Rockers (1978)

Director:

Ted Bafaloukos

Writer:

Ted Bafaloukos (writer)

Release Date:

1978 (Jamaica)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

It's dangerous

Plot:

Harder They Come meets Hard Days Night. No real plot just lots of reggae. |

Plot Keywords:

Reggae | Jamaica | Record Store | Motorcycle Theft | Reggae Musical

Cast

Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace	...	Horsemouth
Richard 'Dirty Harry' Hall	...	Dirty Harry
Monica Craig	...	Madgie
Marjorie Norman	...	Sunshine
Jacob Miller	...	Jakes
Gregory Isaacs	...	Jah Tooth (as Gregory Issacs)
Winston Rodney	...	Burning Spear
Frank Dowding	...	Kiddus-I
Robbie Shakespeare	...	Robbie
Big Youth	...	Big Youth (as Manley Buchanan)
Leroy Smart	...	Himself
Lester Bullocks	...	Dillinger
Ashley Harris	...	Higher
Peter Honiball	...	Honeyball
L. Lindo	...	Jack Ruby

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

Jamaica

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

Rockers Film Corporation

Trivia:

Marjorie Norman, who plays Sunshine, was discovered by the producer and director when they were on a recce for one of the village locations used in the film. She returned to her village life immediately after filming was completed.

Quotes:

Horsemouth's Grandmother: Lord have mercy upon my grandson!

Movie Connections:

Remake of Ladri di biciclette (1948)

Soundtrack:

Graduation in Zion

I&I support dat to de fullness.

One of my all time favorites! I've been looking for this one for a long long time. Having very strong documentary features, this film keeps surprising the viewer every minute. It is (at least for the first half an hour or so) as if someone just shouldered a camera and followed Horsemouth around Kingston doing his daily hustlin' business. Most of the the main characters are real people, playing themselves, esp. reggae artists and producers, and most of the locations are real as well. Later the plot turns into kind of a Robin Hood scenario, when the ghetto people strike back against the upper class mafia guys. What I like most about this movie is its many layers. It's like a deep insight into Jamaican society of the late 70's, the golden era of roots reggae, in all its many aspects like class struggle, Rastafari, family and religious issues. Several times, like in the opening scene or when Horsey gets punched by Sunshine's father, characters directly address the viewer personally by facing the camera which I've never seen used like this anywhere else. Technically it's remarkably well done (apart from some pretty dark underexposed moments), for instance they manage to have many songs of the soundtrack coming from actual sources in the picture.

In one word: Great stuff, not only if you're into old school dub and reggae. If you have it, treasure it! If you don't, get it and then treasure it.