Portrait of Jason

Shirley Clarke / United States / 1967 / Czech Premiere / 105 min.

synopsis

Jason Holliday was an African American prostitute, night club dancer and a houseboy. In a hotel apartment he is drinking, smoking and performing, while the director and her crew ask him about his life. The minimalist format works with the principles of cinéma vérité, which the filmmakers undermine by trying to get Jason into extreme positions that would reveal the tragic moments in his life. Thanks to the protagonistʼs extrovert nature and the amount of consumed alcohol we get to hear the stories from Jasonʼs life that bring him to tears and make him laugh and which point to everyday life of minorities in the 1960s USA.

“In Portrait of Jason Shirley Clarke is a goddamn genius. I hope people compare me with her someday. Shirley and Rogosin are really interested in their subjects, in finding out about what they think and feel.” — John Cassavetes

“The most extraordinary film I've seen in my life is certainly Portrait of Jason… It is absolutely fascinating.” — Ingmar Bergman

biography

Shirley Clarke (1919–1997) was an American director and university teacher, initially a dancer and a choreographer. In the 1950s she made short films and later she directed various documentaries and feature films. She was active in the feminist movement and her work is often included in the New American Cinema.