Jackson Booth-Millard
I had seen the poster for this documentary film a number of times, it was obvious what the subject of it was, as a big fan of the artist focused myself I was definitely looking forward to watching, directed by Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland, Life in a Day). Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley was born 6 February 1945, this film depicts the life of the Jamaican singer- songwriter, musician and guitarist, charting his stratospheric rise to fame. The film is made up of archive footage from Marley's various radio and television appearances, including his rare footage and interviews, and of course there are interviews by those who knew him best, friends, family and colleagues. Marley was passionate about music from a young age, but he started with disappointing sales as a solo artist, but then he decided to collaborate with a band called The Wailers, to become Bob Marley and the Wailers, and they achieved international fame. Marley brought to the world attention to Jamaican culture, Reggae music and the Rastafari movement, and the film focuses on his influential music, and his struggle with racial identity and acceptance, and there is mention of his use of cannabis and marijuana. As a member of the Rastafari movement, Marley was dedicated to his religion, believing that God and his family are more important than the success or money he made, in total he had eleven children with seven women, his most famous relationship being with Jamaican Miss World 1976 winner Cindy Breakspeare. Marley's death is also depicted, a cancerous sore had formed on his right toe, it was operated in the past, but the disease had spread to his lungs and brain, and was inoperable, he lost his treasured dreadlocks during chemotherapy, and his pain increased over time, until his tragic death on 11 May 1981, he was aged 36. His greatest and most recognised hits featured or mentioned include "Exodus", "Rough Rider", "High Tide or Low Tide", "Soul Rebel", "One Love / People Get Ready", "It's Alright", "Stir It Up", "No Woman No Cry", "Get Up Stand Up", "Concrete Jungle", "Jamming", "I Shot the Sheriff", "Three Little Birds", "Is This Love" and "Could You Be Loved". Others that could or should have been mentioned are "Buffalo Soldier" and "Sun Is Shining" (vs. Funkstar De Luxe). With contributions from Rita Marley (Bob's widow), Neville "Bunny Wailer" Livingston, David "Ziggy" Marley (Bob's son), Cedella Marley (Bob's mother), singer Jimmy Cliff, Cindy Breakspeare, Lee "Scratch" Perry (music producer), Constance Marley (Bob's half- sister), Chris Blackwell, Judy Mowatt (backing vocalist), Neville Garrick, Marcia Griffiths, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Peter Marley (Bob's second cousin),Junior Marvin, Diane Jobson, Allan "Skill" Cole, Bob Andy, Donald Kinsey, Alvin "Seeco" Patterson, Dr. Carlton "Pee-Wee" Fraser, Evelyn "Dotty" Higgin, Pascaline Bongo Ondimba, Ibis Pitts, Dr. Conroy Cooper, former President of Jamaica Edward Seaga, Lloyd "Bread" McDonald, Hugh Creek "Sledgo" Peart, Carlton "Santa" Davis, Imogene "Aunt Amy" Wallace, Dudley Sibley, Desmond "Desi" Smith and many more. Marley was a reggae superstar, and his music continues to inspire and influence artists, it is interesting to watch, and obviously hearing the popular songs keeps it going, you could argue it is perhaps a little too long, at just over 2 hours 20 minutes, and it is a bit up and and down at times, but overall it's not a bad biographical music documentary. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Documentary Film. Worth watching!
Doha Film
Several years in the making, and utilizing dozens of interviews with key figures, Kevin Macdonald's documentary about the late, great reggae figure represents something of an achievement for the British director of "The Last King of Scotland" and "One Day in September". While Bob Marley's life has been chronicled by biographers before, most notably in Timothy White's book "Catch a Fire" , Macdonald weaves in the political and the personal to present an enthralling archive of Jamaica and the birth of reggae in the early Seventies.The result is an immensely detailed and satisfying chronology of Marley's life, from his humble beginnings in a poor Jamaican town, Saint Ann parish, his relocation to Trenchtown and then the more salubrious neighborhoods of Kingston, to his early and tragic death of cancer in Bavaria in 1981, aged 36. Marley's last few years prove to be the most fascinating here – as he grapples with his universal fame and the violence tearing through Kingston.These days, Marley's career can often be summed up by a poster – the last king of reggae cuts a smiling, dread-locked figure who features widely in teenage bedrooms all over the world. The musician in "Marley", however, is a more complicated figure. Born to an elderly white British father, the young singer-songwriter was taunted from an early age for his mixed race heritage. He discovered music as a youngster– and eventually moved to Kingston, where he converted to Rastafarianism to combat his early experience of hatred."Marley" is most watchable when explaining the birth of reggae – and the surviving members of The Wailers, his backing group, particularly percussionist Bunny Wailer, carefully recall how some of their best work emerged. One highlight is an interview with notable reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry; now with his hair dyed pink, Perry was a formative figure in the sound of the Wailers.Equally illuminating is Marley's personal life. By the time of his death, he had produced eleven children from seven mothers. His daily life was similarly chaotic; lines of people would queue up at his home in Kingston, looking for handouts. None went away empty handed. Even the tragedy of daily violence in Kingston did not deter him. Marley was shot in a botched assassination attempt in the city, but persevered to give two free concerts in an endeavor to end the bloodshed.All of this, of course, is presented with some truly memorable archive footage. As one might expect, Marley's music looms large throughout, and Macdonald has mined dozens of resources to show the reggae star at work. There is a thrilling concert to commemorate the birth of Zimbabwe (featuring both Robert Mugabe and Prince Charles), as well as tours of Europe and the US. Most stirring, though, are those two concerts in his native Kingston. While his Rastafarianism beliefs no doubt encouraged Marley to spread a message of peace across the world, a solution to the political bloodshed in Kingston was a cause he never abandoned. It is a sequence which demystifies the musician, and the closing credits leave us in no doubt as to how his message continues to resonate today.
p-stepien
A much expected documentary about the iconic legendary Bob Marley, which takes us from his childhood straight to his death from cancer, during which we are teased with tidbits of facts from throughout his life, some of which seem pointless and without really expanding on Marley, the icon, the person.Being fresh from watching the immense work of art and ultimate tribute to Bob Marley which is the vastly superior "The Land of Look Behind" Kevin MacDonald's documentary apparently lacked the heart, being less of a tribute and you could almost feel that this is a laboured project done without much real interest. Strictly biographical it does attempt to pull on emotional threads to get the audience properly attuned, but rarely is this honest. Another point of contention is steering away from the more political aspects of his music (the song "Buffalo Soldiers" isn't even mentioned) and skin-deep portrayal of rastafarianizm and Marley's role in it. An additional issue is the presentation of reggae as something 'discovered' by Bob Marley.That said the movie is entirely watchable and enjoyable for the long runtime of 140 min., mainly due to the music, which goes without saying is brilliant. The best scenes however are during the end credits, when the true meaning of the Marley icon is presented. Nonetheless even then is does not even get anywhere near the accomplishment of the mentioned "Land of Look Behind"
