Chameleon Street

press release: USA | 1989 | DCP | 95 min.

Director: Wendell B. Harris Jr.

Cast: Wendell B. Harris Jr., Angela Leslie, Amina Fakir

Chameleon Street reveals the absurd but true story of Michigan con man William Douglas Street (charismatically portrayed by writer and director Harris). Street used his uncanny powers of intuition to successfully impersonate a lawyer, a surgeon, a journalist, and a foreign exchange student. Filmmaker Harris subtly and comically uses Street’s saga to play with themes of race, class, and performance in modern American identity. Criminally underseen in the three decades since it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Harris’ debut feature has now been beautifully restored in 4K digital.

Screenings mostly take place at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Once-a-month Sunday afternoon screenings take place at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue. In accord with current UW Madison policies, masks are required for entry to our venues. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.