Set in shantytown, Jamaica a drama about an aspiring singer, desperate for fame who, disillusioned by corruption in the entertainment business, becomes involved in the ganga trade; his life spirals as a result. Read more
| Starring | Jimmy Cliff |
|---|---|
| Director | Perry Henzell |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
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Set in shantytown, Jamaica a drama about an aspiring singer, desperate for fame who, disillusioned by corruption in the entertainment business, becomes involved in the ganga trade; his life spirals as a result.
| Starring | Jimmy Cliff |
|---|---|
| Director | Perry Henzell |
| Studio | REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 28 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 10 Sep 2001 Production year: 1972 |
| Format | DVD |
Jamaica's first indigenous feature became something of a cult hit and made a huge star of Jimmy Cliff, whose own experiences, to a degree, inform the plot of this crime drama. After a hard-hitting opening, however — in which keenly observed documentary detail captures both the exotic and ugly sides of Kingston — this reggae reworking of the old rags-to-riches story disappointingly descends into banal blaxploitation. The struggle to make it in the music business is convincingly depicted, but director Perry Henzell loses his way when Cliff resorts to cop killing to boost his record sales. Whatever the film's shortcomings, though, the music is superb.
Lively, tough drama of drugs and corruption in which the action is matched by the vigour of the music, which did much to give reggae an international appeal.
As well as being a fascinating social documentary, this film gives a good idea of how the recording industry worked in Jamaica at the time.
The film starts with Ivan coming to Kingston, but I would recommend reading the first few chapters of the book before watching the film as they tell of Ivan's childhood and early life in the countryside of JA.
a film that was painfully boring
Simon and Garfunkel's music to the film The Graduate has been named the top soundtrack in movie history. The soundtrack for Mike Nichols' (Closer, Catch 22) film, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, included the songs Mrs Robinson, The Sound Of Silence and Scarborough Fair. Readers of Giant magazine gave second place to the 1984 film Purple Rain that featured Prince's musical and acting talents. Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, with tracks by Al Green and Dusty Springfield, took... Read more
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