Bidgood shot the film in his apartment, creating elaborate sets there; among other locations, he simulated a seedy New York street, a Middle Eastern sheik\u2019s harem, and a lush jungle. Pink Narcissus<\/em> defies a plot summary, since there really isn\u2019t one. Instead, it proceeds from one set piece to another, all highly stylized fantasies, and as lovely as those images are, they run screaming from anything resembling realism. Shot on a mix of Super-8 and 16mm, the cinematography is blurred and distorted, creating a psychedelic effect upon color. The selection of soundtrack music is key, since there\u2019s no spoken language; it communicates through romantic orchestral music that might have soundtracked a Minnelli or Sirk melodrama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bobby Kendall plays the protagonist, an unnamed hustler whose flourishing interior life contrasts with the loneliness and sleaze that were the most visible parts of gay New York at the time. Still, even Pink Narcissus<\/em>\u2019s darker scenes are so stylized that they almost become romanticized. Street signs comment upon Kendall\u2019s state of mind and fears about aging: \u201cchicken\u201d (a slang term for teenage boys), \u201cgoing out of business,\u201d \u201cget \u2018em while you\u2019re hot.\u201d Bidgood cuts to a close-up of the actor urinating in a dirty toilet bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The notion that gayness was connected to narcissism was rooted in Freudian theory. From a contemporary perspective, Kendall\u2019s own narcissism stems more from his own personality traits than his sexuality. It was also borne out of the social context: the time he spends enjoying staring at his own image in a room of mirrors reflects the difficulty of valuing his own worth outside this private space and acting out his fantasies safely. He gets great enjoyment from his body, as does Bidgood. In close-up, he tenderly caresses himself. Even so, narcissism is the theme to which the film keeps returning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bidgood would live to 88, dying of COVID in 2022. However, Pink Narcissus<\/em> is dominated by the fear of aging. (The director was 30 when he began the shoot.) Kendall worries about his worth being tied to his physical attractiveness, which may be rational for a sex worker. The film\u2019s obsessed with beauty, but well aware of the pitfalls of this preoccupation. One of its final images is a shattered mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pink Narcissus<\/em> would be Bidgood\u2019s only feature. In a way, it\u2019s almost an accident that he became a director; photography was his main interest. Steeped in a campy aesthetic, Pink Narcissus<\/em>\u2019s production design and cinematography are its greatest strengths. (One would never realize just how small the apartment where Bidgood created his sets was.) Despite its personal nature, the production was unhappy. Final cut was taken away from Bidgood, and he refused credit for his work. In 1971, it was released with \u201cAnonymous\u201d as the producer, writer and director. (Rumors swirled about who actually made Pink Narcissus<\/em>.) Even in Strand Releasing\u2019s restored version, these credits remain. His efforts to keep making films were equally unhappy \u2013 his only other project, Beyond Closed Doors<\/em>, was unfinished, with a short fragment included in the 1975 film Good Hot Stuff<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pink Narcissus<\/em> can be seen as a bridge between the \u201860s avant-garde and the rise of hardcore gay porn in the \u201870s. Many directors of the latter took their work seriously both as art and a political statement; they would\u2019ve been unlikely to get mainstream films exploring the same themes made at the time produced. Bidgood\u2019s imagery oscillates between the suggestive \u2013 a motorcycle\u2019s handlebar aimed towards Kendall\u2019s ass cheeks) and explicit (in the most memorable shot, Kendall ejaculates colorfully in extreme close-up). Its influence goes well beyond that period: the elaborately homoerotic sets of Rainer Werner Fassbinder\u2019s Querelle<\/em><\/a> owe something to Pink Narcissus<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pink Narcissus<\/em> stands up as something more than a period piece. It\u2019s steeped in longing, while showcasing how a rich inner life can flourish even in the most repressive periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new 4K restoration of “Pink Narcissus” opens Friday at Metrograph in New York City.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Pink-Narcissus2-1024x571.jpg\")
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