A long-lost Reggae classic, which premiered at Cannes but was subsequently suppressed out of fear it would ferment racial tensions. A group of young blacks struggle with discrimination and xenophobia in late-'70s London, bound together by reggae and intent on winning an underground reggae competition.
Only recently rescued and restored, now showing on Criterion channel -- with and without subtitles. I watched with subtitles, though it didn't help much with the Jamaican patois and UK slang throughout. Still, one can deduce what's being discussed easily enough.
Gritty, great soundtrack, and with an incendiary climax. I sense it borders on a masterpiece, though my knowledge of Reggae and Rasta are admittedly deficient. Emotionally powerful in the late going.
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I've heard about this but never seen it. Sounds like you're recommending it? It's been on my list for years but I don't have Criterion.
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Yeah, I was thinking of you, DM, while watching it, thinking you'd really enjoy it. But I hesitated to say that straight out, knowing you have refined tastes within Reggae, and maybe this wouldn't suit you. But I certainly got into it.
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Nah mon, mi luv reggae cinemah. And dis ere one is well thot of.
Was this your first reggae film? There really aren't that many. It's a small genre, but there are a few gems.
I've always thought a reggae zombie film would work.
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I saw Countryman a couple years ago and really enjoyed that. Afterwards I looked up the guy, Countryman, who appears to have been an amazing person, only to learn he had died just months ago.
Both films have almost no female presence, which is a bit disturbing, but I suppose it's more a reflection of the times.
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Countryman is probably the best one, for the nunchuk scene alone. The Harder They Come is also amusing. Those are the big two that are fictional. The rest is mostly documentaries.
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Well, that's embarrassing. I don't remember the nunchuk scene in Countryman. I did find references to it by other fans in a search.
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There's a crappy fight scene on the beach with some ragamuffins and one whips out a nunchuk. It's to Toots & the Maytals 'Bam Bam' which is perfect. I couldn't find an excerpt but the whole film is YouTube and the fight is towards the end (if memory serves).
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Seen!
Luv dat. Dis ere movie criss.
Really enjoyed it. It captured what I imagine the UK reggae scene was like back in the early 80s. I didn't turn on to reggae until the late 80s and that was in Rasta Cruz, so a much different scene. But I've been to Jamaica and it was intense, plus I've travelled across Asia where reggae is strong, so I've seen it manifest in less hospitable environments. I loved the snapshot of the brit ghetto vibe and the soundtrack was solid roots reggae, lover's rock, and blues. It set up a solid atmosphere, very relatable, especially the subway scenes for some weird reason - it remind I&I of many a BART ride, back in the daze.
Glad to have finally seen this. It's truly a classic reggae film.
Seen on Criterion.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
I've been negligent reviewing things lately. Have seen most of the non-documentary Reggae fare on Criterion (and some of the documentaries). One standout I'll mention here, if you haven't seen it, is A Reggae Session. A tight concert film only an hour long with great performances and some surprise appearances.
Yeah, that I&I stuff gets really weird. The patois gets most trippy and dense in Rockers -- featuring the laid-back and deceptively appealing Horsemouth.
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We need a Criterion subforum.
I love patois. It’s so musical and poetic. I understand it well enough and can even speak it a bit but seldom do because it feels a bit like cultural appropriation (which I don’t feel when I speak Spanish). I thought that scene where that white dude gets beat by Beefy after speaking some patois was spot on.
I do tend to sign off emails with ‘until that time’ which I’ve poached from patois. It’s a way of saying ‘see you soon’ but in patois stylee it’s a double entendre. ‘That time’ refers to Armageddon - Rastafarianism focuses on a few books of the Bible: Songs, Psalms, & Revelations. Those are my favorite books too. Like some Christian factions, they look forward to the last judgement believing they are the righteous and will ascend.
Until that time…
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