About Portrait of Jason
- Year Released:
- 1967
- Genres:
- Documentary, Experimental
- Metadata:
- Directed by Shirley Clarke
Shirley Clarke’s fascinating character study of self-proclaimed hustler Jason Holliday, evades
easy categorization. On the surface, it is a series of 16mm film reels in which the title character
provides a vivid verbal account of his life. It is, however, neither straightforward cinema vérité nor
traditional documentary. Instead, it lies between a subtle interview, a brilliant monologue, and record
of performance that deals head-on with issues of documentary construction. Recently restored by
Milestone Films,
Portrait of Jason deserves to become a canonical film alongside the work of other
luminaries like Andy Warhol and Jonas Mekas. (HD Cam. 105 min. Not rated.)
Dennis Doros of Milestone Films is scheduled to be
present.
