The Harder They Come
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director-producer Perry Henzel’s all-Jamaican 1973 classic The Harder They Come–one of the most beloved of all international cult favourites–fiercely expresses the live-wire Jamaican spirit when an impoverished Africa tuned to American radio. Ivan, a country boy who dreams of fame as a singer, rides into Kingston on a rickety country bus in the opening scenes, only to meet with disaster heaped on disaster at the hands of those masked as friends. In a breathless defining climax, Ivan finally breaks from his passivity and begins to wreak his revenge. Soon Kingston’s music Mafia and the equally corrupt authorities are after him, but like the real-life people’s hero (a man named Rhygin) on whom this character is partially based, Ivan leads them on a maddening chase eluding capture until the movie’s shocking final moments. ,p.
The film incorporates an archetypal passion for “outlaw” justice common to American Westerns, which were a staple of the Caribbean theatre circuit at the time. Released just 12 years after Jamaica achieved independence, The Harder They Come also reflects the disenchantment that soon followed a massive post-independence exodus from the island’s country hamlets to the tropical ghettos of Kingston, where a more grinding urban poverty awaited. Brilliantly shot, directed, written, and acted; singer Jimmy Cliff excels in the leading role and Carl Bradshaw shines as his arch-enemy, the film tells an anthemic Jamaican story to seductive rhythms of a soundtrack that became a reggae bestseller.–Elena Oumano
This bleak tale set in Jamaica grabs hold of you and does not let go.
The story is of a young man Ivan, based loosely on a real life newspaper story of the time, who comes from the country looking for work in the city. He finds only rejection and dishonesty, and is lured to a life of crime through having no other options. The oppression of poverty and corruption of the city oppresses him (and us the viewer) until he snaps, and embarks on a violent revenge to get what he feels he deserves. In the end, all he gets is a defining moment of violence in the final moments of the film. Westerns were popular in Jamaica at the time, and this is reflected in the moments of the Django movie we see Ivan watch with his friends, one of the few moments of pleasure we see him have. That movie moment is echoed effectively in the final scenes in helping us realise Ivans detachment from reality at that point.
The camerawork and locations are simultaeously obviously low budget and yet often brilliant. The hand held camerawork combines with some often excellent cinematographic eye for creating a canvas, portraying a real and vivid Jamaica that you don’t see in the travel brochures. The locations were largely what they could use for little cost, and yet every one effective in adding to the tale and the background colour, often making this feel like a documentary of life in Jamaica.
The realism is helped immensely by the cast, most of whom you get the feeling are potraying real vignettes from their lifes and situations they can relate to. Jimmy Cliff is raw and full of the youthful energy his character is supposed to have.
The music is one of the defining characterisitics of the picture, and even not being a reggae fan, the music and the way in which the scenes are shot long before music videos existed take hold of you and don’t let you be tempted to push the fast forward button.
Admittedly the film is dated, and the transfer to film is without any restoration and so appears washed out and full of scratches and marks – but somehow this just adds to the feeling of poverty and once you get past it, does not detract from the enjoyment of the movie.
Rent this not for a blaxpoitation movie or easy viewing, but for a defining moment in 70’s cinema, in Jimmy Cliffs career, and in reggae music.
Rating: 4 / 5
Whilst Christopher may be technically correct (see earlier review), I feel his review is very harsh. In fact I nearly didn’t buy this DVD because of it. Thankfully I did and I’m very pleased with it. As he said the sound quality is excellent and the soundtrack is also supplied on a separate CD. As for the picture quality in my view it is also excellent. It’s certainly far superior to my VHS copy (obviously) and leagues better than my 2001 BMG DVD release. With all the additional features as well I think it’s fair to describe this release as the definitive version of this great film.
