[Frameworks] Kenneth Anger

[Dominic Angerame]

This breaks my heart, below is a short piece that will be included in a book I am writing about my experiences at Canyon Cinema and the filmmakers that I had come to know and love.

This is an excerpt

One day I was leaving my apartment in North Beach and walking on Columbus Avenue when I ran into Kenneth walking down the street. Surprised to see him, I offered to buy him a cappuccino.  He declined but said he wanted to show me something. We walked and talked for a while walking down Broadway past the numerous strip clubs until we stopped outside of an porn store on Kearny Street.
 
The store had a massive video arcade in the back. I knew the store had a collection of some of the grossest porn that I had ever seen. I groaned quietly and walked in, not knowing what to expect. We walked to the back of the shop where the private video booths were located. Of course there were several strange looking clients coming sheepishly out of the booths. The floor was cement and sloped downward and above there were portholes for the projection of the films. This was very curious, and then Kenneth told me this porn shop used to be a theatre called the “Art Movie House”, and it was where he premiered Scorpio Rising. I was standing in an historic building! 
 
As we walked around a bit and I am sure we looked suspicious as we  examined the ceiling, the portholes, the walls. My filmmaker mind imagined what films this theatre had shown in the past and what it must have looked like when Scorpio Rising was presented. We then walked outside and I felt like I had just an extremely spiritual experience. Kenneth then pointed to a window on the second floor and said he lived there, directly above the theatre. 
 
This long gone porn store now is the home of North Beach Citizens, an organization that helps homeless people. Ironically this organization was started by Francis Ford Coppola and funded in part by George Lucas. The sloped floors are gone along with the portholes, yet the spirit of the old theater remains. I have volunteered there in the past and now AA meetings on held on that sight.
 
Another day I was working in the office and Bruce Conner walked in unexpectedly as he often would.  He was carrying a book he wanted the office to have. It was the unauthorized biography of Kenneth Anger. I looked at the book and the phone rang. I was suddenly conflicted  since Bruce normally demanded all my attention and did not want to be interrupted. 

However, I saw that it was Kenneth Anger calling me. I answered the phone and Bruce was upset. Kenneth said hi, etc. and then he went on to discuss the very book Bruce had brought. Kenneth went on to say  angrily “Do not buy that book, do not read it and do not accept it if given to you, do not even touch the book,” I said ok, hung up the phone looked at Bruce and said I cannot accept the book. Talk about MAGIK!


> On May 24, 2023, at 9:29 AM, Pip Chodorov <pip at re-voir.com> wrote:
> 
> Sad news...
> 
> https://variety.com/2023/film/news/kenneth-anger-dies-fireworks-1235623957/-- 
> Frameworks mailing list
> Frameworks at film-gallery.org
> https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org

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