| I love to watch Jamaican films where I can hear | | | | famous Jamaican musician. |
| people speak Jamaican. The Harder They Come was | | | | This movie was one of the first Jamaican films to |
| one of the first Jamaican films I saw growing up and I | | | | really give an in depth look into the path so many |
| was always a fan of the film, so when I got my hands | | | | Jamaican artists followed to become famous. Just like |
| on the 30th Anniversary Special Edition of the film I | | | | Jimmy Cliff, in the past, many artists went to Kingston |
| had to watch it! | | | | to get a record deal. The dishonest music mogul is a |
| The Harder They Come is a movie about a musician, | | | | recurring them in the Jamaican musician's road to |
| Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin (played by legend, Jimmy Cliff), | | | | fame. The other thing that this film presents to people |
| from the Jamaican countryside who goes to Kingston, | | | | is the "Bad Man" element of Jamaica. A Bad Man is a |
| the capital, to make records and launch his music | | | | Gangster and often times, people involved in the music |
| career. As with so many stories like this, things are not | | | | scene are also involved in other less wholesome |
| as easy for Ivan as he thought they would be. Upon | | | | elements of Jamaican society. |
| his arrival in Kingston, Ivan is robbed of all of his money | | | | This movie is pretty good for hearing people Speak |
| and then searches for odd jobs to support himself | | | | Jamaican Patois, but not the best. The good thing |
| while using his spare time to get studio time and record | | | | about the film is that you can hear the Jamaican |
| music. Finally he is hired to work in a repair shop by a | | | | accent and pronunciation, but it is not the most Patois |
| preacher. Ivan soon gets the chance to make a | | | | intense film out there. The Harder They Come is also |
| record which eventually becomes a hit, but before he | | | | not a film about Rastas or anything related to the |
| sees the returns on his talent, he sells the song to an | | | | Rasta way of life. It does show a side of Jamaican |
| unsavory music mogul for $20 instead of his desired | | | | culture that so few Jamaican movies show, the pursuit |
| $200. Down on his luck, Ivan is quick to fight and ends | | | | to get a record deal. It is for this reason that the |
| up killing one of his co-workers at the repair shop. He is | | | | Harder They Come has a special place in the |
| soon wanted by the police and becomes an outlaw | | | | Jamaican Film Catalog. I recommend getting this movie |
| with a dream of being a hit musician. Eventually, his | | | | to get a more profound understanding of Jamaican |
| song becomes the number one song in Jamaica and | | | | Music Culture, but its not the best choice for someone |
| he is a highly sought after musician. As a result of this | | | | learning to Speak Jamaican Patois. |
| film and its soundtrack, Jimmy Cliff became a world | | | | |