film ends with Columbine in Harlequin s arms, while Pierrot s body plummets to the ground as if flung down by the moon it herself. However indulging in Opium can sometimes create an affliction right now there is a bug where the rate at which you can get an affliction from Opium is low to none , Let the check go to three and you become depressed and kill yourself.
Peter had heard rumors about Morgana's deceitful practices but had never paid much attention to them until one particular incident. One day, Peter's best friend, Sarah, fell ill with a mysterious ailment that left the doctors baffled. Desperate for a cure, Sarah's family turned to Morgana, who promised to heal her with her supposed magical abilities.
Occult lantern incandescence
Preferred Citation: Wees, William C. Light Moving in Time: Studies in the Visual Aesthetics of Avant-Garde Film. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1992. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft438nb2fr/
2—
Anger's images of preternatural light are not there simply for visionary delight. They also support a major and recurrent theme of Anger's work: the deep yearning to unite with the light, to swallow it, wear it, ride on it, or enter and become one with it. To demonstrate the pervasiveness of this theme in Anger's work, it will be necessary to examine some films in which Anger's thematic concern with light is not always translated into images that work so directly on the viewer's perception. Two such films—Fireworks and Rabbit's Moon —dramatize light's potency and magnetic attraction without emphasizing preternatural light at the most immediate level of perception.
In Rabbit's Moon (shot in 1950, released in 1971, revised in 1980), Pierrot repeatedly and fruitlessly grasps at his source of light, the moon. "The moon is his mama and woman and illusion ill met by moonlight," Anger writes in an informal synopsis-analysis of his film. [13] But there is another source of light in the film: a magic lantern, which Anger identifies as "my art." [14] The magic lantern produces three cabalistic drawings: a star, a crescent moon, and the sun with an eye in its center (of which more will be said later). It also produces—or reveals—the lovely Columbine, who proves to be just as unattainable as the moon. She rejects Pierrot in
favor of Harlequin, and the film ends with Columbine in Harlequin's arms, while Pierrot's body plummets to the ground as if flung down by the moon it/herself.
The sugary pop songs on the soundtrack reinforce (as they simultaneously mock) Pierrot's longing. "There's a thrill in my heart I never felt before. O, darling, where have you been?" accompanies Pierrot as he reaches toward the moon and as a drawing of the moon seems to draw nearer through a series of zoom-dissolves. Since the film is set in a moonlit woods (an effect enhanced by the film's blue tinting), Pierrot's longing for the moon is equivalent to longing for the source of light itself. As Marjorie Keller perspicaciously observes, "The light is the object of desire, the source of all energy (the sun), its reflected principle (the moon) and its earthly manifestation (the magic lantern, the projector)." [15] The new sound track of the more recent, shorter version of the film makes the same point succinctly if ironically: "Give him a light" is sung as Pierrot looks longingly at the moon. [16]
In Fireworks (1947) the protagonist, played by Anger himself, also "goes out in the night seeking 'a light,'" as Anger writes in a program note for the film. [17] The phrase carries sexual connotations, which are reinforced by the film's overt treatment of homosexual longing and (temporary) fulfilment. But there are other and more interesting connotations as well. Unlike Pierrot, the protagonist of Fireworks succeeds in his search for "a light." First he gets a light for his cigarette from a muscular sailor whose match is a flaming bundle of sticks. (That image is echoed in Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome when the Great Beast magically produces a flame in his hand and uses it to light the cigarette of the Scarlet Woman, and in Scorpio Rising when separate shots of Scorpio and Marlon Brando are intercut to suggest that in lighting their own cigarettes they are also lighting each other's.) Then, the protagonist finds—or, more precisely, is found by—a sailor-lover whose penis is a Roman candle ejaculating sparks and balls of fire. The protagonist's response is to enter wearing a sparkling Christmas tree on his head. A flaming candle tops the tree. At the end, as the lover lies in bed, a corolla of light (scratched by Anger into the film's emulsion) surrounds his head. From head and loins comes evidence that this is, indeed, the bearer of light sought by the protagonist.
