Now streaming on Criterion: Shirley Clarke's Portrait of Jason

[+ oldNbusted]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Jason

 

A gay African-American hustler and aspiring

cabaret

performer, Jason is the sole on-screen presence in the film. He narrates his troubled life story to the camera, behind which Clarke and her partner at the time, actor

Carl Lee

, provoke and berate Jason with increasing hostility as the film progresses. The film employs

avant-garde

and

cinéma vérité

techniques to reach the tragedy underlying Jason's theatrical, exaggerated persona.

I found it fascinating, as a impression of one person, at one point in time in his life, in the middle of last century.

 

 

[NYCethan]

This sounds amazing!

[hypothetically]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Jason

 

A gay African-American hustler and aspiring

cabaret

performer, Jason is the sole on-screen presence in the film. He narrates his troubled life story to the camera, behind which Clarke and her partner at the time, actor

Carl Lee

, provoke and berate Jason with increasing hostility as the film progresses. The film employs

avant-garde

and

cinéma vérité

techniques to reach the tragedy underlying Jason's theatrical, exaggerated persona.

I found it fascinating, as a impression of one person, at one point in time in his life, in the middle of last century.

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite movies. It’s timeless and very few people know about it. Hearing him talk about how everyone in New York has a “gimmick” is hysterical.

 

My favorite quote:

I think as a house boy I really suffered. But this hasn’t all been a waste. They think you’re just a dumb, stupid little colored boy. You’re trying to get a few dollars and they’re gonna use you as a joke. It gets to be a joke sometimes as to who’s using who.

[+ pitman]

This sounds amazing!

It is!