The Harder They Come

1h 45m 1972

Brief Synopsis

An aspiring Reggae singer gets mixed up with big-city drug dealers.

Cast & Crew

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Perry Henzell

Basil Keane

Carl Bradshaw

Janet Bartley

Beverly Anderson

Ras Daniel Hartman

Photos & Videos

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Harder They Come, The (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Bus Crash

Harder They Come, The (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Sweet And Dandy

Harder They Come, The (9172) -- (Movie Clip) Title Song, Recording

Harder They Come, The -- (Movie Clip) Pressure Drop

Film Details

Also Known As

Harder They Come

MPAA Rating

Genre

Crime

Drama

Music

Release Date

1972

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 45m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Metrocolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.66 : 1

Synopsis

Set in shantytown, Jamaica a drama about an aspiring singer, desperate for fame who, disillusioned by corruption in the entertainment business, becomes involved in the ganga trade; his life spirals as a result.

Director

Perry Henzell

Cast

Basil Keane

Carl Bradshaw

Janet Bartley

Beverly Anderson

Ras Daniel Hartman

Jimmy Cliff

Volair Johnson

Bobby Charlton

Lucia White

Winston Stona

Crew

Seicland Anderson

Perry Henzell

Perry Henzell

Sally Henzell

Peter Jessop

Cinematographer

David Mcdonald

Director Of Photography

Trevor Rhone

John Victor Smith

Franklyn St Juste

Cinematographer

Richard White

Photo Collections

Videos

Harder They Come, The (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Bus Crash Ivan (Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican-born and raised but by this time a successful UK-based recording artist) is introduced on a bus ride into Kingston in director Perry Henzell's ambitious opening to The Harder They Come, 1972, with Cliff's hit "You Can Get It If You Really Want" as background.

Harder They Come, The -- (Movie Clip) Pressure Drop Turncoat Jose (Carl Bradshaw) is pursuing his former friend, our hero, Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) through the slums of Kingston, with Toots and the Maytals' "Pressure Drop" in the background in The Harder They Come, 1972.

Harder They Come, The (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Don't Joke With Your Life Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) races from crime to punishment after he attempts to collect a bicycle in a brutal sequence on Jamaican justice, from director Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come, 1972.

Harder They Come, The (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Sweet And Dandy Country boy Ivan (Jimmy Cliff), taking work in Kingston as a delivery man, happens in on Toots and the Maytals' recording of "Sweet and Dandy," and schedules his own date with producer Hylton (Bobby Charlton) in The Harder They Come, 1972.

Harder They Come, The (9172) -- (Movie Clip) Title Song, Recording Inspired after being unjustly tortured by crooked Jamaican authorities, Jimmy Cliff as hero Ivan appears in this famous scene depicting the recording of the title song, Cliff's own composition, in what became in effect a worldwide hit music video, from The Harder They Come, 1972.

Film Details

Also Known As

Harder They Come

MPAA Rating

Genre

Crime

Drama

Music

Release Date

1972

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 45m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Metrocolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.66 : 1

Articles

The Gist (The Harder They Come) - THE GIST

August 20, 2008

The ultimate irony of The Harder They Come (1973) would not have been lost on its doomed protagonist, Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin. The film, a rags-to-not-quite-riches story of a Jamaican countryboy who travels to Kingston to become a hit recording artist and winds up a tragic Trenchtown martyr, was a vehicle tailored for singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, but the production (Jamaica's first film) made a bigger star out of his countryman Bob Marley... who wasn't even in the movie. Released in 1973, The Harder They Come was a bona fide cult item but its soundtrack (which featured upbeat tunes by the Melodians, Toots and the Maytals and Desmond Dekker alongside four songs by Cliff) was an international smash that sold the world on reggae as a going mainstream concern. Although Bob Marley was a national hero to Jamaicans in 1973, he had yet to make the international crossover; sales from and interest in the soundtrack to The Harder They Come helped put Bob Marley and The Wailers over the top around the same time that they were signed by Island Records and recorded their breakout album Catch a Fire. However Marley may have been elevated above him to the rank of No. 1 Jamaican, Jimmy Cliff didn't fare badly at all in the wake of The Harder They Come's release. He toured the world over the next several years, converted to Islam, then unconverted, and went on to enjoy considerable success as a recording artist and to act in other movies, if never again as indelibly as reggae rebel Ivanhoe Martin.

While The Harder They Come marked a major milestone for Jamaican culture, the film (apart from its soundtrack) was a slower sell for the rest of the world. Director Perry Henzell had to stand outside of London tube stops handing out flyers during a bitter English winter to publicize the film's British release; even more reluctant was Italy, where reggae at the time had no substantial following. (Henzell ultimately sold The Harder They Come there in 1979.) In America, Henzell got the film into the Los Angeles Film Festival and personally peddled his canisters from studio to studio with no takers until Roger Corman stepped in with an offer from his New World Films. (A counter offer came from, of all people, novelist Harold Robbins.) The Harder They Come got an American theatrical release in February 1973 but attracted little attention despite some strong reviews, particularly from The New York Times. The feature caught fire on the college and repertory film circuit that spring and enjoyed record-breaking runs at the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts (over seven years) and revival cinemas in New York City and Washington, D.C. Film critic Danny Peary wrote extensively about The Harder They Come in his first volume of Cult Films in 1981 and the feature was also discussed at length in the 1983 book Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Harder They Come is referenced in two songs by The Clash. Talks of sequels and remakes went on for years to no effect but the story was retold as a stage musical in England in 2005.

Acquired for American distribution by New World Pictures around the same time as The Harder They Come was the Shaw Brothers film Seven Blows of the Dragon (Shui hu zhuan, 1972). While the two titles may seem at first glance to be unlikely bedmates, "chop sockey" films and spaghetti westerns were popular fare in the slums of West Kingston, where movie underdogs who rose up against the forces of corruption and oppression with their hands balled into fists or wrapped around the handles of revolvers became heroes on an almost mythic scale. Western critics (among them Roger Ebert) who decried The Harder They Come's second act segue into criminality (seen as a condescension to the violent tropes of "Blaxploitation") seemed ignorant of the realities of slum life and the ganja trade in Jamaica (then and now an exotic tourist drop for the affluent) and blind to the unabashedly honest fatalism of Perry Henzell and writing partner Trevor D. Rhone.