I actually contacted the company that released this DVD (Revolver) asking them about Christopher’s comments and they responded with this very helpful reply; “The Harder The Come is fundamentally 4×3 (which is 1,33:1) as that is the way it was shot. However, for Revolver’s release the 4×3 image is in a 16.9 format frame. Because of this, when watching it on your television it will appear with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. Handily enough, this means on a widescreen telly, you can do a “movie expand” and blow it up so that it loses both these bars and appears as 16×9. The only way to make the actual film 16×9 full frame (aka FHA -1,78:1) is to arc it, which is extremely costly and you also risk losing some of the original image. It would not be of any real benefit in this instance because of the way it was shot…plus the same effect can be achieved by using the options available on a widescreen TV.”
As I said I am really pleased with this definitive release of a classic film and I’m confident you will be too.
Rating: 5 / 5
THE LEGENDARY FILM & REVOLUTIONARY SOUNDTRACK – TOGETHER AT LAST!
DIGITALLY REMASTERED – 2 DISC DVD & CD
” * * * * * Only sounds more alive thirty years after its original appearance” – Rolling Stone
The Film
This is the gritty, groundbreaking and truly legendary film that tells the story of Ivan Martin, an aspiring young singer-turned-outlaw, at war with Jamaica’s music industry, the police, and his rivals in the ganja trade.
His dreams of stardom become reality as he rises to the top of the pop charts… and the most wanted list.
Digitally Remastered: This is the ultimate edition of The Harder They Come brought to you from the new High-Definition transfer and with Digitally Remastered sound to give you clarity like never before and a powerful 5.1 Audio option.
The soundtrack
Before the world knew or cared about Bob Marley this was reggae’s defining mix of roots rhythms and social consciousness. For the decade before Marley’s best-of album Legend in 1984, The Harder They Come was nothing less than the world’s best-selling reggae album.
Tracklisting:
1. You Can Get It If You Really Want – Jimmy Cliff
2. Draw Your Breaks – Scotty
3. Rivers of Babylon – The Melodians
4. Many Rivers to Cross – Jimmy Cliff
5. Sweet and Dandy – The Maytals
6. The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff
7. Johnny Too Bad – The Slickers
8. Shanty Town – Desmond Dekker
9. Pressure Drop – The Maytals
10. Sitting in Limbo – Jimmy Cliff
11. You Can Get It If You Really Want – Jimmy Cliff
12. The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff
DVD contains over 3 hours of Extras:
One and All Featurette
Hard Road to Travel Featurette
Wild Side of Paradise Slideshow
Interviews with Jimmy Cliff, Arthur Gorson and director Perry Henzell
The Harder They Come music video
No Place Like Home preview trailer
Rating: 5 / 5
I have to agree with Christopher below – I bought this DVD because it was tagged as an anamorphic release, and Revolver’s excuse as mentioned by reggaedefender sounds pretty weak – many thousands of films have been successfully converted into anamorphic widescreen for DVD release and look all the better for it. The film is an undoubted masterpiece, and the included soundtrack is fabulous, but the DVD is a disappointment. I fiddled around for a fair while until I got an approximate full-screen image on my widescreen tv, but the quality level was noticeably low due to all that wasted bandwidth.
I’d still recommend purchasing it, but buyer beware that this is not a definitive DVD release, just the best currently available.
Rating: 3 / 5
In my opinion this film gives a very brutal and honest picture of just what people are reduced to when faced with poverty, hunger, humiliation and homelessness. Don’t get me wrong, I do not condone or glorify violence. But at the end of the film, I had to ask myself one question. If hunger did not force Ivan to take up with a life of crime and if the big record exec’s did not rob him of his royalties, if things were different would Ivan have met such a tragic end.
Being of Jamaican parentage and having visited this beautiful island on numerous occassions, one can almost understand and sympathise with people who despair of life and take drastic measures.
The Harder they Come succintly portrays what life was like (probably still is like) trying to survive in Kingston, Jamaica. Considering most of the cast were not even actors, they all turned out a fine performance. Truly an entertaining film.
Rating: 5 / 5