The Harder They Come
Nearly 40 years after introducing reggae and Jimmy Cliff to the world, a restored, remastered version of The Harder They Come begins its theatrical re-release at the Downtown Independent on 251 S. Main St. in Los Angeles from May 29 to June 4 (www.thehardertheycome.com and http://www.downtownindependent.com)
This gritty, groundbreaking 1972 classic brought the recently decolonized Jamaica and its native reggae music to the international stage, made Jimmy Cliff a star worldwide, and demonstrated that music and art can change the world.
In addition to “The Harder They Come,” the soundtrack includes such reggae classics as Cliff’s “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Sitting in Limbo,” the Melodians’ “Rivers of Babylon” and Toots and the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop.”
Before his passing in 2006, Henzell ensured that his film would live on physically as well as spiritually. Working with the film’s North American distributor, Xenon Pictures, Henzell helped to oversee Xenon’s painstaking, loving restoration and remastering of the then-crumbling film. That restoration was released on DVD in 2006 by Xenon (www.xenonpictures.com)
Post-production supervisor Scott Nabat (Real Women Have Curves, Maria Full of Grace), who was hired by Xenon Pictures to head the project, took on the job enthusiastically, despite its limited budget. He knew that the respect for the film within the industry would fuel his work and the success of the restoration. Says Nabat, “The Harder They Come has been on my constant play list for twenty years...I knew I could save the day.”
Nabat and renowned post house Westwind Media did just that – aided by the work of Indian-based Prasad Corporation, whose experts hand-cleaned and painted 14,000 frames to literally save the first four minutes of the film from a pernicious mold and mildew problem.
Theater audiences in Los Angeles will get to see the results on the big screen for the first time in decades, beginning Friday May 29. The run will be highlighted by a special appearance and multimedia show Sunday May 31 by Bob Marley expert and reggae archivist Roger Steffens, and a panel on the film’s legacy featuring Steffens and Henzell’s close friend and collaborator Arthur Gorson.
The Harder They Come
Perry Henzell’s Directors Statement
I had a choice when I set out to make THE HARDER THEY COME in 1972 – to make a film for Jamaicans or to make a film for the rest of the world. I chose to make a film for Jamaica.
When no distributor would pick it up, I went to 43 different countries over six years to sell THE HARDER THEY COME. I carried the film cans to theatre owners all over the world, sometimes being paid in kind, sometimes never being paid at all. Many times I was told to forget I had ever made this movie and move on.
Over thirty years later, we have a new digitally remastered 35mm print, a format which didn’t exist when the film was made, a stage musical based on the film broke box office records in London last year and the soundtrack is listed as one of the best soundtracks of all time. Jamaican culture and music continue to excite the imagination of the rest of the world; I think I made the right choice.
Perry Henzell passed away on November 30, 2006 after battling cancer for six years. His family are committed to ensuring that his legacy lives on.
Perry was married to his wife Sally for over forty years. Sally was his art director and Perry said she was the only member of crew he never had to direct or correct!
Perry has two daughters and a son; Toni-Ann, Justine, and Jason and five grandchildren.
The family owns a boutique hotel, JAKE’s – in Treasure Beach
on the south coast of Jamaica. www.islandoutpost.com/
Jake’s was designed by Sally and is run by Jason Henzell.
JAKE’S is home to the only annual literary festival in the Caribbean, The Calabash International Literary Festival www.calabashfestival.org - produced by Justine Henzell
SYNOPSIS
Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff stars as Ivan Martin, an aspiring young singer who leaves his rural village for the capital city of Kingston, Jamaica to make his singer songwriter dreams come true. Robbed his first day in town, Ivan finds work with a self-righteous, bullying Preacher and an unscrupulous music mogul, Hilton, who exploits naive hopefuls while controlling the local music scene.
In desperation the simple country boy takes a job running ganja. He soon becomes an outlaw, at war with both the police and his rivals in the ganja trade. But Ivan’s dream of stardom soon becomes a reality as he rises to the top of the pop charts and the most-wanted lists. Too proud to back down and too dangerous to the ganja, government and music powers, Ivan would rather die than give up his dream.
CONTACT:
INTERNATIONAL FILMS MANAGEMENT
ATTN: Justine Henzell
2a Bamboo Avenue
Kingston 10, Jamaica
#876-382-6777
oz@cwjamaica.com
www.thehardertheycome.com
or
Andrew D. Herz, IFM’s Counsel and Producing Partner
370 Rutland Road
Brooklyn, NY 11225
917 803 5717
buzzsawfilms@
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
