Resurrection Man - Jimmy Cliff
As The Harder They Come sees in its 35th Anniversary with a new commemorative DVD/CD release, we speak to the man who brought reggae to the world.
| 11 May 2007
Q: How did you get involved in the film?
A: Perry Henzell (director) came to a recording session looking for someone to do the music for a movie he wanted to make. He asked me if I thought I could do it, so I said, "What do you mean, do I think I can do it?!" My answer must have impressed him, as the next thing I knew, he asked me if I'd be interested in acting in the film, and the rest is history. I decided to do the film because, as a little boy growing up in Jamaica, I'd heard about Rhygin (the real Ivanhoe Martin). He was one really amazing character because, at that time, for an outlaw to carry a gun – even the police didn't carry guns – and to kill a policeman… he really struck terror into the hearts of people. The real Rhygin didn't have anything to do with music, I think Perry inserted that after I decided to do the movie, and that part kind of relates to my life in many ways.
Q: How was it making the film?
A: It was my first feature film, and Perry's too, and I really and truly thought he was a very intelligent man in the way he went about shooting. He would ask how I would do the scene rather than saying, "This is how I want it done." And in doing that with myself and most of the actors he got more reality, and I think that's what helped give the film its enduring quality.
We had quite a few problems shooting the film. Outside of the police, we were running out of money all the time, so we had to stop and start, and it was a very volatile political period in Jamaica, mainly gang-related. Most of the scenes were shot on location, so if you went into an area to shoot a scene, people would want to know why you're there, why you'd want to come into that area, and start up trouble, so they'd end up having to call the police in. Most of the time, they were there to help. Because the political landscape had kind of changed in Jamaica - there was a tendency towards socialism - that created a really tense situation politically, so the police were a little bit unhappy about the film getting made too.
Q: It was the first Jamaican feature film to be made, why do you think it happened when it did?
A:Perry was a very politically aware person, he had a very good eye for the political, cultural and social scenes in Jamaica. Prior to the movie he had been making commercials, and he had been wanting to make a feature film that would incorporate all that had been going on in Jamaica at the time. Of course, the theme of what was going on in Jamaica was universal. You could find a character like Ivan anywhere in the world. Perry wanted to show that, and I think he achieved it.
The song I wrote for the movie, again, has a universal theme to it. It's a rebellion song against society, and I think most of the people who have recorded it since can relate to that. People like Keith Richards and a few of the others.
Q: What's next for you?
A: I'm supposed to do a Summer tour in July or something and I think – I hope - there's a gig or two in Scotland. I have about three or four movie projects I'm working on, one of them is a sequel to The Harder They Come. I'm very excited about that.
When you see that movie, that character - well, he really got shot up. So we take it that he must have died, which means for a sequel we'd have to resurrect him… which we did. We start at the end of the last one. He's picked up after being left for dead, and then taken to the doctor who then discovers that he isn't really dead. He's had an out of body experience while in that state and it goes on from there. It's a resurrection story.
A: Perry Henzell (director) came to a recording session looking for someone to do the music for a movie he wanted to make. He asked me if I thought I could do it, so I said, "What do you mean, do I think I can do it?!" My answer must have impressed him, as the next thing I knew, he asked me if I'd be interested in acting in the film, and the rest is history. I decided to do the film because, as a little boy growing up in Jamaica, I'd heard about Rhygin (the real Ivanhoe Martin). He was one really amazing character because, at that time, for an outlaw to carry a gun – even the police didn't carry guns – and to kill a policeman… he really struck terror into the hearts of people. The real Rhygin didn't have anything to do with music, I think Perry inserted that after I decided to do the movie, and that part kind of relates to my life in many ways.
Q: How was it making the film?
A: It was my first feature film, and Perry's too, and I really and truly thought he was a very intelligent man in the way he went about shooting. He would ask how I would do the scene rather than saying, "This is how I want it done." And in doing that with myself and most of the actors he got more reality, and I think that's what helped give the film its enduring quality.
We had quite a few problems shooting the film. Outside of the police, we were running out of money all the time, so we had to stop and start, and it was a very volatile political period in Jamaica, mainly gang-related. Most of the scenes were shot on location, so if you went into an area to shoot a scene, people would want to know why you're there, why you'd want to come into that area, and start up trouble, so they'd end up having to call the police in. Most of the time, they were there to help. Because the political landscape had kind of changed in Jamaica - there was a tendency towards socialism - that created a really tense situation politically, so the police were a little bit unhappy about the film getting made too.
Q: It was the first Jamaican feature film to be made, why do you think it happened when it did?
A:Perry was a very politically aware person, he had a very good eye for the political, cultural and social scenes in Jamaica. Prior to the movie he had been making commercials, and he had been wanting to make a feature film that would incorporate all that had been going on in Jamaica at the time. Of course, the theme of what was going on in Jamaica was universal. You could find a character like Ivan anywhere in the world. Perry wanted to show that, and I think he achieved it.
The song I wrote for the movie, again, has a universal theme to it. It's a rebellion song against society, and I think most of the people who have recorded it since can relate to that. People like Keith Richards and a few of the others.
Q: What's next for you?
A: I'm supposed to do a Summer tour in July or something and I think – I hope - there's a gig or two in Scotland. I have about three or four movie projects I'm working on, one of them is a sequel to The Harder They Come. I'm very excited about that.
When you see that movie, that character - well, he really got shot up. So we take it that he must have died, which means for a sequel we'd have to resurrect him… which we did. We start at the end of the last one. He's picked up after being left for dead, and then taken to the doctor who then discovers that he isn't really dead. He's had an out of body experience while in that state and it goes on from there. It's a resurrection story.
The Harder They Come is released on 28 May.