Film Forum

Jamaica, 1972
Directed by Perry Henzell
Starring Jimmy Cliff
Music by Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers, The Maytals
Approx. 109 min.

“In Perry Henzell’s riveting, unforgettable musical drama, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff shines as aspiring singer Ivanhoe Martin, a country boy who comes to Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, with dreams of becoming a superstar. Pushed into dire circumstances by encounters with corrupt police and unscrupulous record producers, Ivanhoe finds notoriety as a swaggering, murderous outlaw. In the history of cinema, few films can lay as strong a claim to helping globally popularize a type of music as Henzell's masterpiece. In close parallel with the global ascent of Bob Marley, THE HARDER THEY COME's sensational soundtrack propelled reggae—then a relatively recent national genre emerging from a lineage of mento folk music, ska, and rocksteady—into the stratosphere.” – Ashley Clark, The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films

AN AMERICAN GENRE FILM ARCHIVE RELEASE

Reviews

“The definitive post-colonial cult movie musical.”
– Melissa Anderson, Village Voice
 
“A proud, forthright indictment of national and personal corruption.”
– Don Druker, Chicago Reader
 
“The reggae soundtrack throbs and crunches and shudders in concert with the raw energy of Henzell’s storytelling and Cliff’s performance, but this doesn’t preclude a shrewdly self-aware debate about representation.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
 
“Timeless and universal... nothing short of amazing.”
– Los Angeles Times
 
“A major cinematic event not to be overlooked.”
– The Hollywood Reporter

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