Chameleon Street

UPC: 014381299922

Studio: Homevision

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity, Substance Abuse]

Summary: Wendell B. Harris wrote, directed, and stars in Chameleon Street, a sly comedy based loosely on the real-life exploits of conman William Douglas Street, who demonstrates a gift for becoming what people want him to be. The film opens with Street (Harris) being interviewed by a prison psychiatrist. In this scene, he expresses what is basically his mantra, "I think, therefore I scam." The film then flashes back to Street's earlier days, living with his parents, and working for his taciturn father installing burglar alarms. Street eventually marries a beautiful, intelligent woman, Gabrielle (Angela Leslie), who sends him off each day with the same message -- "Make some money." Overcome by boredom and desperate for cash, Street concocts a shakedown scheme that completely backfires when his accomplice, Curtis (Anthony Ennis), signs Street's name to the extortion note, and sends it to the local papers. Ironically, no charges are pressed, and the scam turns Street, briefly, into a media darling. He finds he enjoys the spotlight. Gabrielle is less pleased. Street next tries to pass himself off as a writer from Time Magazine in order to interview a women's basketball player (Paula McGee, who plays herself). "She had the four 'B's," he exults, "Black, Beauty, Brains, and Basketball." As his relationship with his now pregnant wife disintegrates, Street engages in his most ambitious scheme yet -- posing as an Harvard-educated intern at a local hospital. Everything is going smoothly until he's called upon to perform a hysterectomy. Harris' low-budget film won the grand prize at the Sundance Film Festival, but only received limited theatrical distribution. Harris disappeared from national view until his memorable supporting role in Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight in 1998. He also had a small part in the 2000 teen comedy Road Trip. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Best First Feature – Independent Spirit Awards Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic – Sundance Film Festival

Features: Liner notes
White/Reiter on film
Colette vignette
The process
You know leadbelly?
Chameleon street trailer
Arbiter roswell trailer
Photo gallery

Chameleon Street

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/18/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Chameleon Street
1. Gielgud Says Now [8:12]
2. At the Trio [5:47]
3. Street Meets the Press [7:09]
4. I Can't Stand Stupid Men [11:27]
5. Passing Through Flesh [15:45]
6. French Party [12:48]
7. Masquerade Ball [9:11]
8. I Need More Boys [14:14]
9. I Could Play President [6:12]
10. End Credits [3:23]

Josh Ralske

Chameleon Street is a fascinating, funny, and literate examination of black identity. It was released in a hopeful time for black filmmakers. But along with another uniquely intelligent and thoughtful examination of black life, Charles Burnett's To Sleep With Anger, it didn't find the audience it deserved. The film's budgetary limitations are clearly visible in the threadbare production. It was Wendell B. Harris' feature debut as a writer, director, and actor, and the uneven performances may reflect his lack of experience. But Harris' ambition and erudition more than compensate for the film's technical shortcomings. Harris plays Doug Street as a charismatic, clever, and deeply troubled man. Harris never soft-pedals Street's misogyny or his cynicism; he allows the viewer to see how close Street is to the edge of sanity. But Harris also incisively portrays the societal pressures that push Street to criminality, and the character's determination to live by his wits is oddly heartening. With Harris' booming bass narration deconstructing every scene, referencing Jean Cocteau and Edith Piaf, one finds oneself rooting for Street. There are three scenes in Chameleon Street that particularly point to its singular unconventionality. In Street's skillful verbal destruction of a "peckerwood" racist, in his completely unqualified performance of major surgery, and in his grotesque "play" with his young daughter, the film achieves a synthesis of tension and wit that is rarely matched in cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Colette Haywood  Actor 
Coleman Young  Actor 
Dora King  Actor 
Dave Barber  Actor 
Dan Lawton  Actor 
Mano Breckenridge  Actor 
Lynette Mance  Actor 
Dimitri Muganias  Actor 
Michael Barron  Actor 
Anita Gordon  Actor 
Henry Watkins  Actor 
Jacky King  Actor 
Peppy Rosenthal  Actor 
Gary Irwin  Actor 
Alfred Bruce Bradley  Actor 
Richard Kiley  Actor 
Bryan McCree  Actor 
Helen B. Harris  Executive Producer 
Helen B. Harris  Producer 
Wendell B. Harris, Jr.  Director 
Wendell B. Harris, Jr.  Screenwriter 
Dan Lawton  Producer 
Peter S. Moore  Composer (Music Score) 
Wendell B. Harris, Jr.  Actor 
Angela Leslie  Actor 
Amina Fakir  Actor 
Paula McGee  Actor 
Anthony Ennis  Actor 
Daven Kiley  Actor 

Country: USA