A documentary on the life and work of National Hero and former Premier Norman Manley was launched yesterday by the foundation established to honour his memory, one day short of the 112th anniversary of his birth.

The documentary titled, Norman Washington Manley, Son of Jamaica, Father of the Nation, is a six-part series lasting two-and-a-half hours.

Ainsley Henriques (right), chairman of the Norman Manley Foundation, shows a copy of the DVD of the documentary on the life and work of Norman Manley to chairman of the PNP and Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill (centre) and Hermie Richards at yesterday's launch of the film at Palace Cineplex in the Sovereign Centre in Kingston. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

It introduces viewers to Norman Manley, The Country Boy, The Soldier, The Barrister, Leader of the Party, The Visionary and looks also at his legacy.

The $6-million film, available on DVD and VHS, was funded by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) fund. It took six years to be completed by producers/directors Cynthia Wilmot and Hillary Nicholson, director of Women's Media Watch.

Wilmot said that research into Manley's life revealed that he was a well-rounded person, but it also showed unexpected sides of his personality.

"For example, we knew of his amazing mind, but what we didn't know was that he was considered a bad boy in school," she said, adding that they also discovered that he wrote passionate letters and composed poetry for his wife Edna Manley.

"We found out too, that surprisingly he was a lawyer that died without leaving a will."

Nicholson said it was challenging finding audiovisual material because Manely did not like being in front of cameras. She said some of the material was still in Australia and Norway where it was sent many years ago to be processed, but due to budget constraints they were unable to access it.

"We spent months. researching material to find out who remembered what, and we met some amazing people as we went around trying to collect anecdotes and memories," Nicholson said during the launch at Palace Cineplex in the Sovereign Centre in Kingston. "We were able to piece together something that we hope will be an extremely important document."

Anecdotal recollections from Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke; Clyde Hoyte, veteran journalist and labour historian; Fred Gordon; and Vivian Blake painted a vivid picture of Manley who was one of the founders of the People's National Party (PNP) in 1938.

Excerpts from each series of the film also spoke about Manley as a Rhodes Scholar, an impressive lawyer, as well as a strong advocate for the Federation of the West Indies in 1958. He was also portrayed as one of the main negotiators during the period of labour unrest in 1938.

Chairman of the PNP and Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill, noting that it was important for a nation to preserve its history, said the authentic persons that speak about Manley in the film gave the work credibility.

"As chairman of the People's National Party it makes me feel proud," he told the Observer. "It demonstrates that those who have come after should really have that kind of thing for them so that history can be passed on."

Norman Manley died on September 2, 1969 at age 76.

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