Scorpio Rising (1969)
Scorpio Rising (1969)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Ernie Allo
Joker (uncredited)
Bruce Byron
Scorpio (uncredited)
Frank Carifi
Leo (uncredited)
Steve Crandell
Blondie (uncredited)
Johnny Dodds
Kid (uncredited)
Bill Dorfman
Back (uncredited)
Johnny Dodds
Kid
Nelson Leigh
Jesus Christ (archive footage) (uncredited)
John Palone
Pinstripe (uncredited)
Barry Rubin
Fall Guy (uncredited)
Johnny Sapienza
Taurus (uncredited)
Kenneth Anger
Director / Director of Photography / Writer / Editor
David Raksin
Music
Ernest D. Glucksman
Writer / Producer
Arthur P. Schmidt
Co-Producer
Jeremy Kay
Art Direction
Tony Bandusk
Location Assistant
Jack Brooks
Music
Media.
Details.
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Scorpio Rising is a 1963 American experimental short film shot, edited, co-written and directed by Kenneth Anger, and starring Bruce Byron as Scorpio. Loosely structured around a prominent soundtrack of 1960s pop music, it follows a group of bikers preparing for a night out.
Anger shot most of the film in New York City over the course of three months. His unique style makes extensive use of colorful non-diegetic lighting. Central themes include the occult, biker subculture, homosexuality, Christianity and Nazism. Scorpio Rising also explores the worship of rebel icons of the era, such as James Dean and Marlon Brando (referred to by Anger as Byron's "heroes", likely a direct reference to the trope of the Byronic hero).
The film premiered on October 29, 1963, at the Gramercy Arts Theater in New York City. It became the subject of protests and a lawsuit by the American Nazi Party, an obscenity prosecution overturned by the California Supreme Court, and a copyright lawsuit by the Lutheran Church. Scorpio Rising received praise from film critics and was credited with igniting leather gear and motorcycles as a fad in New York.
The film is recognized as a predecessor to the development of the modern music video and has influenced directors such as Martin Scorsese, John Waters, and Nicolas Winding Refn. In 2022, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".