Jim Marshall was a maverick with a camera, an outsider with attitude, who captured the heights of Rock’n’Roll music and the seismic changes of an era. Marshall’s wild side, combined with a compassionate eye, led him to immortalise some of the most iconic moments of the 60s and 70s. His images of music legends included Miles Davis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Marshall lived life alongside his subjects and was granted second-to-none access. He saw himself as an anthropologist and a journalist, recording the cultural impact of the civil rights movement as well as indelible images of creativity and celebrity: the Beatles’ last live concert, the Monterey Pop Festival, Johnny Cash’s concerts in Folsom and St Quentin prisons, Woodstock, and the infamous image of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar.
Born in Chicago in 1936, Marshall was the child of immigrants, raised by his mother and aunts when his alcoholic father abandoned the family. Despite his career successes his life was always tumultuous. The film weaves together his photographs with historic footage, music and interviews with friends as well as Marshall himself, creating an unvarnished portrait of the man behind the camera.
This outstanding documentary, recently awarded the Grierson Prize for Best Arts or Music Documentary, was directed by Alfred George Bailey with the close involvement of Marshall’s photographic assistant Amelia Davis.
The film’s BAFTA-winning producer, Tatiana Kennedy, will do a Q&A after each screening.