Has any movie rebel ever been more poorly repaid for his services than Ivanhoe Martin, whose "rise" amounts to little more than a joy ride in a stolen Cadillac before he falls under a hail of police bullets (while mouthing off a come-on to the cops that sounds like a pencil sketch for Al Pacino's classic "Say goodnight to the bad man" speech in Brian De Palma's Scarface [1983] remake). The education of Ivanhoe Martin takes him from being unwanted and underutilized by Jamaican society to being a literal wanted man, a commodity as hotly desired as the music from which he hoped to profit and the ganja he resorted to selling. A local hero for as long as the locals could afford him, Ivan is ultimately betrayed, sold out for the price of a measure of normalcy to Trench Town life by an impoverished populace who can only afford so much revolution.

Producers: Perry Henzell, Chris Blackwell
Director: Perry Henzell
Screenplay: Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone
Cinematography: Peter Jessop, David McDonald, Franklyn St. Juste
Film Editing: Seicland Anderson, John Victor-Smith, Richard White Art Direction: Sally Henzell
Music: Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers
Cast: Jimmy Cliff (Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin), Janet Bartley (Elsa), Carl Bradshaw (Jose), Ras Daniel Hartman (Pedro), Basil Keane (Preacher), Bob Charlton (Hilton), Winston Stona (Det. Ray Jones), Lucia White (Mother), Volair Johnson (Pushcart Boy), Beverly Anderson (Housewife), Clover Lewis (Market Woman), Elijah Chambers (Longa), Ed "Bim" Lewis (Photographer), Aston "Bam" Winter (Drunk).
C-103m.

by Richard Harland Smith

The Gist (The Harder They Come) - The Gist

The Gist (The Harder They Come) - THE GIST

The ultimate irony of The Harder They Come (1973) would not have been lost on its doomed protagonist, Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin. The film, a rags-to-not-quite-riches story of a Jamaican countryboy who travels to Kingston to become a hit recording artist and winds up a tragic Trenchtown martyr, was a vehicle tailored for singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, but the production (Jamaica's first film) made a bigger star out of his countryman Bob Marley... who wasn't even in the movie. Released in 1973, The Harder They Come was a bona fide cult item but its soundtrack (which featured upbeat tunes by the Melodians, Toots and the Maytals and Desmond Dekker alongside four songs by Cliff) was an international smash that sold the world on reggae as a going mainstream concern. Although Bob Marley was a national hero to Jamaicans in 1973, he had yet to make the international crossover; sales from and interest in the soundtrack to The Harder They Come helped put Bob Marley and The Wailers over the top around the same time that they were signed by Island Records and recorded their breakout album Catch a Fire. However Marley may have been elevated above him to the rank of No. 1 Jamaican, Jimmy Cliff didn't fare badly at all in the wake of The Harder They Come's release. He toured the world over the next several years, converted to Islam, then unconverted, and went on to enjoy considerable success as a recording artist and to act in other movies, if never again as indelibly as reggae rebel Ivanhoe Martin. While The Harder They Come marked a major milestone for Jamaican culture, the film (apart from its soundtrack) was a slower sell for the rest of the world. Director Perry Henzell had to stand outside of London tube stops handing out flyers during a bitter English winter to publicize the film's British release; even more reluctant was Italy, where reggae at the time had no substantial following. (Henzell ultimately sold The Harder They Come there in 1979.) In America, Henzell got the film into the Los Angeles Film Festival and personally peddled his canisters from studio to studio with no takers until Roger Corman stepped in with an offer from his New World Films. (A counter offer came from, of all people, novelist Harold Robbins.) The Harder They Come got an American theatrical release in February 1973 but attracted little attention despite some strong reviews, particularly from The New York Times. The feature caught fire on the college and repertory film circuit that spring and enjoyed record-breaking runs at the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts (over seven years) and revival cinemas in New York City and Washington, D.C. Film critic Danny Peary wrote extensively about The Harder They Come in his first volume of Cult Films in 1981 and the feature was also discussed at length in the 1983 book Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Harder They Come is referenced in two songs by The Clash. Talks of sequels and remakes went on for years to no effect but the story was retold as a stage musical in England in 2005. Acquired for American distribution by New World Pictures around the same time as The Harder They Come was the Shaw Brothers film Seven Blows of the Dragon (Shui hu zhuan, 1972). While the two titles may seem at first glance to be unlikely bedmates, "chop sockey" films and spaghetti westerns were popular fare in the slums of West Kingston, where movie underdogs who rose up against the forces of corruption and oppression with their hands balled into fists or wrapped around the handles of revolvers became heroes on an almost mythic scale. Western critics (among them Roger Ebert) who decried The Harder They Come's second act segue into criminality (seen as a condescension to the violent tropes of "Blaxploitation") seemed ignorant of the realities of slum life and the ganja trade in Jamaica (then and now an exotic tourist drop for the affluent) and blind to the unabashedly honest fatalism of Perry Henzell and writing partner Trevor D. Rhone. Has any movie rebel ever been more poorly repaid for his services than Ivanhoe Martin, whose "rise" amounts to little more than a joy ride in a stolen Cadillac before he falls under a hail of police bullets (while mouthing off a come-on to the cops that sounds like a pencil sketch for Al Pacino's classic "Say goodnight to the bad man" speech in Brian De Palma's Scarface [1983] remake). The education of Ivanhoe Martin takes him from being unwanted and underutilized by Jamaican society to being a literal wanted man, a commodity as hotly desired as the music from which he hoped to profit and the ganja he resorted to selling. A local hero for as long as the locals could afford him, Ivan is ultimately betrayed, sold out for the price of a measure of normalcy to Trench Town life by an impoverished populace who can only afford so much revolution. Producers: Perry Henzell, Chris Blackwell Director: Perry Henzell Screenplay: Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone Cinematography: Peter Jessop, David McDonald, Franklyn St. Juste Film Editing: Seicland Anderson, John Victor-Smith, Richard White Art Direction: Sally Henzell Music: Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers Cast: Jimmy Cliff (Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin), Janet Bartley (Elsa), Carl Bradshaw (Jose), Ras Daniel Hartman (Pedro), Basil Keane (Preacher), Bob Charlton (Hilton), Winston Stona (Det. Ray Jones), Lucia White (Mother), Volair Johnson (Pushcart Boy), Beverly Anderson (Housewife), Clover Lewis (Market Woman), Elijah Chambers (Longa), Ed "Bim" Lewis (Photographer), Aston "Bam" Winter (Drunk). C-103m. by Richard Harland Smith