The handmade corolla suggests that this may be one of the "Lucifer moments" Anger incorporated into his earlier films. Many years later Anger told Jonas Mekas, "The last shot in 'Fireworks' is me in bed, and there is another boy in bed but his face is all bursting with white flames, or
light. This is the Lucifer brother, you see, the Unknown Angel side. In my own drama as an artist, I am always looking for him, that angel side." [18]
In the image of a "Lucifer brother"—and lover—the sexual and the visionary themes of the film combine and reinforce each other. It is a mutual reinforcement with many precedents in the history of magic, mysticism, and the more esoteric practices of some religions—from the Eleusinian mysteries of ancient Greece, to tantric yoga, to the sexual magic of Aleister Crowley. To pursue the sexual aspects of the visionary tradition—as Huxley pursued its visual aspects—would take us far beyond the intentions of this chapter, but one specific detail is directly relevant to Fireworks in particular and the light-motif of Anger's work in general. In The Doctrine of the Subtle Body , the great scholar of mystery religions G.R.S. Mead writes:
Hidden in the seed of the tree is the principle (ratio, logos ) of the tree. This is the formative power (virtus, dynamis ) in the seed, the spermatic principle, which is called symbolically in Greek spintherismos . . . [which] means, literally, "emission of sparks," "sparking." "Light-spark," or "light-emanation" . . . is used by a number of Gnostic schools as a symbolic expression for the "germ" of the spiritual man. [19]
The seventeen-year-old who made Fireworks may not have known about the esoteric doctrines Mead writes of, but he seems to have had an intuitive grasp on the mystical equation of the "spermatic principle" and "light-emanation."
The sexual-visionary theme of Fireworks first appears in the overheated prose of a prologue spoken by Anger:
In Fireworks I released all the explosive pyrotechnics of a dream. Inflammable desires dampened by day under the cold water of consciousness are ignited at night by the libertarian matches of sleep, and burst forth in showers of shimmering incandescence. These imaginary displays provide a temporary relief.
Anger later replaced the spoken prologue with a flash of lightning. Perhaps that was his way of balancing the weight more evenly between the visionary and sexual implications of his search for "a light." Since the revised version opens the collection of his works called "Magick Lantern Cycle," that flash of lightning suitably announces the visionary theme of Anger's work as a whole.
It is a theme expressed through the ecstasy of donning a shining black dress in Puce Moment and in the consumption of gems in Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome . It underlies the more sinister mixture of preternatural light and the death wish in Scorpio Rising and the young man's surrender
to his gleaming "dream lover" in Kustom Kar Kommandos . It also motivates the invocations of Lucifer in Anger's most recent films.
By the time he made Invocation of My Demon Brother , Anger's "light" had become explicitly the Light, Lucifer, and the theme of yearning to unite with the light had become the worship of the "light-bringer" himself. Although Anger says that the angel invoked in Invocation of My Demon Brother is "the Dark One," the conclusion of the film suggests otherwise. [20] Instead of going out in the night to find an incandescent sailor to be his "Lucifer brother," Anger performs a magical ceremony to invoke a smiling Lucifer with moirélike patterns of light playing over his naked torso. One notes, however, that Anger's manic expressions and frantic movements (produced by an undercranked camera) convey none of that serene sense of fulfilment that accompanies the images of preternatural light in the pre-Lucifer films. Moreover, the light is not preternaturally intense. Like the Roman candle and scratched-in corolla of light in Fireworks , it symbolizes Lucifer's light-bearing nature but does not express it as directly as the sequined gown of Puce Moment , the polished metal of Scorpio Rising and Kustom Kar Kommandos , and preeminently the water of Eaux d'artifice . It is more conceptual than perceptual.
There are only two instances of preternatural light in Invocation of My Demon Brother . A procession is led down a staircase by a woman wearing a hooded red robe and carrying a wand tipped with a large, clear jewel. Possibly she is the "Scarlet Woman" of a Crowley-inspired ceremony (see note 7). As she turns and passes offscreen, the gem emits a brilliant blue-white flash of reflected light. The flash is reminiscent of the sudden gleam of chartreuse light from the Water Witch's fan in Eaux d'artifice , but it is more intense and gemlike. Preternatural light also emanates from Anger himself as he performs his magical ceremony under spotlights on a darkened stage. Light reflects brilliantly off the glitter on his face and the sequins of his robe, and as he reaches the climax of his ceremony, superimposed rays of light stream from his forehead.
To invoke the Light, one must become like it. Becoming like it, one may unite with it. That seems to be the Neoplatonic message of the film. "Never did eye see the sun unless it had first become sunlike," to repeat the quotation from Plotinus at the head of this chapter. [21] The same message is symbolized in the diagram of the eye in the sun that Anger includes in Rabbit's Moon . That sun-eye, rather than the more familiar Eye of Horus (which appears in Invocation of My Demon Brother and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome ), would seem to express most precisely Anger's sense of the ultimate possibilities of visual perception.
Light shines from the forehead of Kenneth Anger as
the magus in Invocation of My Demon Brother .
