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Pink Narcissus



Released on DVD for the first time in the UK, Pink Narcissus is an unwavering celebration of the male body within a fantasy world of epic indulgence. The film, presented complete and uncut, is accompanied by a world exclusive filmed interview with the director James Bidgood.

Pink Narcissus is a breathtaking and outrageous erotic poem focussing on the daydreams of a beautiful boy prostitute who, from the seclusion of his ultra-kitsch apartment, conceives a series of interlinked narcissistic fantasies populated by matadors, dancing boys, slaves and leather-clad bikers.

The film was shrouded in mystery following its 1971 release, its creator credited only as 'Anonymous', and falsely attributed to filmmakers including Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol, before being rediscovered and revealed as the work of artist and photographer James Bidgood. It was shot in a haphazard, piecemeal fashion between 1964 and 1970 on 8mm, mainly in Bidgood's small apartment. Its cult status endures, as does adoration for its star, the gorgeous and enigmatic Bobby Kendall.

With its highly charged hallucinogenic quality, its atmosphere of lush decadence, and its explicit erotic power, Pink Narcissus is a landmark of gay cinema.

Extras:

- Exclusive, specially commissioned filmed 34-minute interview with James Bidgood by Brian Robinson, Programmer, London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
- Fully illustrated 17-page colour booklet including essays by filmmaker Richard Kwietniowski (Flames of Passion, Love and Death on Long Island) and author and journalist Rupert Smith; director biography and an original review from Interview Magazine.

ellipsis7 wrote:This curiosity coming up in March from BFI DVD...

Pink Narcissus

For years, Pink Narcissus was a film shrouded in mystery, known only to the most ardent fans of underground/gay cinema after a brief outing in the early '70s, and from a few awed reviews in the press. Now that it has resurfaced in a rediscovered print, it's pleasing to report that the film's wicked reputation is fully justified. It's a hugely overblown sexual fantasy centering around one boy, a dark-haired, pouting young thing who drifts through various sets (sleazy street, club, Arabian Nights-style orgy), dressing up and dressing down, cruising and being cruised. It's all massively erotic, healthily funny and visually impressive, reminiscent of Lindsay Kemp, Kenneth Anger and their ilk. RS

FUCK! YES!

ellipsis7 wrote:This curiosity coming up in March from BFI DVD...

Pink Narcissus...

I wouldn't call that a "curiosity" -- I'd call it an effing masterpiece.

Dunno - it's on their 'dates for the diary' page release coinciding with 21st London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 21 March-04 April...

davidhare wrote:Is this version uncut? I've got the impression the R1 DVD is.

I'll find out and get back to you.

davidhare wrote:Is this version uncut? I've got the impression the R1 DVD is.

The R1 version is not "cut" per se. The correct definition would be "incomplete" because that particular version (the only one I've seen and that's been making the rounds for ages on the home video format) was assembled from the best and readily available materials possible at the time. I think they went to various sources and "compiled" the present film the best they could.

If the BFI is indeed going to release the most "complete" version of this glorious masterpiece to date, then yes, Virginia -- there is a fucking Santa Claus, alright! I cannot begin to imagine how this beauty could look if given the proper digital treatment a la Fantoma Ken Anger!

MichaelB, could you ask them about the extras too?

I guess I'm beside myself right now with all these 2007 releases. In January, we get Ken Anger Vol. 1 looking positively flabberghasting; then in February, a 2xDVD(!) of Un Chant d'Amour; and in March, this! Well, excuse while I take a hot bath to calm my nerves!

Just did some digging and this little documentary over here would be an ideal extra.

edit: and I just found out that the french DVD has it as extra. That means that if the upcoming BFI DVD doesn't include it, I'm going to have to triple-dip on this one.

The US DVD from Strand Releasing is alleged to have been transfered from the original "negative" (though I assumed it was shot on reversal stock) which Strand allegedly own. I always just assumed they didn't know what they were doing when they transfered it which is why it looks so... New Yorker-esque.

Matt, the transfer on the Strand DVD (which I own) is exactly the same as the one on the VHS I used to have (UK edition, Dangerous to Know was the name of the label), so my guess is that Strand has simply transfered it to DVD straight from an analogue tape.

Trust me, no work was done on the remastering of this baby. That's why the BFI news of a rediscovered print is so huge. Imagine seeing the film look as good as James Bidgood's photography work:







I think the pictures speak for themselves.

OK, I've finally managed to have a quick chat with the producer of the BFI's Pink Narcissus, and with her permission I can reveal the main extra - a brand new 33-minute interview with Jim Bidgood, filmed specifically for this release.

She also assured me that both this interview and the accompanying booklet will cover the thorny issue of its release history and the various versions in some detail.

The documentary Queer Reveries, as linked to above, was considered for inclusion, but it was felt that it offered little that's not already covered by the existing extras.

Hope that's whetted your appetite - if I hear any more, I'll let you know!