Insider Info (The Harder They Come) - BEHIND THE SCENES

August 20, 2008

Production for The Harder They Come began in 1969 and the film was not finished until 1972.

Jimmy Cliff had been approached originally only to provide songs for the film.

The film's shooting title was You Can Get It If You Really Want.

Perry Henzell cast Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin on the strength of the only two photos he'd seen of the singer the front and back covers of his first record album, in which he looked alternatively defiant and vulnerable.

The film's budget was $200,000.

During this protracted filming schedule, several cast members moved on or died, forcing Henzell to employ doubles and look-alikes.

The film Ivan and Jose see at The Rialto is Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966).

The knife fight between Ivan and Longo was shot in three segments over the course of 18 months with Jimmy Cliff replaced by stand-in Alton Ellis.

The scene in which Ivan is whipped with a tamarind rod is taken from the true story of Vincent "Ivanhoe" Martin.

The short scene in which Elsa cradles Ivan after he has been whipped was shot after the completion of principal photography, in a London editing suite using a double for Jimmy Cliff.

The ship that Ivan swims to late in the film would only remain moored for half an hour, requiring a quick shoot and Jimmy Cliff to do his own swimming.

While the scene was being filmed, the ship's crew threw garbage overboard, which attracted sharks.

Cast as a firebrand preacher in The Harder They Come is Basil Keane, who was really a Kingston dentist.

Robert Charlton, who plays the record producer Hilton, was an insurance salesman.

Beverly Anderson, who plays the affluent housewife Ivan begs work from, later married Michael Manley, Jamaica's fourth Prime Minister.

Ras Daniel Hartman, who plays Pedro in the film, was a well-respected Rastafarian artist.

When The Harder They Come had its premiere in Kingston, the crowds were so huge that star Jimmy Cliff was unable to reach the Carib Theater.

The Harder They Come was nearly remade in 2003 with Mos Def, who abandoned the project to costar in the Bruce Willis thriller 16 Blocks (2006).

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Sources:
Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998
Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001
Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998
Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001
Interview with Perry Henzell by Geoff Parker, www.reggaezine.com
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Graham Brown-Martin, Skywritings, 2003
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Richard Harrington, Washington Post 2004
Through the 20th Century with The Gleaner: History of a Killer by C. Roy Reynolds, The Gleaner December 2000
Perry Henzell/Jimmy Cliff audio commentary, The Harder They Come DVD

Insider Info (The Harder They Come) - BEHIND THE SCENES

Production for The Harder They Come began in 1969 and the film was not finished until 1972. Jimmy Cliff had been approached originally only to provide songs for the film. The film's shooting title was You Can Get It If You Really Want. Perry Henzell cast Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin on the strength of the only two photos he'd seen of the singer the front and back covers of his first record album, in which he looked alternatively defiant and vulnerable. The film's budget was $200,000. During this protracted filming schedule, several cast members moved on or died, forcing Henzell to employ doubles and look-alikes. The film Ivan and Jose see at The Rialto is Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966). The knife fight between Ivan and Longo was shot in three segments over the course of 18 months with Jimmy Cliff replaced by stand-in Alton Ellis. The scene in which Ivan is whipped with a tamarind rod is taken from the true story of Vincent "Ivanhoe" Martin. The short scene in which Elsa cradles Ivan after he has been whipped was shot after the completion of principal photography, in a London editing suite using a double for Jimmy Cliff. The ship that Ivan swims to late in the film would only remain moored for half an hour, requiring a quick shoot and Jimmy Cliff to do his own swimming. While the scene was being filmed, the ship's crew threw garbage overboard, which attracted sharks. Cast as a firebrand preacher in The Harder They Come is Basil Keane, who was really a Kingston dentist. Robert Charlton, who plays the record producer Hilton, was an insurance salesman. Beverly Anderson, who plays the affluent housewife Ivan begs work from, later married Michael Manley, Jamaica's fourth Prime Minister. Ras Daniel Hartman, who plays Pedro in the film, was a well-respected Rastafarian artist. When The Harder They Come had its premiere in Kingston, the crowds were so huge that star Jimmy Cliff was unable to reach the Carib Theater. The Harder They Come was nearly remade in 2003 with Mos Def, who abandoned the project to costar in the Bruce Willis thriller 16 Blocks (2006). Compiled by Richard Harland Smith Sources: Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998 Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001 Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998 Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001 Interview with Perry Henzell by Geoff Parker, www.reggaezine.com Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Graham Brown-Martin, Skywritings, 2003 Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Richard Harrington, Washington Post 2004 Through the 20th Century with The Gleaner: History of a Killer by C. Roy Reynolds, The Gleaner December 2000 Perry Henzell/Jimmy Cliff audio commentary, The Harder They Come DVD

In the Know (The Harder They Come) - TRIVIA

August 20, 2008

Perry Henzell was a white Jamaican born on the sugar estate managed by his father in Port Maria, Jamaica.

After graduating from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Henzell emigrated to the United Kingdom where he found work shifting scenery for BBC-TV.

