Marley

Greetings again from the darkness. Kevin Macdonald is one of those rare directors who has had commercial success with both documentary and mainstream films. His Last King of Scotland featured a powerful performance from Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, and in Touching the Void, he chronicled a perilous mountain climbing trip in the Andes. Here, he takes on the fascinating life of musician and humanitarian, Bob Marley.

This extraordinary film features some wonderful never before seen video and still photography, as well as some very insightful interviews from friends, family, bandmates, and others who were present during that time. We see the poverty stricken area of Jamaica where Marley was born to his mother (a local teenager) and his father, a 60-something white man who evidently worked for the forest department.

It's truly fascinating to watch Marley's development as a musician and human being. With little education, he relied on stunning life instincts and rose to be the most important Jamaican figure in a time of intense discourse. His personality was one that brought people together, and his music complimented his beliefs and encouraged a unified country and world. While he survived an assassination attempt, he was unable to beat cancer. His death at the young age of 36, leaves us asking ... what could have been? Watching his Wailers begin by playing for free in small clubs and building to worldwide tours in huge stadiums shows just how much influence he had with his words, music and actions. He was admired globally and revered in Jamaica. So often biographies and documentaries treat their subject as either a saint or villain. Here, we get the descriptions from Marley's own voice, as well as the voices of his wife Rita, his children (including Ziggy), his girlfriends (including Cindy Breakspeare who was Miss World). We learn he had 11 kids with multiple women. We learn he wasn't the warmest father to his kids. We learn he was courageous and insightful, and always willing to listen to both sides of an argument.

For most, being an influential musician would be enough. For Bob Marley, it was just the key to the door ... his vision was for a peaceful world where we could all "get together and feel alright". You will notice I have yet to mention marijuana. Marley's face has become a symbol for Jamaica's key export, and that's a shame ... more need to know what this man was all about.

I was expecting to see the same bits of footage, images, interviews etc. that I've seen before but this doc reveals lots more. We learn how his early formative years as a dual heritage child growing up in rural JA gave him a unique philosophical view in which to form his own ideas of who he was and what his destiny was to be.

The film also has the luxury of 144 mins to illuminate the genius that Bob was. I got to appreciate how influential and messianic he became within his immediate circle, his community and his nation. His ambition, drive and competitiveness were an integral part of his make-up and became central to his mission to preach love, Rastafari and unity. Any resistance to this would be casually side-stepped.

Whilst not a saint his soul crackled with energy and shone bright, perhaps too bright for the physical being that contained it and which sadly gave out at only 36. But the legacy lives on in the music, the voice of a struggling people, and we should listen as well as dance.

Peace, love and blessings.

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"

Marley (2012)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Director Kevin Macdonald epic look at music legend Bob Marley follows him from his early days to his rise in music and eventually his death at the age of 36. Through concert, interview and audio footage, we get to hear from Marley throughout his life and of course there's a lot of attention given to the music but there's also a lot aimed at Marley's lifestyle and his hopes for the future. We also get interviews with his son, daughter, mother, wife as well as countless band members and others who knew him personally. At 142-minutes, this thing certainly packs in a lot of information and I think die-hard Marley fans are going to really love this thing. There's no question that nearly every aspect of his life is covered from his early childhood, to his womanizing and of course the final few months of his life. The film really does an exceptional job at giving you a complete look at the man and it doesn't shy away or try to hide his darker side or moments that aren't as good and fun. The documentary really shows him as a complete human, which is something a lot of these films miss. Those who are just mild fans or are just wanting quick look at how Marley was might find this to be a bit too long but I do feel this was made for die-hard fans who want to know everything. I really enjoyed all of the concert footage that they added because one gets a great idea of what Marley was like on stage. Of course, countless songs are on full display here, which is another major plus. Certain aspects of Marley's life gets additional attention here including the Smile Jamaica Concert and him getting shot before hand. Also, the final months of Marley's life also gets additional scenes and it's still shocking to see him dying so young.

I am amazed at the amount of information not publicly known about an icon such as Bob Marley. This movie goes into great (and previously unmentioned) detail regarding his life, his family, his music and his untimely death. The interviews with his wife, his girlfriends, his children, band mates, etc. tell much of the story that we never were privy to prior. While it is more than two hours in length, you will soon realize it takes every bit of this and then some to detail the life of someone who unfortunately only lived to the age of 36. There are recoding sessions, interviews with Marley himself and footage of his many tours and concerts. This documentary will convert anyone yet understanding how important Robert Nesta Marley was to world music and world politics. I highly recommend it.