Tennesse Williams - A Portrait of Laughter and Lamentation

Tennesse Williams – A Portrait of Laughter and Lamentation is a story of the making of a friendship and a film. In the process, there emerges a dynamic, vibrant portrait of the man who is widely recognized as America’s greatest playwright. When Harry Rasky, one of the most prolific and innovative documentary filmmakers, persuaded Tennessee Williams to become a subject of a film, Rasky stated in the opening narrative, “In a sense this is a memory play about Tennessee Williams. What he once called the past, the present and the perhaps.” Rasky recognized that he would have to find where William’s head was. This is the story of how he went about doing just that, replete with all the laughter and lamentations that were experienced by them both in the process.

Harry Rasky is one of Canada’s most renowned documentary filmmakers. He was nominated for two Oscars and six Emmy awards, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists. In addition to William, his subjects have included Leonard Cohen, Fidel Castro, Arthur Miller, Henry Moore and Degas.