The Harder They Come (1972)

Wishing to become a successful Reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.

Director:

Perry Henzell

Writers:

Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone

Stars:

Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jimmy Cliff	...	Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin
Janet Bartley	...	Elsa
Carl Bradshaw	...	Jose Smith
Ras Daniel Hartman	...	Pedro
Basil Keane	...	Preacher
Bob Charlton	...	Hilton
Winston Stona	...	Detective Ray Jones
Lucia White	...	Mother
Volair Johnson	...	Pushcart Boy
Beverly Anderson	...	Housewife
Clover Lewis	...	Market Woman
Elijah Chambers	...	Longa
Prince Buster	...	DJ at Dance
Ed 'Bim' Lewis	...	Photographer
Bobby Loban	...	Fitz

Storyline

With dreams of becoming a successful Reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds corruption from his record producers and the drug pushers they're connected to. Rather than fail his dreams Ivan lets nothing stand in his way, not even the law.

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Plot Keywords:

jamaica | revenge | west indies | reggae | singer | 

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Taglines:

dem a loot, dem a shoot, dem a wail in shanty town (British DVD tag-line)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie Ivan watches at the Rialto theater the first night he arrives in town is 1966's "Django"

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Quotes

DJ: You know, this is show *business*, Baby. No business, no show!

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Alternate Versions

Because of the thick accents, and the extensive use of Jamaican slang, the U.S. release prints contained English subtitles.

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Connections

Referenced in Versus (2000)

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Soundtracks

Johnny Too Bad
Performed by The Slickers
Composed by Hylton Bexford, Winston Bailey, Sydney Crooks and Derric Crooks

User Reviews

awesome, timeless film

amazing film. i'd seen it in the movies when it first came out. this is the film that really introduced me to reggae music. for a film that was obviously made on a limited budget, it has everything. it touches every emotion and teaches many life lessons with a beautiful backdrop of real and raw Jamaican life. the plot is basically a poor boy who dreams of becoming famous through his music - regardless of the price. to me it represents the epitome of human nature. i think it also typifies the music industry worldwide and the frustrations and obstacles artists must overcome. i've recently purchased the film on DVD and now, years later, it's just as awesome as the first time i saw it!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Jamaica

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 1976 (France)

Also Known As:

The Harder They Come

Filming Locations:

Kingston, Jamaica

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Films, Xenon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 103 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1