Wakefield Poole's Bijou (1972)
Starring: Bill Harrison, Bill Cable, Peter Schneckenburger,
Michael Green
Plot: The film concerns a construction worker (Bill
Harrison) who witnesses a car accident and pockets the female victim’s purse in
which he discovers her invitation to a club named Bijou. There he enters a
strange erotic world where dark fantasies become reality. A fever dream
blending the erotic and the divine in equal parts, Bijou is a psycho-sexual
puzzle that rewards multiple viewings.
My Review and Thought:
Film: (5/5)
Over 70 minutes of Wakefield Poole's unique visionary erotic
sexual talent. A trip inside the ultra-art house colorful and twisted mind of a
sexual gay porn pioneer. Poole brings forth a twisted tale of lust and pounding
sensuality. Part art and part exploration and all erotic gay porn.
This is an adult gay feature film brought back from the 70's
to a new modern generation. Bijou has a 70's feel yet is nicely restored by
Vinegar Syndrome with this new clean up and restoration job, which showcases
the beauty of forgotten sexual cinema.
What's so uniquely interesting and gives an awesome weird
experience is this movie is filmed with a psychedelic atmosphere, mirrors,
darkness, shadows, neon lights and sex. Lustful rough raw sex. Your main star
moves through the many realms of Bijou fulfilling all exploration of his sexual
lust and darkened desire.
Bijou has an underground art-house type feel. It showcases
the stunning colors and visionary imagery that you would see in such films like
a David Lynch movie. Wakefield Poole was truly a unique and interesting
visionary talent. Most people would say it’s just porn, but it’s so much more.
It’s a statement in lustful glamour. There is a surrealism to the feature. When
the Construction worker enters the Bijou it's almost like he is entering a
piece of moving cinematic art or an erotic dream come to life.
Bijou stars Ronnie Shark aka Bill Harrison. He was a gay
porn actor that had a big penis and he knew how to use it. Sadly, he died at a
very young age of 43 but his extremely large talent graces the imagination in
the films he starred in, including this retro classic of Gay Porn. He also
directed gay porn. I am surprised he doesn't trip over his own penis it's so
huge. I don't know how he sits with that thing.
This also stars Peter Schneckenburger aka Peter Fisk. Peter
was a stable in Wakefield's movies also gracing the iconic gay porn film Boys
in the Sand and 74's Moving!
I am a fanatic and obsessed and a lover of Wakefield Poole's
cinema. He is a master at capturing his unique brand of imagery and capturing
his unique perspective for the makeup of the human body. I am a fan when
directors go above and beyond the norm and captures what they wish to express.
Now to understand what the viewer is getting into, one must
understand who Wakefield Poole is. Wakefield Poole is not his real name, he was
born Walter Wakefield Poole III. He is a master dancer, and amazing
choreographer, a powerful theatrical director, and most of all what he truly is
remembered for is being a pioneering director in the gay pornography movement
that he dominated in the 70's and continuing on into the 80's.
His first experiment with film was the 1971 Boys in the Sand
which still is considered a landmark film in the world of gay pornography. He
tried to cross over into the mainstream world from pornography with the movie
Bible, sadly the Bible was never respected, mainly due to Poole's past and
mainstream not willing to accept the gay pornography director creating an
erotic mainstream version of the Bible, which during the time was considered
blasphemy, and still today would be considered blasphemous by the Christian
world.
Wakefield Poole was inducted into GayVN Awards Hall of Fame
in 2003. The GAYVN Awards are given out annually to show respect and honor in
the gay porn industry.
It's truly amazing to see this film restored, uncut and
remastered. Vinegar Syndrome I feel are gods when capturing and bringing forth
forgotten cinema.
Truly a unique and brilliant adult sexual gay film that fans
of this type of cinema will love and cherish. The beautiful new DVD by Vinegar
Syndrome makes this film shine.
Audio/Video: (4/5)
I personally don't think it's ever been as beautiful as
this. It's nice and clean, sounds wonderful, they did a spectacular job at
refreshing the film.
+ Dual-Layer DVD-9 | Region Free | 1.33:1 | MONO
+ Scanned in 2k from 16mm original camera negative
Extras: (5/5)
+ Original Theatrical Trailer
+ Director’s Audio Commentary & Video Introduction
+ Video Interview w/ Author Linda Williams
+ Video Interview w/ Wakefield Poole + Unused Audition
Footage
The extras are brilliant. The two-worth watching and should
be seen for fans is the Interview with Wakefield Poole about the screening and
psychology of the movie. Also, the wonderful unused footage of five guys
auditioning, which is just priceless.
Overall:
Sexually twisted, a sexual eye-opening, beautiful experience
of 70's porn done by the master himself Wakefield Poole in an artistic art
house style of filming of subjects.