Shirley Clarke: Portrait of Jason

Ingmar Bergman described it as the most extraordinary film he had seen in his life. The portrait of Jason Hollyday, self-proclaimed Afro-American hustler, would-be cabaret artiste, is filmed at a single session in Shirley Clarke’s penthouse apartment in New York’s Hotel Chelsea. Under the influence of a progressive intake of alcohol and drugs, Jason tells stories, both hilarious and intimate, acts, exposes and overexposes himself, and finally breaks down in a shocking, dramatic final confession. Shirley Clarke’s camera captures it all with unwonted authenticity: “There’s only one role you can do, Jason, and that’s you.” The film has recently been restored.

Portrait of Jason, Shirley Clarke, 1967, 100 min. [Video screening]