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Portrait of Jason
Portrait of Jason
8.0
/10
577 Ratings

PORTRAIT OF JASON

Directed by Shirley Clarke
United States, 1967
Documentary, LGBTQ+

Synopsis

On December 2, 1966, director Shirley Clarke and a film crew gathered at the Chelsea Hotel. Bestowed for 12 hours with the one-and-only Jason Holliday, Clarke confronted the iconic performer about his good times and bad behavior as a gay hustler, on-and-off houseboy and aspiring cabaret performer.

Synopsis

On December 2, 1966, director Shirley Clarke and a film crew gathered at the Chelsea Hotel. Bestowed for 12 hours with the one-and-only Jason Holliday, Clarke confronted the iconic performer about his good times and bad behavior as a gay hustler, on-and-off houseboy and aspiring cabaret performer.

Our take

American independent Shirley Clarke’s vérité masterpiece, this wily portrait of a flamboyant hustler hinges on its subject’s supple and shape-shifting persona. Both a fascinating window into the life of a Black gay man in America and a clever interrogation of cinematic artifice and complicity.