A simple method for preparing thin dichroic metal composite films is described. Alkanethiol-derivatized gold particles are incorporated into poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) matrixes that have been friction-transferred onto glass slides. Exposure of these gold particle/PTFE composites to flame (ca. 1700 degrees C) leads to strong dichroic properties in the visible spectrum. Extinction spectra obtained with the incident electric field polarized perpendicular to the direction of friction orientation show a plasmon extinction band with a maximum at ca. 545 nm. Spectra collected with the incident field polarized parallel to the friction orientation direction show a strong extinction band with a plateau from lambda = 550 to 850 nn. The experimental polarization spectra are in general accord with the predictions of the Bruggeman effective medium approximation (EMA). EMA theory modeling suggests that the gold structures are not surrounded primarily by air, but rather are coated with, or imbedded within, a material that itself is highly absorbing.