Great Balls of Fire: Three Films by Jim McBride - Filmmaker Q&A

FUGITIVES, COPS AND ROLL ‘N’ ROLL: THREE FILMS BY JIM MCBRIDE 

American director Jim McBride has an eclectic filmography. Emerging from the New York underground scene of the 1960s, he made one of the seminal films of the period: DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY (1968), which was a fictional tale of a young director documenting his own life. Following this, McBride continued to be an independent filmmaker, making personal documentaries, offbeat dystopian science fiction, and even a softcore sex comedy. 

Then in the 1980s, McBride found himself working within the mainstream Hollywood system, creating three exhilarating features: BREATHLESS (1983) is a remake of the Jean Luc Godard classic and is often highlighted as a favourite film by Quentin Tarantino; THE BIG EASY (1986) is the sassy and sultry crime thriller with a wicked sense of humour; and GREAT BALLS OF FIRE (1989) is a biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis, the controversial wild man of 1950s’ rock ‘n’ roll. 

Triskel Arts Centre is not only screening these three movies but Jim McBride will be in attendance to take part in Q&As following THE BIG EASY and GREAT BALLS OF FIRE.