Dear Editor,

So much has been written, documented, and filmed about Jamaica’s Bob Marley, a global icon who continues to inspire people around the world with his music and message.

I’ve read a few books about his life, one of my favourites was No Woman, No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley, authored by Rita Marley (with Hettie Jones). When I heard of the film, being produced by Marley’s wife and children, with executive producer renowned actor Brad Pitt, I couldn’t wait to see it. I watched in a cinema overseas with pride.

In hindsight it was probably the music that resonated at this first viewing; the soundtrack was loud, beautiful, and bold. I did wonder how those who didn’t understand patois would follow the film since there were no subtitles, which I thought could’ve helped at least for some scenes. Not long into the screening, some people walked out. I saw the film again recently on Netflix, but this time I was less than impressed. The story seemed incomplete.

Recently, Cindy Breakspeare did a TV interview in which she described the film as a missed opportunity to showcase Marley’s life and impact in a more authentic manner. She seemed bothered that her role as one of his partners was diminished into one that was almost non-existent. If I am not mistaken, I believe Breakspeare was listed in the credits as a consultant for the story. Many continue to attack Breakspeare as the “sidechick” who won’t give it a rest. She is probably the most vocal person who continues to talk about Marley, his life and legacy, more so than his children and wife, at least that’s how it appears to me. Breakspeare is very articulate and fearless with her opinion, which I don’t think should be ignored.

We cannot deny that Marley’s affairs and his many children helped to shape him. In fact, Rita did not hide this in her book, so why exclude it from the film? I’ve heard that Rita treated Marley’s other children as her own.

The biopic seemed like a watered-down perspective of who he really was. It would have been good to see more of Marley, the person, his charisma, and how his talent as a songwriter and self-taught musician helped to propel his stardom. We did not see much of the impact of his producers and how they geared his music to appeal to the West, with a slight rock and edgy R&B sound.

The impact of The Wailers, including Bunny and Peter Tosh was also filtered. So was the impact of the hippies, which started as a youth movement and reached its peak in the 1970s, around the time Marley was rising in fame. The youth movement spread in places like California at universities and colleges where countercultural values of peace and love as well as anti-war sentiments and artistic expression were rife. Drug use was also a part of the lifestyle.

The reviews were average, at best. We know it is never easy to condense the life story of an icon such as Marley into a 1 hr and 47 minutes film. However, I felt a lot of screen time was wasted showing images of his father riding through fields of fire on a horse, for instance. The writers of the screenplay were four foreign men, and so was the director, this no doubt was part of the problem. Marley’s life was rich and colourful and I think a more authentic film would’ve been critically acclaimed with a much greater impact on Jamaica.

The film was indeed a missed opportunity to showcase the real Marley, his greatness, and global impact.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com