Queering the Canon: PINK NARCISSUS (1971)
A handsome and self-involved young sex worker (Bobby Kendall) escapes the realities of his street life through a series of fantasies of incredible beauty
Description
A handsome, self-involved, and brooding young sex worker (Bobby Kendall) escapes the realities of his street life through a series of fantasies of incredible beauty. Obsessed with his own perceived perfection, he lives in a dreamworld of captivating colors, magnificent music, elaborate costumes and strikingly attractive males. In a series of eye-popping sequences he imagines himself in a variety of intense roles – from matador to Roman slave to harem leader – with his room as an exquisite jewel-encrusted retreat.
But reality constantly intrudes through the depraved lives of the other street people, the harsh and ugly sounds, and visits from his paying admirers. Ultimately, his narcissistic enchantment with his own beauty and lifestyle is marred by one great fear – aging and loss of his youth. At once phantasmagoric and kaleidoscopic, the stunning new restoration of this 70s underground sensation burns just as bright – if not brighter.
Part of Queering the Canon: So Obsessed
Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from a 35mm internegative, 35mm print and 35mm track negative. Funding provided by Snapdragon Capital Partners. Laboratory services by Roundabout Entertainment, Inc., Audio Mechanics. Special thanks to Frameline, Marcus Hu, Michael Lumpkin, Strand Releasing and James Woolley.
Director
James Bidgood
Cast
Bobby Kendall, Charles Ludlam