Profpointy
Legendary Member
Bob Marley: One Love
Just returned from seeing this this evening. Was a bit concerned it might be a dud having read a few unfavourable reviews, and even worse, seen it advertised on the side of a bus, but needn't have worried; we loved it !
Marley is superbly played by British actor, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who I've not seen in a great deal before, apart from a fairly minor role as Benjamin Zephaniah's character's son in Peaky Blinders.
Anyhow rather
than a narrative life story, the film is really about a few key events in Marley's life: the failed assassination attempt at the time he was planning a reconciliation/unity concert during a period of violent political turmoil in Jamaica, the making of the Exodus album in London and subsequent great success, and his subsequent return to Jamaica again to attempt to bring people together using his music; all this interposed with various formative episodes from his childood and early career.
It is beautifully filmed and crafted, good dialogue excellently acted, in Jamaican patois, so a white Brit like me has to concentrate to follow. I guess it's toned down slightly for an international audience but still comes across as authentic. As an aside I saw Ben-Adir on a chat show, and he sound very much like a middle class grammar school lad, with only a little "London" creeping in never mind any Jamaican. I think most of the other Wailers were played by British actors too rather than Caribbean
superb attention to period detail - even the blurred car outside their window in London is an old Humber, and the record player in Marley's london digs is a proper bit of period hi fi with geeks like me spotting the 70s era SME pickup arm. Another detail was early in the film Bob has a nice BMW, and later on in the story he is brought back from the airport in a Mercedes, but his BMW is still there in corner of his yard barely in shot and partly covered with a tarpaulin.
The music is of course thrilling, and sounds great on the big bass sound system of the cinema, as are the re-creations of Marley or his band picking out songs we now know as finished products from Exodus
Couple of small mis-steps with the non-Marley music for some of the more sentimental flash backs, but not many. It avoided too much sentimentality, and unlike a lot if films these days didn't go on too long at an hour 45.
Probably worth saying I have at least a passing knowledge of the political background of the time, Seager, Manley etc, and the various events portrayed, though my Mrs knew far less but we were both pretty much enthralled from the start and thought it great so in-depth knowledge of Jamaican politics of the 70s isn't necessary to follow or enjoy the film
Highly recommended I'd give it 9/10
Just returned from seeing this this evening. Was a bit concerned it might be a dud having read a few unfavourable reviews, and even worse, seen it advertised on the side of a bus, but needn't have worried; we loved it !
Marley is superbly played by British actor, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who I've not seen in a great deal before, apart from a fairly minor role as Benjamin Zephaniah's character's son in Peaky Blinders.
Anyhow rather
than a narrative life story, the film is really about a few key events in Marley's life: the failed assassination attempt at the time he was planning a reconciliation/unity concert during a period of violent political turmoil in Jamaica, the making of the Exodus album in London and subsequent great success, and his subsequent return to Jamaica again to attempt to bring people together using his music; all this interposed with various formative episodes from his childood and early career.
It is beautifully filmed and crafted, good dialogue excellently acted, in Jamaican patois, so a white Brit like me has to concentrate to follow. I guess it's toned down slightly for an international audience but still comes across as authentic. As an aside I saw Ben-Adir on a chat show, and he sound very much like a middle class grammar school lad, with only a little "London" creeping in never mind any Jamaican. I think most of the other Wailers were played by British actors too rather than Caribbean
superb attention to period detail - even the blurred car outside their window in London is an old Humber, and the record player in Marley's london digs is a proper bit of period hi fi with geeks like me spotting the 70s era SME pickup arm. Another detail was early in the film Bob has a nice BMW, and later on in the story he is brought back from the airport in a Mercedes, but his BMW is still there in corner of his yard barely in shot and partly covered with a tarpaulin.
The music is of course thrilling, and sounds great on the big bass sound system of the cinema, as are the re-creations of Marley or his band picking out songs we now know as finished products from Exodus
Couple of small mis-steps with the non-Marley music for some of the more sentimental flash backs, but not many. It avoided too much sentimentality, and unlike a lot if films these days didn't go on too long at an hour 45.
Probably worth saying I have at least a passing knowledge of the political background of the time, Seager, Manley etc, and the various events portrayed, though my Mrs knew far less but we were both pretty much enthralled from the start and thought it great so in-depth knowledge of Jamaican politics of the 70s isn't necessary to follow or enjoy the film
Highly recommended I'd give it 9/10
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