Henzell was later promoted at the BBC to the position of floor manager for live TV broadcasts.

In 1959, Henzell relocated to Jamaica and founded Vista Productions, which specialized in cinema commercials.

While mixing the music for his ads at Kingston's Federal Records, Henzell heard reggae music for the first time.

The Harder They Come is based on the exploits of Vincent Martin, aka Ivanhoe Martin, aka Rhyging (patois for "angry" but derived from "raging"), a West Kingston burglar and prison escapee who became a folk hero before being gunned down by Jamaican police on September 9, 1948.

Perry Henzell was also influenced in writing The Harder They Come by Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers (1966) and by the work of John Cassavetes.

Jimmy Cliff was born James Chambers on April 1, 1948. Coincidentally, Cliff and the real "Ivanhoe Martin" both grew up in St. Catherine.

Like his character in The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff was a Jamaican "countryboy" whose Christian parents forbid him to listen to popular music.

Cliff realized his love for singing while attending his parents' Pentecostal Church in Somerton, Jamaica.

The future reggae superstar once worked as a newsboy singing the headlines of The Gleaner and Star newspapers.

When his father bought him a battery-powered transistor radio, Cliff was able to hear calypso, Latin music and rock-and-roll from stations in New Orleans, Miami and Cuba.

Cliff came to Jamaica in 1962 with the intention of enrolling in technical school. While engaged in his studies, he entered contests and auditioned tirelessly for work as a singer.

After Cliff performed a song written specifically for Leslie Kong, a Kingston restaurateur and start-up record producer, the pair struck a profitable partnership.

Cliff was only 14 when he recorded his first hit single, "Hurricane Hattie," named for a category 5 storm system that had slammed the Caribbean Sea in 1961.

While appearing at the 1964 World's Fair, Cliff met music producer Chris Blackwell, who convinced him to relocate to London and sign with Island Records.

Chris Blackwell suggested Cliff for the lead role in The Harder They Come and contributed $3,000 to the budget.

Cliff converted from Rastafari to the Muslim faith after the filming of The Harder They Come, although he no longer recognizes any organized religion.

Perry Henzell began filming a follow-up feature to The Harder They Come entitled No Place Like Home, but the project was never completed.

Henzell's subsequent projects were a 1982 novel, Power Game and a 1988 musical based on the life of Marcus Garvey.

In October of 2003, Jimmy Cliff received Jamaica's Order of Merit for his contributions to Jamaican culture.

In 2004, "The Harder They Come" was ranked at 341 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs.

Perry Henzell died of cancer in December 2006.

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Sources:
Perry Henzell obituary by Chris Salewicz, The Independent (London, December 2, 2006
Jimmy Cliff biography, jimmycliff.com
Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White
Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998
Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001
Interview with Perry Henzell by Geoff Parker, www.reggaezine.com
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Graham Brown-Martin, Skywritings, 2003
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Richard Harrington, Washington Post 2004
Through the 20th Century with The Gleaner: History of a Killer by C. Roy Reynolds, The Gleaner December 2000
Perry Henzell/Jimmy Cliff audio commentary, The Harder They Come DVD
Chris Blackwell interview, The Harder They Come DVD

In the Know (The Harder They Come) - TRIVIA

Perry Henzell was a white Jamaican born on the sugar estate managed by his father in Port Maria, Jamaica. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Henzell emigrated to the United Kingdom where he found work shifting scenery for BBC-TV. Henzell was later promoted at the BBC to the position of floor manager for live TV broadcasts. In 1959, Henzell relocated to Jamaica and founded Vista Productions, which specialized in cinema commercials. While mixing the music for his ads at Kingston's Federal Records, Henzell heard reggae music for the first time. The Harder They Come is based on the exploits of Vincent Martin, aka Ivanhoe Martin, aka Rhyging (patois for "angry" but derived from "raging"), a West Kingston burglar and prison escapee who became a folk hero before being gunned down by Jamaican police on September 9, 1948. Perry Henzell was also influenced in writing The Harder They Come by Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers (1966) and by the work of John Cassavetes. Jimmy Cliff was born James Chambers on April 1, 1948. Coincidentally, Cliff and the real "Ivanhoe Martin" both grew up in St. Catherine. Like his character in The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff was a Jamaican "countryboy" whose Christian parents forbid him to listen to popular music. Cliff realized his love for singing while attending his parents' Pentecostal Church in Somerton, Jamaica. The future reggae superstar once worked as a newsboy singing the headlines of The Gleaner and Star newspapers. When his father bought him a battery-powered transistor radio, Cliff was able to hear calypso, Latin music and rock-and-roll from stations in New Orleans, Miami and Cuba. Cliff came to Jamaica in 1962 with the intention of enrolling in technical school. While engaged in his studies, he entered contests and auditioned tirelessly for work as a singer. After Cliff performed a song written specifically for Leslie Kong, a Kingston restaurateur and start-up record producer, the pair struck a profitable partnership. Cliff was only 14 when he recorded his first hit single, "Hurricane Hattie," named for a category 5 storm system that had slammed the Caribbean Sea in 1961. While appearing at the 1964 World's Fair, Cliff met music producer Chris Blackwell, who convinced him to relocate to London and sign with Island Records. Chris Blackwell suggested Cliff for the lead role in The Harder They Come and contributed $3,000 to the budget. Cliff converted from Rastafari to the Muslim faith after the filming of The Harder They Come, although he no longer recognizes any organized religion. Perry Henzell began filming a follow-up feature to The Harder They Come entitled No Place Like Home, but the project was never completed. Henzell's subsequent projects were a 1982 novel, Power Game and a 1988 musical based on the life of Marcus Garvey. In October of 2003, Jimmy Cliff received Jamaica's Order of Merit for his contributions to Jamaican culture. In 2004, "The Harder They Come" was ranked at 341 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs. Perry Henzell died of cancer in December 2006. Compiled by Richard Harland Smith Sources: Perry Henzell obituary by Chris Salewicz, The Independent (London, December 2, 2006 Jimmy Cliff biography, jimmycliff.com Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998 Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001 Interview with Perry Henzell by Geoff Parker, www.reggaezine.com Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Graham Brown-Martin, Skywritings, 2003 Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Richard Harrington, Washington Post 2004 Through the 20th Century with The Gleaner: History of a Killer by C. Roy Reynolds, The Gleaner December 2000 Perry Henzell/Jimmy Cliff audio commentary, The Harder They Come DVD Chris Blackwell interview, The Harder They Come DVD

