Premiering today at Anthology Film Archives is Elio Gelmini’s excellent documentary Anger Me, a fascinating look at the career of experimental filmmaking legend Kenneth Anger. The screenings will be accompanied by the New York premiere of Anger’s most recent film, Elliott’s Suicide, a sixteen-minute video tribute to Elliott Smith. Today, we’re featuring Puce Moment, one of Anger’s earliest and most beautiful films. The footage was shot in 1949, but you’ll probably be shocked at how modern it feels — that’s because the experimental Anger, with his textured close-ups, innovative use of camera speed, and fondness for rock music, helped define the modern aesthetic of mainstream cinema (he was a huge influence on Martin Scorsese, for starters). —Bilge Ebiri
