#WeAreQFT: Jack McFadden

You are stuck at home and your favourite cinema is closed. What five films do you watch?

The Red Shoes (1948)

The Lady Eve (1941)

What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Raising Arizona (1987)

What three words would you use to describe QFT?

My happy place.

What is your earliest cinema-going memory?

When I was a tiny little tot my auntie took me to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) at the Strand cinema in Derry. I got scared when the lights went out, I cried an awful lot, and I also may have wet myself. Some things just never change.

What is your guilty pleasure film?

Everyone who’s seen it seems to hate this movie but I absolutely love it – Prince’s astoundingly underrated gem Under the Cherry Moon (1986). This film has everything. This film is everything. It’s got Prince at the peak of his creative talents, Kristin Scott Thomas in her first film role, gorgeous cinematography from Scorsese-go-to Michael Ballhaus, and some of the best R&B pop songs ever written. It’s fun, pacey and a beautiful love letter to Old Hollywood typed in the coolest font imaginable. But for some bonkers reason it’s also got a terrible score on Rotten Tomatoes and a dire IMDb score to match. Why? Because sometimes the world is just one big, crazy, topsy-turvy place where nothing makes a blind bit of sense. Bit like right now. But I mean it’s Prince! How could you not love it? HOW? I suppose I don’t have a lot of guilt about loving this film (I just wrote a whole paragraph proclaiming my love for it). But if this little entry of mine gets even one more person to check out this glorious movie, well… my work here will have been worth it.

What is your favourite film soundtrack?

Purple Rain (1984). Can you tell I’m a fan?

What film character would you love to meet and why?

Would love to meet the genie from Aladdin (1992) right now. The Robin Williams one, not the Will Smith one (sorry Will). First wish: wipe out the coronavirus. Second wish: end Global Warming. Third wish: reopen the QFT. NOW!

What is the best thing about going to the cinema?

So, so many. The way it somehow makes a solitary experience communal. The way it completely subjects you to the rhythm and pace of a film. The way it decides when the movie’s going to start – not you. The way you can’t hit pause. The way you can’t hit stop. The way you just have to sit there and watch – entirely at the filmmaker’s command. You’re alone, but you’re not alone. You’re disconnected from the world, but fully connected to the one in front. You’re in the dark, but you’re looking at the light. I love it all.

Do you have a special place in the cinema where you always sit?

Anywhere but the front row.

Who is your favourite film villain?

It’s got to be Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles (1974). How can you not love a villain with lines like “My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives”?

What one thing would you change about your favourite film?

Nothing. It’s perfect the way it is. Although I’d be tempted to change one of the credits. Just a small one. Scratch out the old name and replace it with “written and directed by Jack McFadden”. And then sit back and watch those royalty cheques roll in.

What film do you think justifies a remake?

I think Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) could do with a remake. The original of course has Audrey Hepburn in her prime and it’s wonderful in its own way. But every time Mickey Rooney appears on-screen in yellowface with his insanely racist and insanely annoying caricature, it spoils the whole thing. The original book is much darker than the movie and deals with themes Hollywood preferred to sweep under the rug and pretend didn’t exist – primarily homosexuality. A faithful adaptation would be an interesting project. I’m thinking Margaret Qualley as Holly Golightly in an adaptation directed by Todd Haynes. Someone make this happen please.

Have you ever changed your opinion on a film?

Used to think The Apartment (1960) was a damn near-perfect movie. Now I think it’s just a perfect movie.

What is your favourite movie quote?

I’m going to cheat and pick two. First up is a simple but fabulous quip by Mae West in Belle of the Nineties (1934) that just makes me laugh every time:

Ace Lamont: “Great town, St. Louis. You were born here?”
West: “Yes.”
Ace Lamont: “What part?”
West: “Why, all of me.”

Genius. Second is from The Big Sleep (1946) and it's just a great example of wonderful dialogue – smart, revealing, playful and witty. Phillip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) gets out of a taxi and starts flirting with the cab driver, played by Joy Barlow. Their chemistry is palpable:

Marlowe: “There you are sugar, buy yourself a cigar.”
Cab Driver: “If you can use me again sometime, call this number.” [Hands him a card]
Marlowe: “Day and night?”
Cab Driver: [smiling] “Um… night’s better. I work during the day.”

What film would you love to see at QFT when it reopens?

Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Margaret Qualley and directed by Todd Haynes. Failing that, I’d love to see Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) on the big screen. Or any Sergio Leone western for that matter.

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Some poor actor who’s down on his luck and desperate for a part.