Yea or Nay (The Harder They Come) - CRITIC REVIEWS OF "THE HARDER THEY COME"

August 20, 2008

The Harder They Come has more guts, wit, humor and sheer exuberance than most movies you'll see in any one year of moviegoing."
- Vincent Canby, The New York Times

"...crude but sensual Jamaican film...The film, directed by Perry Henzell, is feverish and haphazard, but the music redeems much of it, and the rhythmic swing of the Jamaican speech is hypnotic."
- Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies

"...an extraordinary movie. Few others succeed as it does in using the film mode to clarify rather than mystify the workings of oppression... The Harder They Come is a committed and genuinely progressive film of artistic and ideological integrity."
- Julianne Burton, Jump Cut

"...hard-hitting, crudely made, angry left-wing polemic, with a spectacular reggae soundtrack... See the movie-buy the album!"
- Danny Peary Guide for the Film Fanatic

"A cautionary gangster flick, a crude musical and a rags-to-riches yarn rolled into one, The Harder They Come is director Perry Henzell's 1972 vision of emerging Jamaican identity."
- James Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle

"...a midnight movie cult favorite..."
- Michael J. Weldon, The Psychotronic Video Guide

"The largely amateur cast of black performers and their producer-director may be involved in basically simple action fare in The Harder They Come but they also leave a slightly disturbing, documentary impression of the darker side of the sunny Jamaica."
- A. H. Weiler, The New York Times

"As a movie, sadly, it's pretty poor -- a mishmash of urban warfare and Rasta opera... director Perry Henzell spent what money he had on all the wrong things."
- Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

"Famous for its groovy soundtrack, The Harder They Come is certainly no musical. It's an unvarnished snapshot of life in Jamaica... All in all, (it) isn't just a film, it's an experience."
- Mick Sleeper, Images Journal

"The film's tone is righteously angry, but it doesn't go for the easy targets: it views Cliff's image of himself as a hero as ironically as it denounces police violence and missionary-style religion. Along the way, it offers a richly textured picture of Jamaican shanty-town life, composed with a terrific eye for detail."
Time Out London

"The Harder They Come doesn't have an amazing screenplay, but it floats by on the strength of its other qualities. Almost the entire film is handheld, giving it a documentary feel, which in a way, it is."
- Matthew Dessem, The House Next Door

"The movie ends in a sort of Duel in the Sun [1946] showdown that leaves us unsatisfied. Somehow, the opening 45 minutes had prepared us for more. The tender early love scenes, for example, between Cliff and his shy girl friend... don't fit the cynicism of the last hour. The characters aren't consistent, and Cliff eventually becomes so unbelievable that we just stop caring. The movie's ending is an exercise in plot; its beginning and its music deserve better than that."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"...one of the great college town hits of its era."
- Michael Sragow, Salon.com

"The shooting style is rough and real, but the story is complex and the characters, most of whom aren't professional actors, are all well portrayed. As a gangster film, it succeeds admirably, with many brutally violent sequences. The intoxicating reggae soundtrack is infectious, and the film features actual studio performances by Cliff as well as Toots and the Maytals. I was also surprised to see a clip from one of my most recently discovered and now favorite westerns, Django [1966], which plays a pivotal role in the film. Overall a unique and rewarding experience, The Harder They Come is also noteworthy as being the first real portrayal of a Rastafarian on screen, in the form of Ras Daniel Hartman who plays Ivan's friend Pedro."
- Jeff Ulmer, Digitally Obsessed

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Yea or Nay (The Harder They Come) - CRITIC REVIEWS OF "THE HARDER THEY COME"

The Harder They Come has more guts, wit, humor and sheer exuberance than most movies you'll see in any one year of moviegoing." - Vincent Canby, The New York Times "...crude but sensual Jamaican film...The film, directed by Perry Henzell, is feverish and haphazard, but the music redeems much of it, and the rhythmic swing of the Jamaican speech is hypnotic." - Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies "...an extraordinary movie. Few others succeed as it does in using the film mode to clarify rather than mystify the workings of oppression... The Harder They Come is a committed and genuinely progressive film of artistic and ideological integrity." - Julianne Burton, Jump Cut "...hard-hitting, crudely made, angry left-wing polemic, with a spectacular reggae soundtrack... See the movie-buy the album!" - Danny Peary Guide for the Film Fanatic "A cautionary gangster flick, a crude musical and a rags-to-riches yarn rolled into one, The Harder They Come is director Perry Henzell's 1972 vision of emerging Jamaican identity." - James Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle "...a midnight movie cult favorite..." - Michael J. Weldon, The Psychotronic Video Guide "The largely amateur cast of black performers and their producer-director may be involved in basically simple action fare in The Harder They Come but they also leave a slightly disturbing, documentary impression of the darker side of the sunny Jamaica." - A. H. Weiler, The New York Times "As a movie, sadly, it's pretty poor -- a mishmash of urban warfare and Rasta opera... director Perry Henzell spent what money he had on all the wrong things." - Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com "Famous for its groovy soundtrack, The Harder They Come is certainly no musical. It's an unvarnished snapshot of life in Jamaica... All in all, (it) isn't just a film, it's an experience." - Mick Sleeper, Images Journal "The film's tone is righteously angry, but it doesn't go for the easy targets: it views Cliff's image of himself as a hero as ironically as it denounces police violence and missionary-style religion. Along the way, it offers a richly textured picture of Jamaican shanty-town life, composed with a terrific eye for detail." Time Out London "The Harder They Come doesn't have an amazing screenplay, but it floats by on the strength of its other qualities. Almost the entire film is handheld, giving it a documentary feel, which in a way, it is." - Matthew Dessem, The House Next Door "The movie ends in a sort of Duel in the Sun [1946] showdown that leaves us unsatisfied. Somehow, the opening 45 minutes had prepared us for more. The tender early love scenes, for example, between Cliff and his shy girl friend... don't fit the cynicism of the last hour. The characters aren't consistent, and Cliff eventually becomes so unbelievable that we just stop caring. The movie's ending is an exercise in plot; its beginning and its music deserve better than that." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times "...one of the great college town hits of its era." - Michael Sragow, Salon.com "The shooting style is rough and real, but the story is complex and the characters, most of whom aren't professional actors, are all well portrayed. As a gangster film, it succeeds admirably, with many brutally violent sequences. The intoxicating reggae soundtrack is infectious, and the film features actual studio performances by Cliff as well as Toots and the Maytals. I was also surprised to see a clip from one of my most recently discovered and now favorite westerns, Django [1966], which plays a pivotal role in the film. Overall a unique and rewarding experience, The Harder They Come is also noteworthy as being the first real portrayal of a Rastafarian on screen, in the form of Ras Daniel Hartman who plays Ivan's friend Pedro." - Jeff Ulmer, Digitally Obsessed Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