Thank you so much for this, MichaelB! It is certainly appreciated but did you manage to find out about its running time and if the transfer is from a restored copy?

Lino wrote:Thank you so much for this, MichaelB! It is certainly appreciated but did you manage to find out about its running time and if the transfer is from a restored copy?

Sorry, but I've already posted literally everything I know.

OK, here's another snippet of advance info about the BFI release:

PINK NARCISSUS is presented complete and uncut for this DVD edition. The master was created using the most complete and highest quality print available, struck from the original negative. The heavy film grain can be attributed to the film's original Super 8mm format. While some information in the far edges of the picture area has been lost, the 1.33:1 aspect ratio captures all information present on the film materials.

At the risk of stating the obvious, I should also probably note that those colour stills reproduced above are seriously misleading. Clearly, since the original film was shot on Super 8, there's no way that the moving image is going to have that kind of definition.

But I suspect you all probably guessed that anyway.

MichaelB wrote:OK, here's another snippet of advance info about the BFI release:

PINK NARCISSUS is presented complete and uncut for this DVD edition. The master was created using the most complete and highest quality print available, struck from the original negative. The heavy film grain can be attributed to the film's original Super 8mm format. While some information in the far edges of the picture area has been lost, the 1.33:1 aspect ratio captures all information present on the film materials.

At the risk of stating the obvious, I should also probably note that those colour stills reproduced above are seriously misleading. Clearly, since the original film was shot on Super 8, there's no way that the moving image is going to have that kind of definition.

But I suspect you all probably guessed that anyway.

Thanks for all the info you've been providing here, MichaelB. But I am still very confident in this new BFI release because any kind of improvement on the current DVD is always a blessing (it's quite shitty, to put it kindly) and besides, it shouldn't be too hard to improve on it, anyway.

Let us know about the complete running time of the feature when you hear something about it, ok?

Amazon UK has a pre-order page for Pink Narcissus with a March, 26 date. Here it is and here are the provisional extras and running time:

# Run Time: 65 minutes
# DVD Features:

* Available Audio Tracks: Dolby Digital Mono
* Interview James Bidwell
* Booklet including essays and original review from 1971

More Pink Narcissus details at BFI

Cheaper pre-order price at Benson's.

I'm glad they went with that photo on the cover. And the BFI website claims the running time to be 70 minutes long. I hope the forthcoming reviewers will be knowledgeable enough to spot any differences between this release and previous ones.

It says 70 minutes approx. on the main page, but 65 minutes here.

The BFI disc of Pink Narcissus is a vast improvement over the R1 Strand. If I get caught up at work some time this week, I will post some screen caps (I don't imagine this is the kind of film Gary jumps at the chance to do a comparison of).

Matt wrote:The BFI disc of Pink Narcissus is a vast improvement over the R1 Strand. If I get caught up at work some time this week, I will post some screen caps (I don't imagine this is the kind of film Gary jumps at the chance to do a comparison of).

Matt, would love to see these when you get the chance.

Yes, me too. Would be much appreciated!

criterionsnob wrote:

Matt wrote:The BFI disc of Pink Narcissus is a vast improvement over the R1 Strand. If I get caught up at work some time this week, I will post some screen caps (I don't imagine this is the kind of film Gary jumps at the chance to do a comparison of).

Matt, would love to see these when you get the chance.

This is great to hear. I too would love to see some screen caps. I have held off buying this, due to how poor the Strand release looked.

Sorry for the delay. Here are some screen caps. I tried to keep them somewhat safe for work (forgot how hot this movie is). Strand R1 US release is on top, BFI R2 UK on bottom. No resizing, cropping, etc.

As you can see, there's not a whole lot more detail in the BFI (this is about as good as you're going to get on 8mm), but the color is astounding. There is a lot more clarity in darker shots as well. Also, the BFI image is less cropped on the top.

The colors are incredible!

Amazing. Thanks for that, Matt.

Did you notice any difference between the two versions? Any new scenes?

Damn, what I've just learned - Reading the forum in its entirety every visit is a MUST. I didn't know anything about the BFI release of Pink Narcissus till yesterday despite my daily visit to this forum. My heart nearly stopped! My god, where can I get the disc right away or shipped under 24 hours?

For those who haven't seen Pink Narcissus yet, Matt's screen grabs do not justify at all. You must see them moving - it's completely another world.

Lino wrote:Did you notice any difference between the two versions? Any new scenes?

I haven't watched it all the way through yet. Perhaps this weekend I can run the two versions simultaneously and see if there are any major differences.

And yes, the screen caps do not do this film justice.

The best I've ever spent money on. To celebrate the gay pride month, I devoured the whole BFI disc on this lazy Saturday afternoon as the tropical storm licked by my windows. LUSH LUSH is the word to describe the whole thing. Dump the unforgivably dull Strand reg-1 disc. I love the movie as always - BFI transfer is heart-tickling gorgeous. I enjoyed the interview with James Bidgood - he's funny and charming. The guy I'd love to have a cocktail party with.