Bijou (film)

Bijou is a 1972 American gay pornographic film directed and edited by Wakefield Poole and starring Bill Harrison as a construction worker who witnesses a car accident and discovers an invitation to a club called Bijou in the purse of the victim.

Bijou
Theatrical release poster by Paul Jasmin[1]
Directed by	Wakefield Poole
Produced by	Marvin Shulman
Starring	Bill Harrison Cassandra Hart Lydia Black Peter Fisk Bill Cable
Production company	Poolemar
Release date	1972 (1972) [2]
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22,000[1]

Production

Using some of the proceeds from his debut film Boys in the Sand, director Wakefield Poole bought a Beaulieu 16 mm camera for $10,000. Poole recorded screen tests of each actor he wanted to use, and had each of them "seduce the camera", undress, and masturbate to climax.^[3]

Poole shot the film over four days at his apartment. The interiors of the Bijou club were filmed in his living room; the crew covered the walls and floors with black felt and built a platform in the center of the room that was covered with black velvet.^[4] Poole edited the film over the summer of 1972.^[5]

Release

Poole first screened Bijou during a weekend in August 1972.^[6] The film opened in October, with a 24-week run at the 55th Street Playhouse.^[7]

Critical reception

A contemporary review in Variety called the film "part ersatz Kubrick, part raunchy Disney".^[8][9] Al Goldstein, editor of Screw, praised the film's "sophisticated direction, magnificent photography and editing".^[8] Bijou was named "Best Picture of 1972" by Screw, though it shared the honor with the film Deep Throat.^[10] According to Poole, Goldstein considered Bijou to be superior to Deep Throat, but did not want to "honor faggotry over heterosexuality".^[10]

When asked by Women's Wear Daily what his favorite thing he did on his visit to New York was, French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent answered, "Seeing Bijou".^[10]

Home media

In May 2014, the film was released on DVD by Vinegar Syndrome.^[8]

References

1. Olson, Jenni (2004). The Queer Movie Poster Book. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811842617.
2. Poole 2011, p. 279.
3. Poole 2011, p. 167.
4. Poole 2011, p. 171.
5. Poole 2011, p. 173, 177.
6. Rodriguez, Joey (2016). "'All of my films deal in fantasy.'". The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
7. Crumpler, David (March 20, 2016). "Films challenged erotic status quo". The Florida Times-Union. p. F1.
8. "Bijou – Vinegar Syndrome". Vinegar Syndrome. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
9. Holmlund, Christine; Wyatt, Justin, eds. (2004). Contemporary American Independent Film: From the Margins to the Mainstream. Routledge. p. 170. ISBN 978-0415254861.
10. Poole 2011, p. 178.

Bibliography

• Poole, Wakefield (2011). Dirty Poole: A Sensual Memoir (new ed.). Lethe Press. ISBN 978-1590212295.

External links

• Bijou at IMDb