Images and Illusion: Storytelling through various embodiments of iconography
Kenneth Anger, Rabbit´s Moon, 1950 Rabbit's moon, seemingly shot under a blue filter, gives the project a dreamlike quality. The set is under complex lighting. A spotlight is beaming on the main character, a clown lying on the ground covered with leaves. Surrounding him is a circle of trees in dark shadows. The clown is looking around as if he is in an unfamiliar environment. A feeling of solitude is adherent. The clown stands up and starts walking around, looking at his surroundings. His movements look carefully choreographed in ballet-like gestures. Finally, his gaze shifts up to the sky where the moon is. He walks towards it with his arms stretched out. The moon comes up dominant over the clown in a high shot. He is almost blinded by the strength of the light emitted. One can detect sadness and curiosity in his face as he continues to reach out toward the moon. The image cuts to a close-up of a rabbit on the moon. We see more images of the clown jumping as he tries again to ...