Capturing the magic of Bob Marley

Johnson Thomas

Bob Marley was one of the most iconic and influential Jamaicans, perhaps even more so than Harry Belafonte, Marcus Garvey and Usain Bolt. That’s mainly because of his enduring contribution to peace in his country and his universal beliefs of love, unity and hope which he conveyed through his music, songs and actions. So, a biopic on arguably the greatest reggae artist ever was most warranted. That this has been made possible with the consent of family members, and under their production, does make it seem a trifle sanitised.

The film may not be as powerful a reinforcement of his legacy as expected, but it certainly conveys the sentiment behind it with a great deal of empathy and understanding. His Rastafarian belief systems need a deeper outlet though. Its nuances are lost in the musical serenade that ensures the movie’s likability to a great extent.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘King Richard’) may not have made this narrative gritty and hard-edged, but he has stayed true to Marley’s work. His songs on love and freedom and their meaningful lyrics are embedded in such a way so as to convey Marley’s belief systems to positive effect.

Marcus Green’s narrative centres around the period when Marley became a bone of contention for two rival factions involved in the civil war in Jamaica. Despite publicly maintaining a neutral stance regarding local politics and advocating peace through his music, Marley became a victim of their power struggle. The film moves from Kingston (Jamaica) to London and back before Marley prematurely loses his life to a rare form of skin cancer.

A large portion of the film was shot on location at Marley’s home on Hope Road, where we get to see and hear Marley’s interactions with his extended family and coterie of friends and musicians. It was in this very compound, on December 3, 1976, that Marley was attacked, his manager Don Taylor was shot in the head and his wife Rita nearly lost her life, just days before Marley’s unique initiative for peace — the Smile Jamaica concert. That was the defining moment of Marley’s life and career.

Marley moved to the UK for the next couple of years, focusing on the creation of ‘Exodus’ (voted album of the century by Time magazine). In 1978, he returned for the famous One Love Peace Concert, which finally achieved the aims that Smile Jamaica couldn’t.

Marcus Green faithfully renders these moments with a great deal of empathy and song.

The script does not exactly do justice to the talent here but it manages to superficially elaborate on the larger picture. We may not get to know much about the Wailers or the I-Threes, but we get a window-seat view of the mechanics of his song writing, and the band’s musical contributions. The screenplay by Green, Terence Winter, Frank E Flowers and Zach Baylin doesn’t spend too much time exploring the influence the punk performances had in fuelling his creativity.

The overuse of flashbacks also defeats the purpose of generating empathy for his deprived childhood. “There’s a war going on. You can’t separate the music from the message,” Marley’s interactions with the media were telling. He stressed the importance of being heard over being famous.

British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir is charismatic enough to inhabit Bob Marley in entirety even though he may not look similar. Lashana Lynch as Rita, Marley’s wife, confidante, guide and backup singer is superb. She may not have the main lead but her presence just can’t be ignored. James Norton plays Island Records’ legendary founder, Chris Blackwell, beautifully too.

‘One Love’ has left out some of Marley’s rough edges but passing references were made regarding his philandering and heavy weed habit. The film may have shied away from some of the more complicated aspects of his life, but it still manages to convey a sense of his belief systems through an uplifting, passionate story centred on unity.

The concert sequences, music and songs foregrounding the narrative, and montages of hit songs being created leave a dynamic impression. Ultimately, the performances will ground you. They are undoubtedly the mainstay of this film.