MIKE'S MURDER (1983)
Directed by James Bridges. Starring Debra Winger.
Joe's first film score, written during the "Night And Day" Tour. Side One of the A&M soundtrack album consists of songs, including "Memphis" which was left over from the "Night And Day" sessions and got a fair amount of airplay. The other songs and the instrumental Side Two were written for the film. Unfortunately the film was drastically re-cut after the music was recorded, and not much of Joe's score made it into the final cut.

SHIJIN NO IE ('The House of the Poet') (1985)
This orchestral score was commissioned by the Daiei Corporation for an IMAX film shown at Science Expo 85, in Tsukuba, Japan. Joe was flown out to Tokyo to supervise the rehearsals and recording with the orchestra. A re-written version of this score appeared on Joe's Instrumental album "Will Power," entitled "Symphony in One Movement".

PRIVATE EYE (1987)
2-hour pilot episode for Michael Mann/Tony Yerkovich TV series.
This series only lasted 6 episodes, but the pilot was released in cinemas and/or on video in certain territories. The score, one of Joe's best, features a big horn section and lots of latin percussion, as well as Joe on piano and Gary Burke on drums.

TUCKER (The Man And His Dream) (1988)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Produced by George Lucas
Starring Jeff Bridges, Martin Landau, Fredric Forrest, Joan Allen
Joe's most 'high-profile' movie project to date. A soundtrack album was released by A&M Records. It was recorded in London using some distinguished British jazz players along with the horns from the "Jumpin' Jive" album and Body and Soul band members Gary Burke, Ed Roynesdal and Vinnie Zummo.

QUEENS LOGIC(1990)
Directed by Steve Rash, produced by Taylor Hackford
Starring Joe Mantegna, Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Jamie Lee Curtis
Not much original music in this one, but if you listen carefully you can hear Joe playing piano and organ, along with the band from the "Big World" album. The soundtrack album consists of old hit songs used in the film - no score.

INTERFILM - I'M YOUR MAN (1992)
Directed by Bob Bejan
This was the first Interactive movie to be shown in a theater. During a limited run in New York, LA and a couple of other cities, cinema seat arm-rests were fitted with three buttons connected to a computer enabling the audience to "vote" on which direction the story would take. Since there were always three alternatives, Joe had to write nearly an hour of music for a 20-minute film. The score was performed entirely by Joe on synthesizers. No soundtrack album.

THREE OF HEARTS (1993)
Directed by Yurek Bogayewicz
Starring Kelly Lynch, Sherilyn Fenn, and William Baldwin
Bisexual romantic comedy for which Joe was called in at the last minute. Despite having just two weeks to write and record the score, it's his favourite, next to "Tucker". It is scored for eight string players, acoustic bass, and percussion, with Joe on piano. No soundtrack album.

THE WHITE CAT (1994)
Narrated by Emma Thompson; illustrated by Barbara McClintock
This is part of the "We All Have Tales" series by Rabbit Ears productions - 'video story-books' for children. Many distinguished actors and musicians have contributed to this series. "The White Cat" is a French folk-tale. The music was written right after the recording of "Night Music" and features a similar blend of electronic and acoustic instruments. Available both as a video and as a storybook with cassette.

IRONBOUND (1995)
Directed by Mitchell Walker; produced by Francis Ford Coppola
(from 1995 press release):

"Ironbound" is one of a series of short films made for VH-1, each based on the music of a particular artist. (Joe is no. 3 after Van Morrison and William Burroughs). All the music is from the album "Night Music." The film represents a creative reunion for Jackson and Coppola, who worked together in 1988 when Joe wrote the score for "Tucker - The Man And His Dream."

"Ironbound" was shot at an ancient wreck of a steel mill in Fontana, California. The narrative revolves around a young boy meeting and gradually befriending a mysterious old man who, like him, is trying to escape from this bizarre industrial environment. The film is largely driven by the music, with little dialog. Writer/director Mitchell Walker describes the film as "a mystical fantasy from a child's point of view." He has created an original, eerily beautiful and visually stunning piece of work which strikingly compliments Joe's atmospheric music.

Francis Coppola said: "Ironbound" successfully uses music and cinema in a way that holds the audience's interest for its duration. I was pleased and impressed to see Joe Jackson's music used as an integral part of this work." Jackson, who was closely involved in the making of the film, commented: "I don't like videos, but I'm very interested in genuine collaborations with film-makers. "Ironbound" isn't my story, but it does pick up on some of the album's themes: aging and mortality, the logic of dreams, and trying to find beauty in an ugly world."

("Ironbound" was shown several times on VH-1, and also on Canadian, German and Italian TV. It was also shown at several film festivals, and won an award at the 1995 New Orleans Film Festival).