Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Glucedee
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
preppy-3
Plot less short about some Greek gods (or something) getting together in a pleasure dome. There's no dialogue--only music which is supposed to match the images (I think). The color (in the restored print) is incredibly vivid and rich and some of the images are eye-catching but this is more boring and self-indulgent than anything else. The same images are shown again and again and AGAIN...it gets tedious rather quickly. With no plot or story to follow this gets to be a chore to watch. This might be of some interest to some since it has author Anais Nin as Astarte and artist Paul Mathison looking incredibly handsome as Pan. But, all in all, this is boring and pointless. It comes across as little more than director Kenneth Anger and his friends playing dress up. I give this a 4 for the imagery and color alone.
frank_blankenship
Anger's vision is a ritual in and of itself, committed to film to be enacted on each viewing. The colors were hypnotic at times. The homo-eroticism is simmering under the surface, mingled with so much symbolism that it is impossible to over-analyze it. Usually movies don't leave me feeling this awash in literally psychedelic thoughts, disconnected from the moment and yet fully a part of it's reckoning. Like the effect of Pulp Fiction on my subconscious vocabulary, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome left me thinking differently. There is some profound effect from watching it, I believe, pulling the viewer in as a participant.
bobby cormier
this film is a devastating visual, sensory experience. i have been haunted by its breathtaking imagery & multi-layered arcane symbolism since the first time i saw it. i've watched it over & over again in the years since first viewing it & it never loses its overload of impact on me. i am not an acid casualty, in case you are wondering. it assaults the senses from all angles in a cubist, multidimensional sense. each viewing will bring new insight & renewed, shimmering ecstasy. i promise this to anyone who is open & teachable & cinematic ally inclined to new experience. kenneth anger is a national & world treasure. can you tell i like this film? the flaws in it, if any, have eluded me for years. -bobby
cshockc
Swallowing jewelry? Drinking potions? A birdcage as head-dress? Kenneth Anger's IOTPD is the trippiest, most gorgeously haunting and sensual of film experiences I have ever seen; trust me, it will leave your mouth gaping in sheer awe. Hallucinogenic, weirdly stagnant and moving at the same time, a head-first dive into Crowley Land, an otherworldly playground of dreams deluged with sensuality and, as the title suggests, pleasure. You can watch it again and again and still never bore of it. Mesmerizing and beautifully filmed. Easily Anger's masterpiece (more so than SCORPIO RISING or LUCIFER RISING), and better than any other dives into "psychedelic psinema" (THE TRIP and the acid montage from EASY RIDER come to mind). There has never EVER been anything like this trippy tour de force of style in the history of the cinema.