Marley

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.

Marley is a 2012 Documentary film that tells the story of legendary Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley. The film charts his life from his humble beginnings in a small country village without electricity, through his rise to fame in Jamaica, to his exile in London, subsequent return to his Island of birth and eventual death at the age of just 36.

Before going in to the cinema I wouldn't have classed myself as a Bob Marley fan and although I have a couple of his albums and love his best known songs I knew very little about him. The film gives an honest account of his life and of Marley as a man. The story is told using achieve interviews with Marley himself but mostly through interviews with his friends, family and ex colleagues who are still living. Some of the interviewees are great characters and speak with wisdom. Others are hilarious and most have a fantastic Jamaican Patois which is delightful to listen to. The film also gives some background to Rastafarianism, something else that I knew little about.

The whole film is backed with over sixty Marley and Bob Marley and the Wailers songs which start with the song he first recorded aged sixteen and ends with One Love. This film has one of the greatest soundtracks of any film I've seen. The highlight for me was Marley's triumphant return to Jamaica for the One Love Peace Concert in 1978. After years living in London following an attempt on his life, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed in front of 32,000 people and bought the leaders of Jamaica's warring Political Parties up on stage where he managed to get them to hold hands above their heads in a sign of peace. It was an amazing thing to witness, even in the cinema and its impact was obvious.

The final quarter of the film takes on a deceivingly sadder tone as we reach the final years of Marley's life. After a battle with cancer he died in 1981 in Miami, USA. There were many people crying in the theatre, including my girlfriend after a very sad few moments on screen. The film ends on a positive note though by showing how Marley's music and message is still being used to educate and unite people today.

The film shows Marley to be both a great musician and great man but isn't afraid to look at his less impressive traits. His womanising is mentioned on several occasions, as is his poor parenting. His willingness to do anything to make it is also a constant theme. He was willing to change his style as well as drop his friends in order to become better known or appreciated and the film doesn't shy away from letting this be known. A thread I'd like to have seen explored further was his lack of success with black audiences outside of Jamaica. It was hinted at several times but is an interesting area which could have been looked at further.

Marley is a fantastic biopic documentary which sheds light on one of the world's best loved musicians. It isn't afraid to show both his good and bad sides and does a good job of illustrating his life from start to finish. It is accompanied by a soundtrack that head my head bobbing and feet tapping throughout and made me want to go out and further explore his back catalogue as well as his message of One Love.

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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.