I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It is a must watch for those who lived through the Marley years and young people who love reggae and want to understand the life of the man who popularised it.
His message, delivered in simple and catchy lines, was always upbeat, and his rhythmic reggae style did not only provide a pleasurable tempo to the lyrics; it sounded also like a call to action. His enduring appeal can be linked to his ability to combine good lyrics and sweet melodies that drive home his political message. Indeed, for most of us, it was the melody and rhythm that first caught our attention before the lyrics, which we found perfectly rhymed with our political beliefs and activism.
Recently at Balexert in Geneva, we watched Bob Marley: One Love -- a musical film about Marley's life. It is a compelling and enjoyable film that will leave you asking for more. I was transfixed by the music and fictionalised real events, as well as the cinematography and acting. I also enjoyed Jamaica's marvellous landscape of green rolling hills, which reminded me of my visit there in 1989, and the liberal use of patois in the conversations. Our favourite was Yeah-man, pronounced with a sweet and melodic Jamaican accent.
The film's plot revolves around Marley's participation in a peace concert to heal the violent conflict that gripped the island state in the late 1970s. Even though two days before the concert, he, his wife, and some members of his band suffered gunshot wounds that almost killed his wife, Marley persevered and agreed to perform at the concert. The opposition Jamaica Labour Party and CIA were suspected, in published accounts, of hiring assailants to carry out the shooting. In the film, the doctor who treated Marley's wife, Rita, reported that her dreadlocks prevented one of the bullets from entering her brain, which would have been fatal.
During the packed and ecstatic concert, Marley brought the two main antagonists, the Prime Minister, Michael Manley, and the opposition leader, Edward Seaga, to the stage, held their hands aloft, and got them to commit to "One Love" -- one of the greatest songs of the 20th century. It was as if he crafted the following lines in the song for that historic occasion:
'There is one question I'd really love to ask (One heart)/
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner/
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs/
One love, one heart/
Let's get together and feel alright.'
The film skilfully weaves a number of stories about Marley's life with the "One Love" theme -- such as his boyhood; his fractured relationship with his white father who abandoned him; his great partnership with his wife, Rita; his Rastafarian beliefs and commitment to Africa; his global stardom and performances around the world; the effortless way he and his band, the Wailers, composed their songs; his complicated relationship with his money-chasing and soulless music producers; the devastating news of his toe skin cancer that cut short his life; and his unwavering commitment to social justice.
Marley did not want his wife and kids to be killed, while his enemies tried to eliminate him. He sent them to live with his mother in the US and travelled to the UK with his band to promote his music globally. He became the toast of Europe's high society, attending glamorous cocktails and pushing his music to new heights. This annoyed Rita, who wanted to return to Jamaica to pursue her career and look after their children. She confronted -- even slapped -- him for living what she believed was a new life that deviated from their beliefs.
Marley also had a series of disagreements with his record producers, who were simply after his money and not the message that he tried to push. They opposed the cover for the EXODUS album, which had a plain background with the word 'Exodus' crafted in the Amharic fidäl writing system to convey a strong bonding with Africa and Rastafarian beliefs. The producers believed that young people would not like the cover, and that they, as producers, were in the music business to make money. Marley stood his ground. That album turned out to be his greatest -- voted by Time magazine as the best album of the 20th century. This was how the magazine described it:
'Every song is a classic, from the messages of love to the anthems of revolution. But more than that, the album is a political and cultural nexus, drawing inspiration from the Third World and then giving voice to it the world over.'
This is one of the rare films I've watched that reminds me of aspects of my life as an idealistic young man yearning for a world that we hoped would be better than what we have today. Marley was a music genius and an icon of the youth. His protest songs must rate among the best in the world in terms of lyrics, sound, melody and delivery.
Marley also clashed with his producers over the places he should perform in promoting his music. The producers felt Marley should focus only on Europe and the US, which had tons of money, and not bother with Africa, which, they argued, lacks infrastructure. Marley was adamant. He retorted that he and his movement would build Africa's infrastructure and perform there. He violently attacked his manager when he learnt that he had misused the money for the Africa project. However, he was able to perform in Zimbabwe before his untimely death at the age of 36.
