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Kenneth Anger (1927
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 Hollywood
Babylon by Kenneth
Anger
This book is a phenomenon! I
couldn't pry the thing out of my hands and must have torn through
it in an hour or two. Keep in mind that this reviewer lives and
works in Hollywood, and generally turns her nose up in distaste at
celebrity-worship. This book, however, is no People magazine.
Written by a former child star, Hollywood Babylon upsets nearly
every myth about the Golden Age of Hollywood we celebrate. The
stories are sensationalist, lurid and totally defamatory- and that's
why I loved them. Don't get too caught up on the over-the-top
delivery, Mr. Anger is a little heavy handed in the metaphor
department, but his stories are worth it. I couldn't get the
images out of mind and retold half the chapters to my friends
ghost-story style. Most fabulous of all are the photos. Alongside
the glossy glamour P. R. shots are candid snapshots of the stars
at their worst, or most private. How he got his hands on what must
surely have been feverishly guarded secrets is a mystery. The
book's only downfall is that Mr. Anger rushed much too quickly
through the 1940's and 50's. Those two decades deserve a volume of
their own. The best way to read this book is to draw yourself a
starlet-worthy bubble bath and expect to come out a prune- you
won't be able to put Hollywood Babylon down. -- Sarah Briuer
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Born in Santa Monica, California Anger made his
first short film, Fireworks,
in 1947 in the surreal style that would become a trademark of
sorts. It was one of the first films to feature overt
homoeroticism and was thusly subjected to police prosecution. In
1959 the California Supreme Court ruled that the film was not,
after all, obscene.
Fireworks
also captured the attention of Jean Cocteau who invited Anger to
work with him in France. Nothing came of the collaboration, but
Anger made several of his own short films during that period in
the 1950s. After returning to the United States in 1963, Anger
filmed Scorpio Rising which had among its themes the
emergence of the gay leather scene.
Although he is considered influence to independent
filmmakers, Anger is likely best known for Hollywood
Babylon books which reached a broad audience and were
among the first to acknowledge the presence of gay men and
lesbians in Hollywood, both open and closeted.
Related Resources:
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Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
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