Directing
Shirley Clarke
EN, PT, FR, XX cinema · 66 credits
Born
2 October 1919
Died
23 September 1997 (aged 77)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Also known as Shirley Brimberg · 셜리 클라크
A major figure of the American avant garde, Shirley Brimberg Clarke (1919-1997) was born into privilege as the daughter of Polish-Jewish immigrants who made their fortune in manufacturing. Rebelling against a repressive bourgeois upbringing, Clarke turned first to dance, and later film and video, to express her distinctive vision of the world. Moving freely across genres and media throughout her career (and often within a single work), Clarke’s cinema explores the porous boundaries between narrative and documentary filmmaking, and film and other media, such as painting, dance, performance and video. Her 1960s features The Connection (1961), The Cool World (1963) and Portrait of Jason (1967), for which she is arguably best remembered, address issues of urban alienation, poverty, addiction and racism, focusing on lives lived at the margins of American society. Fearless in both her personal and creative life, Clarke produced a body of work that is as formally innovative as it is rooted in social protest. Clarke initially trained as a dancer, immersing herself in New York’s vibrant post-war avant-garde dance scene. Although her dance career never quite earned her the critical acclaim she’d hoped for, it had a lasting impact on her subsequent filmmaking and video work, informing an interest in how movement is recorded formally, while introducing her to key avant-garde dancers and choreographers. Source: https://denniscooperblog.com/shirley-clarke-day-2/
Known for
Filmography
Shirley Clarke: The Artist with the Lens
as Self (archival footage)
Fear Flight
Director
Alien Blood
as second alien mother / MIB soldier
He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life
as Self (archive footage)
Ornette: Made in America
Director, Editor
Tongues
1982
Tongues
Director, Editor
Savage/Love
Director
24 Frames per Second
Director
Sex Stars
as Self
Up Your Legs Forever
as Self - Legs(uncredited)
Ricky Leacock Visit, April 15, 1971
1971
Ricky Leacock Visit, April 15, 1971
Director
Ricky Leacock Visit, April 17, 1971
1971
Ricky Leacock Visit, April 17, 1971
Director
Rome Is Burning: Portrait of Shirley Clarke
as Shirley Clarke
Lions Love
as Shirley
Portrait of Jason
as Self - Interviewer (voice), Director, Producer, Editor
Galaxie
as Self
The Cool World
Director, Writer, Editor
The Connection
Director, Editor
A Scary Time
Director
Christopher and Me
Dialogue
Skyscraper
Director, Producer, Editor
Bridges-Go-Round 1
Director, Director of Photography, Producer
Bridges-Go-Round 2
Director, Producer, Cinematography
Brussels Loops
Director
A Moment in Love
Director, Camera Operator, Editor
Bullfight
Director, Camera Operator, Editor
Dance in the Sun
Director, Editor
Home Movies #15 Shirley with Camera
as Herself, Director
Home Movies #18 Florida
as Herself