The Harder They Come

November 19, 2019

The ultimate irony of The Harder They Come (1973) would not have been lost on its doomed protagonist, Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin. The film, a rags-to-not-quite-riches story of a Jamaican countryboy who travels to Kingston to become a hit recording artist and winds up a tragic Trenchtown martyr, was a vehicle tailored for singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, but the production (Jamaica's first film) made a bigger star out of his countryman Bob Marley... who wasn't even in the movie. Released in 1973, The Harder They Come was a bona fide cult item but its soundtrack (which featured upbeat tunes by the Melodians, Toots and the Maytals and Desmond Dekker alongside four songs by Cliff) was an international smash that sold the world on reggae as a going mainstream concern. Although Bob Marley was a national hero to Jamaicans in 1973, he had yet to make the international crossover; sales from and interest in the soundtrack to The Harder They Come helped put Bob Marley and The Wailers over the top around the same time that they were signed by Island Records and recorded their breakout album Catch a Fire. However Marley may have been elevated above him to the rank of No. 1 Jamaican, Jimmy Cliff didn't fare badly at all in the wake of The Harder They Come's release. He toured the world over the next several years, converted to Islam, then unconverted, and went on to enjoy considerable success as a recording artist and to act in other movies, if never again as indelibly as reggae rebel Ivanhoe Martin.

While The Harder They Come marked a major milestone for Jamaican culture, the film (apart from its soundtrack) was a slower sell for the rest of the world. Director Perry Henzell had to stand outside of London tube stops handing out flyers during a bitter English winter to publicize the film's British release; even more reluctant was Italy, where reggae at the time had no substantial following. (Henzell ultimately sold The Harder They Come there in 1979.) In America, Henzell got the film into the Los Angeles Film Festival and personally peddled his canisters from studio to studio with no takers until Roger Corman stepped in with an offer from his New World Films. (A counter offer came from, of all people, novelist Harold Robbins.) The Harder They Come got an American theatrical release in February 1973 but attracted little attention despite some strong reviews, particularly from The New York Times. The feature caught fire on the college and repertory film circuit that spring and enjoyed record-breaking runs at the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts (over seven years) and revival cinemas in New York City and Washington, D.C. Film critic Danny Peary wrote extensively about The Harder They Come in his first volume of Cult Films in 1981 and the feature was also discussed at length in the 1983 book Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Harder They Come is referenced in two songs by The Clash. Talks of sequels and remakes went on for years to no effect but the story was retold as a stage musical in England in 2005.

Acquired for American distribution by New World Pictures around the same time as The Harder They Come was the Shaw Brothers film Seven Blows of the Dragon (Shui hu zhuan, 1972). While the two titles may seem at first glance to be unlikely bedmates, "chop sockey" films and spaghetti westerns were popular fare in the slums of West Kingston, where movie underdogs who rose up against the forces of corruption and oppression with their hands balled into fists or wrapped around the handles of revolvers became heroes on an almost mythic scale. Western critics (among them Roger Ebert) who decried The Harder They Come's second act segue into criminality (seen as a condescension to the violent tropes of "Blaxploitation") seemed ignorant of the realities of slum life and the ganja trade in Jamaica (then and now an exotic tourist drop for the affluent) and blind to the unabashedly honest fatalism of Perry Henzell and writing partner Trevor D. Rhone.

Has any movie rebel ever been more poorly repaid for his services than Ivanhoe Martin, whose "rise" amounts to little more than a joy ride in a stolen Cadillac before he falls under a hail of police bullets (while mouthing off a come-on to the cops that sounds like a pencil sketch for Al Pacino's classic "Say goodnight to the bad man" speech in Brian De Palma's Scarface [1983] remake). The education of Ivanhoe Martin takes him from being unwanted and underutilized by Jamaican society to being a literal wanted man, a commodity as hotly desired as the music from which he hoped to profit and the ganja he resorted to selling. A local hero for as long as the locals could afford him, Ivan is ultimately betrayed, sold out for the price of a measure of normalcy to Trench Town life by an impoverished populace who can only afford so much revolution.

