In search of the Great Beast 666
Classic Home Entertainment
Aleister
Crowley has always been an enigma, dubbed the wickedest man in the world, he is
loved and loathed in equal amounts. There are organizations such as the OTO who
revere him as the prophet of a new aeon of Horus, others who still, years
later, denounce him as a Satanist and worse. His life was one of extremes
filled with flashes of genius, madness, cavalier disregard for himself and others,
fleeting successes and horrific disasters. He is remembered as a poet, author, mountaineer,
psychonaut, counter cultural rebel and more. Depending on the biography you
read he was a bit like lord Byron “mad, bad and dangerous to know”, at the same
time I think this overlooks the complexity of his life and experience. It could
be said that Crowley was the bastard child of the Plymouth Brethren,
indoctrinated by severe fundamentalist religious dogma as a child he spent a
lifetime trying to escape his binds and many of those attracted to him were
likewise pained. Crowley himself while steeped in religious imagery and
symbols, saw himself as a “scientific illuminist”, he viewed religion and
spirituality sceptically and used what he called “Magick” as a way to explore
unknown psychological realms. I tend to see him as one of the most radical of
psychonauts, who risked his sanity in an attempt to gain it, but of course,
that comes at a high cost.
There
has been a large number of biographies written about Crowley, ranging from his
own work (the Confessions of Aleister Crowley) which he called a “autohagiography”
and which is the best work of self promotion you will ever find to various
serious academic works and a vast number of cheap “yellow” paperback tomes. Surprisingly,
this is the first serious film made documenting his life. It is an impressive
production using an incredible range of primary sources and has obviously
referenced a vast library of biographies and research to produce what is
essentially a two hour study of Crowley’s life and work. This is no mean feat,
there are not too many full length two hour documentaries and even less on
controversial and unusual subjects such as this one.
It
is beautifully edited and directed using actors to play Crowley and the other
characters throughout the program. This adds an extra dimension to a film which
could easily have ended up as a long slideshow. Instead through the use of
images, photos, film, art images, re-enactments and interviews with actors
playing major roles it becomes an extremely engaging viewing experience.
The
voice over by Joss Ackland is excellent as is the music by Rick Wakeman. I also
like the fact that while this is not a “sensationalist” take on Crowley’s life,
it is “warts and all”. It honestly, discusses his sexually peccadilloes, he
uses of drugs, his excessive indulgences and the cost in terms of human suffering
of his experimentation at the edges of consciousness. However, it works to keep
to the facts and while it does reference rumours and innuendo, makes it clear
what is supposed fact and what is unsubstantiated rumour. There are some great
titbits including the possible relationship between the Great Beast and George
Bush but these are clearly thrown out for debate and left for the viewer to
make up their own mind.
The
background knowledge of both ritual magic and the fringes of religion shows in
this documentary as does a solid understanding of the way in which Crowley
himself played with humour. Crowley was a trickster and there is no doubt that
a lot of what he did and said was part of an deliberate assault on the
conservative values of the prevailing society, accordingly, it is nice to see
that In Search of the Great Beast 666 has a great sense of play. So often in a book
on Crowley something is pulled out of context and hence loses its meaning, in
this film, the actor playing Crowley has his tongue firmly placed in his cheek and
you can enjoy the sense of fun Crowley obviously had with so many things he said
or did.
This
is quite an achievement for a film on such a controversial figure, it is not
only informative, balanced and well researched, showing an intricate knowledge
of a admittedly fringe area, but has a wicked sense of humour and wit as well.
This
is a great entertainment, informative and hugely enjoyable !