This is one of the rare films I've watched that reminds me of aspects of my life as an idealistic young man yearning for a world that we hoped would be better than what we have today. Marley was a music genius and an icon of the youth. His protest songs must rate among the best in the world in terms of lyrics, sound, melody and delivery.
They addressed three issues that radicalised us as students in the 1970s: anti-imperialism (which he referred to as the fight against Babylon), the class struggle (or the fight for the working class or commoner), and anti-racism. It was refreshing to have a musician like him who sang about the burning issues of the day and felt the pulse of young people yearning for change.
Marley was no Michael Jackson on the stage, but we loved and copied his trademark jerky style of dancing, which looked like he was drunk. It was impossible to dance to a Marley song without imitating his steps. It was simply cool, enjoyable, and seen as the right thing to do.
His message, delivered in simple and catchy lines, was always upbeat, and his rhythmic reggae style did not only provide a pleasurable tempo to the lyrics; it sounded also like a call to action. His enduring appeal can be linked to his ability to combine good lyrics and sweet melodies that drive home his political message. Indeed, for most of us, it was the melody and rhythm that first caught our attention before the lyrics, which we found perfectly rhymed with our political beliefs and activism.
The film producers did a great job in weaving each song into different episodes in Marley's life. Listening to the songs in a cinema setting was irresistible. We were the last people to leave the hall as the songs continued to blare out of the powerful sound system long after the film had ended. It was refreshing to hear these famous Marley lines from Kingsley Ben-Adir, who acted Marley: "the music is the message; the two are inseparable."
The following songs were almost like anthems that stimulated our quest for social and transformative change: "Get Up, Stand Up" (stand up for your rights; don't give up the fight), "War", "Redemption Song", "Exodus", "Zimbabwe", "Buffalo Soldier", "Revolution", "The Heathen", "Natural Mystic", "One Drop", "Babylon System", "Guiltiness", "So Much Things To Say", "Jamming", "Zion Train", "I Shot the Sheriff", "Crisis", and "Slave Driver." I get goose bumps anytime I listen to these songs.
But Marley did not only sing about imperialism, racism and social justice. His love songs were equally captivating and extraordinary, as anyone who has listened to classics such as "Three Little Birds", "Waiting in Vain", "Stir it Up", "Turn your Lights Down Low", "Is this Love", and "Could You be Loved" would testify.
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The film producers did a great job in weaving each song into different episodes in Marley's life. Listening to the songs in a cinema setting was irresistible. We were the last people to leave the hall as the songs continued to blare out of the powerful sound system long after the film had ended. It was refreshing to hear these famous Marley lines from Kingsley Ben-Adir, who acted Marley: "the music is the message; the two are inseparable."
There are, however, a few issues that I believe should have been done better in the film. The first is the peace concert. I was expecting a fictionalised concert, with the film actor, rather than Marley, holding the hands of the protagonists (also fictionalised) and getting them to commit to One Love. This would have blended well with the rest of the film and created an epic ending. The producers opted instead for clips of the original concert with the real Marley holding the hands of Michael Manley and Edward Seaga. It was great to see the real Bob Marley in the film, but I don't think the technique worked very well.
I also think the producers should have included a scene in which Marley achieved his ambition of performing in Africa. The failure to show his performance in Zimbabwe, which was only mentioned as a subtext that many people may not even read, is a serious flaw. Marley loved Africa, and his hit single "Zimbabwe" was very popular on the continent, especially among progressive forces. Indeed, the film failed to provide enough scenes on political struggles around the world to match Marley's rich collection of protest songs that went beyond Jamaican politics.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It is a must watch for those who lived through the Marley years and young people who love reggae and want to understand the life of the man who popularised it. Kingsley Ben-Adir, who acted Marley, and Lashana Lynch, who played the role of Rita, did an admirable job in keeping us engaged and excited. It is a film that I would love to watch multiple times -- perhaps because it speaks to many things that shaped our lives.
Yusuf Bangura writes from Nyon, Switzerland. Email: Bangura.ym@gmail.com
