The Harder They Come (1972)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Perry Henzell

Writers:

Perry Henzell (written by) &
Trevor D. Rhone (written by)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Tagline:

dem a loot, dem a shoot, dem a wail in shanty town (British DVD tag-line)

Plot:

Ivanhoe Martin comes to the city to make it big singing Reggae. However, he finds life in the city to be harder than he thought...

Plot Keywords:

Record | Reggae | Marijuana | Police | Jamaica

Cast

Jimmy Cliff	...	Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin
Janet Bartley	...	Elsa
Carl Bradshaw	...	Jose
Ras Daniel Hartman	...	Pedro
Basil Keane	...	Preacher
Bob Charlton	...	Hilton
Winston Stona	...	Detective Ray Jones
Lucia White	...	Mother
Volair Johnson	...	Pushcart Boy
Beverly Anderson	...	Housewife
Clover Lewis	...	Market Woman
Elijah Chambers	...	Longa
Prince Buster	...	DJ at Dance
Ed 'Bim' Lewis	...	Photographer
Bobby Loban	...	Fitz

Also Known As:

Hard Road to Travel (Jamaica: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:120 min | Finland:103 min (TV)

Country:

Jamaica

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

International Films Inc.

Trivia:

The movie is in English, but the actors have such strong Jamaican accents that there are subtitles in English for much of the movie on the original theatrical print.

Quotes:

Ivan Martin: [title song] and the oppressors are trying to keep me down /T rying to drive me underground / And they think that they have got the battle won / I say, "Forgive them, Lord, they know not what they've done," / For as sure as the Sun will shine / I'm going to get my share now, what's mine and the harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: The Harder They Come (#1.51)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Shanty Town

A deep film about poverty, ambition, ego, and community

Though the low budget of this film is obvious, it is an amazing story, nonetheless so because it's based on a true one! It's also sometimes quite beautifully filmed.

What seems like it will be a simple country-boy-makes-good-in-the-city fairytale turns into a darker story of ego, searing poverty, class warfare, and a lust for fame. At first we're drawn to the Ivan, then gradually repulsed.

The compelling plot is built on a fantastic set of characters that weave a chillingly accurate portrayal of Jamaica in the late 60's -- a tapestry of desperately poor but infinitely resilient people.

To those IMDb reviewers who thought the story immoral - would you say the same thing about Bonnie & Clyde, Scarface, or Cagney's Public Enemy? This movie examines the effect of despair, desperation, and ambition. It's not a fairytale -- grow up.