While working on Lucifer Rising (1966–80), Anger said, "I am trying to find the angel again, the Angel of Light." [22] But in finding Lucifer, Anger seems to have lost preternatural light. Although several sequences take place at "sites of sun worship," they do not reveal "the Light" directly. [23] Instead, an eclectic collection of deities and priests invoke and worship "the Angel of Light," who materializes in the thoroughly mortal form of a young man with "LUCIFER" and the seven colors of the spectrum decorating the back of his satin robe. Only one gem is presented with visionary intensity. Extreme close-ups of a deep red ruby are intercut with a ceremony of blood sacrifice, for which the inspiration would seem to be two lines from Aleister Crowley's "Hymn to Lucifer": "His body a blood-ruby radiant/With noble passion, sun-soul'd Lucifer." [24] But the closest approximation to the preternatural light of the pre-Lucifer films comes in brief reflections of sunlight on golden staffs that Isis and Osiris repreatedly raise in a ritual gesture that brings forth flashes of lightning. Despite its symbolic and visual richness, Lucifer Rising is less concerned with revealing light than with constructing an allegory of light, which stands between the viewer's eyes and light's preternatural powers.
At the other extreme is Eaux d'artifice , with its direct revelation of preternatural light and its triumphant fulfilment of the yearning to become one with the light. As the figure merges with the light, so the
viewer's perception may undergo a similar union between personal vision and preternatural light. Huxley suggests that contemplating the "glinting metal and self-luminous stone" of a beautiful jewel can transport us "towards the Other World of Vision." Perhaps contemplation of Anger's cinematic jewels can lead in the same visionary direction. At the very least, these cinematic manipulations of light are more convincing evidence of Anger's much-vaunted skills as a "magician" than are his displays of magical symbols, ritual invocations of Lucifer, and ominous references to film as a "magick weapon" for "capturing people" and "casting a spell." [25]
How susceptible one may be to Anger's "talismans" and how far one may be induced to go into "Other Worlds of Vision" depend on each viewer's susceptibility and willingness to follow Anger's lead. But even a viewer unsympathetic to visionary aspirations should find the concept of preternatural light useful in understanding Anger's work. It helps to explain the interconnected meaning of images that range from jewels, to objects that seem jewel-like in the intensity of their reflected light, to images of "pure" light. It connects those images to the visionary theme of Anger's work as a whole and helps to explain how he has been able to break through the invisible wall of the film medium and communicate directly with the minds of his audience. It specifies the particular juncture of light and visual perception that most unequivocally demonstrates Anger's skill as "an artist working in light."
Peter, skeptical of Morgana's claims, decided to investigate her further. He began to follow her discreetly and gather information about her background. Peter discovered that she had no formal training or connection to genuine magic but relied on misdirection, illusions, and cheap trickery to fool people. Determined to expose her fraudulent ways, Peter took it upon himself to confront Morgana and put an end to her manipulative practices. One evening, after Morgana had finished a public performance, Peter approached her, demanding answers. Surprised and caught off guard, Morgana initially tried to defend herself, claiming that she had been helping people. However, as Peter presented his evidence and exposed her methods, she realized the gig was up. Facing the consequences of her actions, Morgana begged Peter for mercy, promising to never deceive anyone again. Peter, torn between his strong sense of duty and compassion, reported Morgana to the authorities, ensuring that she faced legal repercussions for her fraudulent acts. Though it was a difficult decision for him, Peter believed that it was essential to protect his community from false promises and manipulation. The false witch's once-thriving business eventually crumbled, and she faded into obscurity, never again able to deceive innocent people with her false powers. Peter, on the other hand, continued his work as a prison officer, knowing that justice had triumphed over deceit. Their unexpected encounter served as a reminder that lies and deceit should always be exposed and that the truth should prevail, even in the face of seemingly magical illusions..
Reviews for "The Con Artist and the Correction Officer: A False Witch's Manipulation of a Prison Officer"
1. John - 2 stars
I found "A false witch and a prison officer" to be quite disappointing. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and the characters felt underdeveloped. The writing style was also not engaging, and I struggled to stay interested in the story. Overall, I feel like this book missed the mark and I wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1 star
I was really looking forward to reading "A false witch and a prison officer" but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story. The dialogue felt unnatural and forced, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Additionally, the ending was unsatisfying and left too many loose ends. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written story.
3. Mark - 2 stars
"A false witch and a prison officer" was a letdown for me. The premise seemed promising, but the execution was lacking. The characters lacked depth, and it was hard to care about their fates. The writing style was mediocre, and the story felt disjointed and confusing at times. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.