Pink Narcissus | Strand Releasing

Synopsis

“As beautiful and timeless as The Wizard of Oz” – JOHN WATERS, ArtForum

PINK NARCISSUS

An extremely handsome, self-involved, brooding young man escapes the realities of his street life through a series of fantasies of incredible beauty. Obsessed with his own perfection, he lives in a dreamworld of fantastic colors, magnificent music, elaborate costumes and strikingly handsome males. In a series of Walter Mitty-like sequences he imagines himself as a roman slave chosen by the emperor, as a triumphant matador vanquishing the bull (who is really a black leather clad cyclist), an innocent wood nymph gamboling in the woods, a diaphanously dressed harem boy in the tent of the sheik. He imagines his room as an exquisite jewel-encrusted retreat. But reality constantly intrudes through the depraved lives of the other street people, through the harsh and ugly sounds outside and through the visits of his “johns”. His narcissistic enchantment with his own beauty and lifestyle is marred by one great fear – aging and loss of his youth and good looks. And, in a final terrible glimpse of reality, the jaded “john” becomes himself.

About the Film

James Bidgood began working on PINK NARCISSUS in 1963. Seven years into production, in a dispute with the film’s financiers, Bidgood had his name removed from the project. The film was released in 1971 with credits for director, producer, writer and photography listed as “Anonymous.” Twenty years later, Bidgood acknowledged his role as the film’s creator.

Screenings

6/6/25	Pink Narcissus	Plaza Theatre	Atlanta	GA
6/6/25	Pink Narcissus	The Roxy Theater	Missoula	MT
6/11/25	Pink Narcissus	Provincetown International Film Festival	Provincetown	MA
6/12/25	Pink Narcissus	Arkadin Cinema & Bar	St. Louis	MO
6/16/25	Pink Narcissus	The Loft Cinema	Tucson	AZ
6/17/25	Pink Narcissus	Clinton Street Theater	Portland	OR
6/25/25	Pink Narcissus	Frameline	San Francisco	CA
6/27/25	Pink Narcissus	Alamo Drafthouse – Bloc (DTLA)	Los Angeles	CA
6/27/25	Pink Narcissus	Alamo Drafthouse – Downtown Brooklyn	Brooklyn	NY
6/27/25	Pink Narcissus	Alamo Drafthouse – New Mission	San Francisco	CA
6/29/25	Pink Narcissus	AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center	Silver Springs	MD
6/30/25	Pink Narcissus	THE FRIDA CINEMA	Santa Ana	CA
8/4/25	Pink Narcissus	Pacific Cinematheque	Vancouver	BC