"Pink Narcissus" is a drama visualizing the erotic fantasies of incredibly handsome male prostitute Pan (Bobby Kendall). Between visits from his keeper, or john, he is alone in his apartment and fantasizes about worlds where he is the central character. Obsessed with his own beauty and youth, he escapes the realities of street life through intricately choreographed fantasies. He portrays a Roman slave boy and the emperor who condemns him, a matador, a wood nymph, and the keeper of a male harem for whom another male performs a belly dance. Characterized by bright colors and highly stylized sets, props, and costumes, this film shows that the fantasies allow him to escape the harsh realities of his life in a creative slice of gay erotic cinema.
This cult classic is very highly regarded for its artistic production values, and less for its narrative. The movie was mostly shot on 8 mm film with bright lighting. Aside from its last climactic scene, which was shot in a downtown Manhattan loft, it was produced entirely (including outdoor scenes) in a small New York apartment over a seven year period (from 1963 to 1970) and released without the director's consent, who therefore had himself credited as Anonymous. It was not widely known who had created the movie, and there were rumors Andy Warhol was behind it. In the mid-1990s, writer Bruce Benderson, who was obsessed with the film, began a search for its maker based on several leads and finally verified that it was James Bidgood, who was still living in Manhattan and was working on a film script.
In 1999, a book researched and written by Benderson was published by Taschen about Bidgood's body of photographic and film work. The French DVD of "Pink Narcissus" includes the 2000 documentary "The Queer Reveries of James Bidgood". Bidgood's unique kitschy style has been imitated and refined by artists such as Pierre et Gilles. Written, produced, filmed, and directed by James Bidgood.
