QFest St. Louis presents Pink Narcissus

QFest St. Louis uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture. The event will excite, entertain, and enlighten audiences of all identities. This year’s Q Classic, “Pink Narcissus” — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — is a breathtaking and outrageous erotic poem focusing 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. Amid the sumptuous pink satin, teenage beauty Bobby Kendall falls into a deep slumber of erotic reverie, entering the glorious realm of sexual fantasy — living in a dream world of fantastic colors, magnificent music, elaborate costumes, and strikingly handsome men. The film was shrouded in mystery following its 1971 release, its creator credited only as Anonymous. The film was falsely attributed to such filmmakers as 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 gorgeous and enigmatic star. With its highly charged hallucinogenic quality, atmosphere of lush decadence, and explicit erotic power, “Pink Narcissus” is a true landmark of gay cinema.