Shirley
Clarke’s groundbreaking and searing 1967 documentary "Portrait of Jason," after
years of neglect, was restored to its full glory, with the new remastered version
premiering last year at the Berlin International Film festival.
As Katrina
Griffith said in her review of the film last year (HERE) “more than just a comment on the limits of representing reality, Portrait of Jason is a wonderful example of how minorities, be it Blacks, gays
or the poor, act out their difference in order to safely live alongside those
with privilege."
And as
Tambay said about it: "filmed over
the course of one night at the Chelsea Hotel, in New York City, Jason Holliday
(real name Aaron Payne) dishes on a myriad of topics: racism, homophobia,
parental abuse, show business, drugs, sex, prostitution, the law, and much
more. As the night progresses, he pretty much tells the story of his life, gets
increasingly intoxicated, and thus raw with his revelations, eventually ending
up in quite an intensely emotionally vulnerable state."
Provocative
and truly gripping, "Portrait of Jason" was one of the first LGBT films to be
taken seriously by the general audience, and remains one of the most remarkable
films in the history of American independent filmmaking.
And now, after its
theatrical run last year, Milestone Films will release the film on Blu-ray/DVD on November 11th; The disc will also include a wealth of extras and
special features including: "The Lost
Confrontation" (7 mins), "Where’s Shirley?" (25 mins), "Jason in Color!" (2:30 mins), "Portrait of Jason" trailer (2 mins), "Jason: Before and After" (1:30 mins), "Butterfly" (1967, 3:34 mins), "Shirley Clarke in Underground New York" (1967, 9:37
mins), "Jason Unleashed" (audio outtakes. 35 mins), Pacifica Radio Interview with
Shirley Clarke (1967, 53 mins), "The Jason Holiday Comedy Album" (1967, 54:00
mins).
Here’s a
clip from the film:
