|
|
|
The Harder They Come (EP edition)
|
Click for a closer view
|
List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $3.36
You Save: $6.62 (66%)
Availability:
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product Details
- Starring: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman, Basil Keane
|
- Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
|
- Binding: VHS Tape
|
- Director: Perry Henzell
|
- EAN: 9786305371908
|
- Format: Color, EP, NTSC
|
- ISBN: 6305371903
|
- Label: Xenon
|
- Manufacturer: Xenon
|
- Number of Items: 1
|
- Product Group: Video
|
- Publisher: Xenon
|
- Release Date: 2002-02-05
|
- Studio: Xenon
|
- Title: The Harder They Come (EP edition)
|
- UPC: 000799416938
|
Avg Customer Rating: 
Product Description: Director-producer Perry Henzel's all-Jamaican-made 1973 classic, one of the most beloved and longest-running of all international cult favorites, fiercely expresses the live-wire Jamaican spirit--an impoverished Africa tuned to American radio. The film also incorporates an archetypal passion for "outlaw" justice common to American Westerns, which were a staple of the Caribbean theater circuit at the time. Released just 12 years after Jamaica achieved independence, The Harder They Come also reflects the disenchantment that soon followed a massive post-independence exodus from the island's country hamlets to the tropical ghettos of Kingston, where a more grinding urban poverty awaited. Brilliantly shot, directed, written, and acted, especially by singer Jimmy Cliff in the leading role and Carl Bradshaw as his archenemy, the film tells an anthemic Jamaican story to seductive rhythms of a soundtrack that became a reggae bestseller. Ivan, a country boy who dreams of fame as a singer, rides into Kingston on a rickety country bus in the opening scenes, only to meet with disaster heaped on disaster, always at the hands of those masked as friends. In a breathless defining climax, Ivan finally breaks from his passivity and begins to wreak his revenge. Soon Kingston's music Mafia and the equally corrupt authorities are after him, but like the real-life people's hero (a man named Rhygin) on whom this character is partially based, Ivan leads them on a maddening chase--much to the delight of the people--eluding capture until the movie's shocking final moments. --Elena Oumano
|
Customer Reviews
Harder They Come
This is my favorite Caribbean movie. I have seen it numerous times and each time I find something new to focus on. The subtitles are helpful if you cannpt understand the Jamaican accent and or patois. The storyline is still relevant today. Great music and Jimmy Cliff is fantastic in his role. I feel cheated by the ending because I wanted the "bad guy" to redeem himself but the movie had to end I guess
|
A Wonderful Time Capsule
The Hardet They Come is a midnight movie classic from Jamaica. It stars Jimmy Cliff and is actually based on the true story of Ivanhoe Martin, a Jamaican fokelore legend. The story has him coming from the countryside to make a living in Kingston. He tries to do things the right way, but ends up on the wrong track. He gets the chance to cut a demo and then gets ripped off by a sheisty music producer and then turns to a life of crime. Martin is now a vagabond on the run from the authorities and just before he slips away to Cuba, he is gunned down. Martin is one of the greatest anto-heroes in film history. This movie also has perhaps the greatest soundtrack in the history of film, stacked with early reggae classics like "Shanty Town (007)," "Johnny Too Bad," "Pressure Drop," and the title song. This movie has a charm and fell to it that you have to see in order to appreciate.
|
a must have Jamaican movie
This was the first Jamaican movie I saw many years ago and the soundtrack is classic reggae. A must have for any reggae music lovers.
|
sense of the place where we live !
This movie is the best reggae movie ever made !!!
I have seen it since i am kid, and now i owe the DVD !!!
This great sensational movie needs to be shared!!!!
|
Not anamorphic! Save your money!
I was extremely disappointed, on buying this DVD, to discover that the new, restored version is not an anamorphic transfer. It blows my mind that in this day and age, a historic film like this would be restored, remastered and released without using the best possible format.
More's the pity, as it appears that the actual transfer is an improvement over the earlier Criterion version. Nonetheless, this is an expensive "Deluxe" release, and those with widescreen TVs will undoubtedly want to wait until there is an anamorphic version (I should note that if you watch this on a widescreen TV, and zoom in so the picture fills the screen, you will not be able to read all the subtitles!). Those without fancy home-theater equipment are probably better off looking for a used copy of one of the previous releases.
It's truly sad that so much work was apparently put into the restoration of the actual film, and then a second-rate DVD was produced from it. I honestly can't recommend this DVD for anyone, especially given the list price, and would recommend that people wait for (and demand) a definitive anamorphic release of this all-time classic.
|
|
|
|
|