Scorpio Rising (1969)
Kenneth Anger's incendiary underground short fuses biker ritual, homoerotic imagery, and rock & roll into one of cinema's most provocative and influential experimental works.
Scorpio Rising - Movie Information
- Original Title: Scorpio Rising
- Release Year: 1969
- Directed by: Kenneth Anger
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Music
- Runtime: 28m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: No Language
- Release Date (Theatrical): October 10, 1969 (Denmark), April 7, 1973 (France)
- Alternative Titles: 전갈의 반란 (KR), Skorpionen (FI), Восход Скорпиона (SU)
- Production Companies: Puck Film Productions
- Production Countries: United States of America
Scorpio Rising - Plot
A gang of Nazi bikers prepares for a race as sexual, sadistic, and occult images are cut together.
Scorpio Rising - Trailer
Check out this clip from Kenneth Anger's legendary underground film.
Watch Scorpio Rising video on YouTube ↗
From the underground – the original and wildest film of the Hell's Angels cult!
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Scorpio Rising - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Kenneth Anger
Main Cast
- Ernie Allo
- Bruce Byron
- Frank Carifi
- Steve Crandell
- Johnny Dodds
- Bill Dorfman
- Nelson Leigh
- John Palone
- Barry Rubin
- Johnny Sapienza
Writers
- Kenneth Anger
- Ernest D. Glucksman
Producers
- Ernest D. Glucksman
Scorpio Rising - FAQs
Where can I watch Scorpio Rising online?
Scorpio Rising is available to stream or rent through select platforms. You can check JustWatch for the most current and region-specific streaming options, as availability may vary. The film has also circulated through archival and experimental cinema channels over the decades.
What is Scorpio Rising about?
Scorpio Rising depicts a group of Nazi bikers preparing for a race, weaving together homoerotic, occult, and sadistic imagery set against a rock and roll soundtrack. Kenneth Anger uses this framework to explore themes of rebellion, fetishism, death, and the dark mythology of American youth culture.
Is Scorpio Rising based on a true story?
Scorpio Rising is not based on a specific true story. It is an experimental, semi-documentary short film by Kenneth Anger that draws on real biker subculture of the early 1960s, blending documentary-style footage with staged sequences, occult symbolism, and pop culture iconography.
Who directed Scorpio Rising?
Scorpio Rising was directed, written, photographed, and edited by Kenneth Anger, the pioneering American underground filmmaker. Anger is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in avant-garde cinema, and Scorpio Rising remains his most celebrated and studied work.
How long is Scorpio Rising?
Scorpio Rising has a runtime of approximately 28 minutes, making it a short film. Despite its brief length, it is considered one of the most dense and influential works in the history of experimental cinema, packing an enormous amount of imagery, symbolism, and cultural commentary into its runtime.
What is the significance of the music in Scorpio Rising?
The film's use of thirteen rock and roll songs — including tracks by Elvis Presley, Bobby Vinton, and Ray Charles — was groundbreaking. Anger synchronized pop music to imagery in a way that prefigured the music video format and created ironic, subversive contrasts between the songs and the violent or erotic visuals.
Did Scorpio Rising win any awards or critical recognition?
Scorpio Rising won the Independent Film Award at the 1964 Knokke-le-Zoute Experimental Film Festival. It has since been recognized as a landmark of avant-garde cinema, cited by filmmakers including Martin Scorsese and David Lynch as a major influence on their work and on visual storytelling broadly.
What makes Scorpio Rising controversial?
The film was seized by Los Angeles police in 1964 on obscenity charges due to its explicit homoerotic content, Nazi imagery, and intercut footage of Jesus Christ alongside biker rituals. A California court ultimately ruled it was not obscene, a landmark decision for freedom of expression in underground cinema.
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