The Harder They Come is a Jamaican
crime filmA crime film, in the most general sense, is a film that involves various aspects crime and the criminal justice system. Stylistically, it can fall under many different genres, most commonly drama, thriller, Mystery film and film noir...
directed by
Perry HenzellPerry Henzell was most famous for being the director of the first Jamaican feature film, The Harder They Come , starring Jimmy Cliff....
.
The film stars
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
singer
Jimmy CliffThe Honourable Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, musician and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
, who plays Ivanhoe Martin, a character based on
RhygingIvanhoe "Rhyging" Martin was a Jamaican outlaw and folk hero who died at age 24 of gunshot wounds sustained during a shootout with police officers on September 9, 1948, in Lime Cay, Jamaica...
, a real-life Jamaican criminal who achieved fame in the 1940s. Other major roles in the film were played by Janet Bartley (
Elsa), Basil Keane (
Preacher), the late Ras Daniel Hartman (
Pedro), Beverly Anderson, who eventually married
Michael ManleyMichael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Michael Manley was a democratic socialist....
who became the Prime Minister of Jamaica (
Upper St.
The Harder They Come is a Jamaican
crime filmA crime film, in the most general sense, is a film that involves various aspects crime and the criminal justice system. Stylistically, it can fall under many different genres, most commonly drama, thriller, Mystery film and film noir...
directed by
Perry HenzellPerry Henzell was most famous for being the director of the first Jamaican feature film, The Harder They Come , starring Jimmy Cliff....
.
The film stars
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
singer
Jimmy CliffThe Honourable Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, musician and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
, who plays Ivanhoe Martin, a character based on
RhygingIvanhoe "Rhyging" Martin was a Jamaican outlaw and folk hero who died at age 24 of gunshot wounds sustained during a shootout with police officers on September 9, 1948, in Lime Cay, Jamaica...
, a real-life Jamaican criminal who achieved fame in the 1940s. Other major roles in the film were played by Janet Bartley (
Elsa), Basil Keane (
Preacher), the late Ras Daniel Hartman (
Pedro), Beverly Anderson, who eventually married
Michael ManleyMichael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Michael Manley was a democratic socialist....
who became the Prime Minister of Jamaica (
Upper St. Andrew Housewife), the late Bob Charlton (
Hilton), Jamaican actor Volair Johnson (
Pushcart Boy), and well known Jamaican comedians Ed 'Bim' Lewis (
Photographer), and Aston 'Bam' Winter (
drunken husband).
The Harder They Come was released in February 1973 in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
by
Roger CormanRoger William Corman , sometimes nicknamed "King of the Bs" for his output of B-movies , is an American producer and director of low-budget movies, some of which have an established critical reputation: his cycle of films derived from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe for example...
's New World Pictures to little attention. It became more popular when it was played to midnight audiences nationwide the following April. The film is referenced in the
ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
songs "
The Guns of Brixton"The Guns of Brixton" is a song by The Clash on their third album, London Calling, released in 1979. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, south London....
" and "Safe European Home". In 2005, it was developed into a stage musical by the
Theatre Royal Stratford EastThe Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
and UK Arts Productions in London. Adapted by Henzell, it opened on 25 March 2006. The
soundtrack to the filmThe Harder They Come is the iconic soundtrack to the film of the same name. Released in 1972, much of the soundtrack was compiled by the film's director and co-writer, Perry Henzell, from his favorite roots reggae classics...
is considered a breakthrough for reggae in the United States.
Plot synopsis
Ivanhoe Martin is a poor Jamaican man in search of a job, before finally getting one as a reggae singer. Upon the verge of a hit record, he discovers the only way he can get a hit record is by signing away the rights. Eventually, Jose (played by
Carl BradshawCarl Bradshaw is a former professional footballer who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Norwich City, Wigan Athletic and Scunthorpe Utd...
), one of the first people he met after he moved to Kingston, offers him an opportunity dealing marijuana. He turns to a life of crime and violence. There are two versions of the film—one with subtitles and one without—and each has a different ending.
In the version of the film without subtitles, the last ten minutes consist of Ivan swimming towards a speeding ship which would take him to safety. However, he can not grab onto the ladder dangled off the side, and he opens his eyes to find himself beached ashore. He sleeps in the shade of a tree then wakes, alerted to the presence of policemen with rifles. He comes out and lowers his revolvers, but the police shoot him many times and the film ends abruptly, cutting to the credits. He is presumed dead.
See also
- The Harder They Come (soundtrack)
The Harder They Come is the iconic soundtrack to the film of the same name. Released in 1972, much of the soundtrack was compiled by the film's director and co-writer, Perry Henzell, from his favorite roots reggae classics...
- Rockers
Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican film by Ted Bafaloukos. Several popular reggae artists star in the movie, including Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger, and Jacob Miller....
- Countryman
Countryman, directed by Dickie Jobson, tells the story of a Jamaican fisherman whose solitude is shattered when he rescues two Americans from the wreckage of a plane crash. The fisherman is hurled into a political plot by the dangerous Colonel Sinclair. Countryman uses his knowledge of the...
- Dancehall Queen
Dancehall Queen is a 1997 independent Jamaican film starring Audrey Reid who plays Marcia, a street vendor struggling to raise two daughters....
- Third World Cop
Third World Cop is a 1999 Jamaican action-crime film starring Paul Campbell, directed by Chris Browne and produced by Chris Blackwell of Island Jamaica Films.- Plot synopsis :...
- Shottas
Shottas is a 2002 Jamaican crime film about two young men who participate in organized crime in Kingston, Jamaica and Miami, Florida. It stars Ky-Mani Marley, Spragga Benz, and Wyclef Jean and was written and directed by Cess Silvera...
- Midnight movies
External links