Producers: Perry Henzell, Chris Blackwell
Director: Perry Henzell
Screenplay: Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone
Cinematography: Peter Jessop, David McDonald, Franklyn St. Juste
Film Editing: Seicland Anderson, John Victor-Smith, Richard White Art Direction: Sally Henzell
Music: Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers
Cast: Jimmy Cliff (Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin), Janet Bartley (Elsa), Carl Bradshaw (Jose), Ras Daniel Hartman (Pedro), Basil Keane (Preacher), Bob Charlton (Hilton), Winston Stona (Det. Ray Jones), Lucia White (Mother), Volair Johnson (Pushcart Boy), Beverly Anderson (Housewife), Clover Lewis (Market Woman), Elijah Chambers (Longa), Ed "Bim" Lewis (Photographer), Aston "Bam" Winter (Drunk).
C-103m.

by Richard Harland Smith

The Harder They Come

The ultimate irony of The Harder They Come (1973) would not have been lost on its doomed protagonist, Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin. The film, a rags-to-not-quite-riches story of a Jamaican countryboy who travels to Kingston to become a hit recording artist and winds up a tragic Trenchtown martyr, was a vehicle tailored for singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, but the production (Jamaica's first film) made a bigger star out of his countryman Bob Marley... who wasn't even in the movie. Released in 1973, The Harder They Come was a bona fide cult item but its soundtrack (which featured upbeat tunes by the Melodians, Toots and the Maytals and Desmond Dekker alongside four songs by Cliff) was an international smash that sold the world on reggae as a going mainstream concern. Although Bob Marley was a national hero to Jamaicans in 1973, he had yet to make the international crossover; sales from and interest in the soundtrack to The Harder They Come helped put Bob Marley and The Wailers over the top around the same time that they were signed by Island Records and recorded their breakout album Catch a Fire. However Marley may have been elevated above him to the rank of No. 1 Jamaican, Jimmy Cliff didn't fare badly at all in the wake of The Harder They Come's release. He toured the world over the next several years, converted to Islam, then unconverted, and went on to enjoy considerable success as a recording artist and to act in other movies, if never again as indelibly as reggae rebel Ivanhoe Martin. While The Harder They Come marked a major milestone for Jamaican culture, the film (apart from its soundtrack) was a slower sell for the rest of the world. Director Perry Henzell had to stand outside of London tube stops handing out flyers during a bitter English winter to publicize the film's British release; even more reluctant was Italy, where reggae at the time had no substantial following. (Henzell ultimately sold The Harder They Come there in 1979.) In America, Henzell got the film into the Los Angeles Film Festival and personally peddled his canisters from studio to studio with no takers until Roger Corman stepped in with an offer from his New World Films. (A counter offer came from, of all people, novelist Harold Robbins.) The Harder They Come got an American theatrical release in February 1973 but attracted little attention despite some strong reviews, particularly from The New York Times. The feature caught fire on the college and repertory film circuit that spring and enjoyed record-breaking runs at the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts (over seven years) and revival cinemas in New York City and Washington, D.C. Film critic Danny Peary wrote extensively about The Harder They Come in his first volume of Cult Films in 1981 and the feature was also discussed at length in the 1983 book Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Harder They Come is referenced in two songs by The Clash. Talks of sequels and remakes went on for years to no effect but the story was retold as a stage musical in England in 2005. Acquired for American distribution by New World Pictures around the same time as The Harder They Come was the Shaw Brothers film Seven Blows of the Dragon (Shui hu zhuan, 1972). While the two titles may seem at first glance to be unlikely bedmates, "chop sockey" films and spaghetti westerns were popular fare in the slums of West Kingston, where movie underdogs who rose up against the forces of corruption and oppression with their hands balled into fists or wrapped around the handles of revolvers became heroes on an almost mythic scale. Western critics (among them Roger Ebert) who decried The Harder They Come's second act segue into criminality (seen as a condescension to the violent tropes of "Blaxploitation") seemed ignorant of the realities of slum life and the ganja trade in Jamaica (then and now an exotic tourist drop for the affluent) and blind to the unabashedly honest fatalism of Perry Henzell and writing partner Trevor D. Rhone. Has any movie rebel ever been more poorly repaid for his services than Ivanhoe Martin, whose "rise" amounts to little more than a joy ride in a stolen Cadillac before he falls under a hail of police bullets (while mouthing off a come-on to the cops that sounds like a pencil sketch for Al Pacino's classic "Say goodnight to the bad man" speech in Brian De Palma's Scarface [1983] remake). The education of Ivanhoe Martin takes him from being unwanted and underutilized by Jamaican society to being a literal wanted man, a commodity as hotly desired as the music from which he hoped to profit and the ganja he resorted to selling. A local hero for as long as the locals could afford him, Ivan is ultimately betrayed, sold out for the price of a measure of normalcy to Trench Town life by an impoverished populace who can only afford so much revolution. Producers: Perry Henzell, Chris Blackwell Director: Perry Henzell Screenplay: Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone Cinematography: Peter Jessop, David McDonald, Franklyn St. Juste Film Editing: Seicland Anderson, John Victor-Smith, Richard White Art Direction: Sally Henzell Music: Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers Cast: Jimmy Cliff (Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin), Janet Bartley (Elsa), Carl Bradshaw (Jose), Ras Daniel Hartman (Pedro), Basil Keane (Preacher), Bob Charlton (Hilton), Winston Stona (Det. Ray Jones), Lucia White (Mother), Volair Johnson (Pushcart Boy), Beverly Anderson (Housewife), Clover Lewis (Market Woman), Elijah Chambers (Longa), Ed "Bim" Lewis (Photographer), Aston "Bam" Winter (Drunk). C-103m. by Richard Harland Smith

Quote It (The Harder They Come) - QUOTES FROM "THE HARDER THEY COME"

August 20, 2008

IVAN (Jimmy Cliff): Tell me this, man. You know the way to Milk Lane?
PUSHCART BOY (Volair Johnson): "You have money? If you have money, go anywhere at all. But if you don't have money, you're f*cked. Better you stay at home."

MOTHER (Lucia White): "And you didn't even bring me a mango from country?"
IVAN: "Mango season was bad this year."

IVAN: "What's showing at the Rialto?"
JOSE (Carl Bradshaw): "What you know about Rialto, you just come from country?"
IVAN: "I read 'bout it, man."

