by Emily Alleman

1. A look into
Sex and Race
in the 20th
Century
PORTRAIT OF JASON
Intended audience: Classmates

2.  Shirley Clarke’s documentary Portrait of Jason appears to be
an intimate look into one man’s life. But upon closer
inspection, one needs to consider the lens through which this
film was made to determine the authenticity of Jason as a
person versus a character.
 While we unpack this idea, it is important to also consider the
ways in which race and sex can influence performance.
CRITICAL POINT

3. Sex
RacePerformance
AN IDENTITY DEFINED BY:

4.  For the purpose of this presentation, sex will not be
synonymous with gender or sexuality. Sex will simply be
defined as ‘the act of.’
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX…
“Sex is the thing I’m trying
to forget” – Jason Holliday

5.  Who is Jason Holliday?
 Questions to consider: Is Jason truly baring his soul on screen, or is
he merely performing an act?
 How does the lens though which Jason is filmed affect our perception of
him?
MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

6. “Jason Holliday was created in San Francisco.
And believe me, San Francisco is a place to be
created…”
WHO IS THE BEHIND THE CURTAIN?
 In the opening scene, we are first introduced to Jason
Holliday. Jason pauses, and then reintroduces himself as
Aaron Payne.
 In this first introduction, we become aware that Jason is
merely a vessel through which Aaron Payne performs.

7.  Richard Brody, of The New Yorker, writes in his article
“’Portrait of Jason’ and the Life of Movies,” that “Holliday’s
exuberant, floridly expressive personality and extravagantly
uninhibited self-revelation was also an act of self-creation; it’s
as if he created, on screen, in real time, a new identity from
the scattered and broken pieces of his life.”
MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

8. Sex Worker
Houseboy
Homosexual
African
American
Night Club
Performer
WE THEN GET A SENSE OF JASON AS A
FRACTURED BEING

9.  “I know I am a great actor and I got a chance to prove it… I
wondered if people would think I was a homosexual, bisexual
or heterosexual. I wondered if I was great enough to convince
them I was all three… I was aware film-wise of what I was
doing. I never got too far beyond my image. But what is my
image? Other than a well-dressed, well-liked swinging cat? I
also play many roles in life. I was also hip enough to do it on
the screen –dig it?” –Jason Holliday (Village Voice, 1967)
HOW DO WE SEE RACE & SEX?

10.  Shirley Clarke, an affluent heterosexual white woman, films
Jason.
 Some could argue that Clarke exploited Jason’s story for her own
personal gain. Towards the end of the film, Clarke and her boyfriend
provoke the drunk and stoned Jason who is at this point highly
emotional.
CONSIDER THE LENS THROUGH WHICH
WE MEET JASON

11. Clarke
Self-imposed outcast
Rejects her wealth &
status as white woman
Jason
Actual outsider as…
Homosexual & Black
RACE, SEX, PERFORMANCE

12.  “I was fascinated by the idea of having Jason explain the story
of his life before a camera…The result, I’m convinced is a
portrait of a guy who is both a genius and a bore. Although
Jason says he really hasn’t had any fun as a ‘hustler’ conning
people, he appears to have had the last laugh.” –Shirley
Clarke (New York Times)
HOW DO WE SEE RACE & SEX?

13.  While I thoroughly enjoyed Jason’s entertaining stories about
his life, I had trouble appreciating the film in general. I
couldn’t look past the way in which Jason was presented on
screen, simply as entertainment. It is clear that this man led
a rich life full of joy and pain. To have that displayed on the
screen so carelessly, and to do so by supplying him with
drinks in order to get him drunk and truthful, makes me feel
that Jason was taken advantage of.
CLOSING

14. Brody, Richard. “’Portrait of Jason’ and The Life of Movies.” The
New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-
brody/portrait-of-jason-and-the-life-of-movies Accessed April 10,
2018
Portrait of Jason. Directed by Shirley Clarke, performances by
Jason Holliday, Milestone Films, 1967
Powers, John. “Peeling Away the Layers in a ‘Portrait of Jason.’”
NPR, 2 May, 2013,
https://www.npr.org/2013/05/02/179876018/peeling-
away-the-layers-in-a-portrait-of-jason Accessed April 10, 2018.
http://projectshirley.com/press/portraitofjason.pdf
REFERENCES