JOSE: "Him think hero can't die 'til the last reel."

LONGA (Elijah Chambers): "Hey Pretty Boy. Pretty hat. Johnny Too Bad. Bring me the hammer."

IVAN: "Don't. F*ck. With. Me."

MAGISTRATE: "Eight strokes of the tamarind switch."

IVAN: "What's the meaning of this, sir?"
HILTON (Bob Charlton): "That means you get $20 for the record."
IVAN: "Twenty dollars, sir? That don't sound right."
HILTON: "How much do you think it's worth, then?"
IVAN: "I don't really know, you know, sir."
HILTON: "Come on, you must have an idea. What do you think it's worth?"
IVAN: "Well, I think at least $200, you know, sir." [Laughter from the back of the room.] I don't think I'm singing this for $20, sir."
HILTON: (Mutters) "I wish you luck."

DJ (Don Topping): "You know this is show business, baby. No business, no show."

HILTON: "I make the hits, not the public. I tell the DJs what to play."

JOSE: "You're lucky you're makin' a living. When I know you, down by your ass, now you got Honda park up outside."

IVAN: "All right... see ya later... ta-ta!"

DRUNK (Aston "Bam" Winter): "Wait... what happen, sir? Oh, you have gun... and you have got on no pants."

ELSA (Janet Bartley): "Where are you going now? Where are you going to hide?"
IVAN: "Hide? I not hidin'."
ELSA: "But everybody will be looking for you."
IVAN: "You didn't believe me. Didn't I tell you I was going to be famous one day?"
ELSA: "You're mad."
IVAN: "Tell Pedro to meet me tonight. He will know where. Tell him to bring some money and extra bullets. Tell him I want to find Jose."
ELSA: "What do you want to see Jose for?"
IVAN: "Read about that tomorrow."

DJ: "Hey, good evening everybody, welcome to the Big T Show, back in my home where the sweet soul sisters roam, my mojo workin' and my soul sorta cookin' and smokin.'"

DET. RAY JONES (Winston Stona): "As of this week, no more ganja come into this town, you hear me? Not a stick, not a spliff, not even a puff."

ELSA: "Every game I play I lose."

IVAN: "All right... don't worry with the army business. One man just come out. Who's the bad man? Who can draw? Come on out, one who can draw. One who can draw, just come out... send out one bad man."

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Quote It (The Harder They Come) - QUOTES FROM "THE HARDER THEY COME"

IVAN (Jimmy Cliff): Tell me this, man. You know the way to Milk Lane? PUSHCART BOY (Volair Johnson): "You have money? If you have money, go anywhere at all. But if you don't have money, you're f*cked. Better you stay at home." MOTHER (Lucia White): "And you didn't even bring me a mango from country?" IVAN: "Mango season was bad this year." IVAN: "What's showing at the Rialto?" JOSE (Carl Bradshaw): "What you know about Rialto, you just come from country?" IVAN: "I read 'bout it, man." JOSE: "Him think hero can't die 'til the last reel." LONGA (Elijah Chambers): "Hey Pretty Boy. Pretty hat. Johnny Too Bad. Bring me the hammer." IVAN: "Don't. F*ck. With. Me." MAGISTRATE: "Eight strokes of the tamarind switch." IVAN: "What's the meaning of this, sir?" HILTON (Bob Charlton): "That means you get $20 for the record." IVAN: "Twenty dollars, sir? That don't sound right." HILTON: "How much do you think it's worth, then?" IVAN: "I don't really know, you know, sir." HILTON: "Come on, you must have an idea. What do you think it's worth?" IVAN: "Well, I think at least $200, you know, sir." [Laughter from the back of the room.] I don't think I'm singing this for $20, sir." HILTON: (Mutters) "I wish you luck." DJ (Don Topping): "You know this is show business, baby. No business, no show." HILTON: "I make the hits, not the public. I tell the DJs what to play." JOSE: "You're lucky you're makin' a living. When I know you, down by your ass, now you got Honda park up outside." IVAN: "All right... see ya later... ta-ta!" DRUNK (Aston "Bam" Winter): "Wait... what happen, sir? Oh, you have gun... and you have got on no pants." ELSA (Janet Bartley): "Where are you going now? Where are you going to hide?" IVAN: "Hide? I not hidin'." ELSA: "But everybody will be looking for you." IVAN: "You didn't believe me. Didn't I tell you I was going to be famous one day?" ELSA: "You're mad." IVAN: "Tell Pedro to meet me tonight. He will know where. Tell him to bring some money and extra bullets. Tell him I want to find Jose." ELSA: "What do you want to see Jose for?" IVAN: "Read about that tomorrow." DJ: "Hey, good evening everybody, welcome to the Big T Show, back in my home where the sweet soul sisters roam, my mojo workin' and my soul sorta cookin' and smokin.'" DET. RAY JONES (Winston Stona): "As of this week, no more ganja come into this town, you hear me? Not a stick, not a spliff, not even a puff." ELSA: "Every game I play I lose." IVAN: "All right... don't worry with the army business. One man just come out. Who's the bad man? Who can draw? Come on out, one who can draw. One who can draw, just come out... send out one bad man." Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Quotes

...and the opressors are trying to keep me down trying 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
- Ivan Martin

You want dead? I will kill you clot!
- Ivan Martin

Don't! Fuck! With! Me!
- Ivan Martin

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.

Miscellaneous Notes

Re-released in United States May 30, 1997

Released in United States November 1972

Released in United States 1991

Released in United States September 1996

Shown at Festival Latino Film in New York City August 16-September 5, 1991.

dubbed

Re-released in United States May 30, 1997 (restored version; Cinema Village)

Released in United States November 1972 (Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (Contemporary Cinema) November 9-19, 1972.)

Released in United States 1991 (Shown at Festival Latino Film in New York City August 16-September 5, 1991.)

Released in United States September 1996 (Shown in New York City (Anthology Film Archives) as part of program "Best of the Indies" September 5-15, 1996.)

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