"Rockers" (1978) Review

"Rockers" Review

• How does the main character, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, compare to the other main characters (Ivan Martin and Derrick Thompson) in the first two films we saw?

I think Horsemouth's values and reasons resembles more to Derrick's than to Ivan's. They both fought against those who were privileged, had tons of money and used it to abuse the poor. Ivan also kind of did this, but only at the beginning of the movie, because he later lost his way and became an outlaw with selfish motivations. However, personality speaking, I think Horsemouth's and Ivan's are very similar. Both of them were kind of daring and pranksters with their neighbours and family. Also, they both worked in the music industry and were very popular among their communities, always at every person they met in the street.

• Did you like or dislike the film? Why/Why not?

I liked the film a lot more than I thought I would. Since it was released just a couple years later than "The harder they come"; a film which I really didn't like because of it's sexist characters, weird sense of justice and exaggerated violence; I had very low expectations on this one. However, I ended up liking it a lot mainly because it portrayed a not-so violent way of bringing justice to the people and in the end I was left with the feelings of watching a feel-good movie. Through the entire film it mantained some kind of relaxing atmosphere, mostly because of the continuous reggae soundtrack and the relaxed protagonist who, despite the problems that were presented to him, never killed anyone or brutally attacked someone (not as Ivan at least). He didn't brutally killed the guy who led the mafia and was stealing other's people things. Instead, he stole everything from the storage and gave the belongings back to his neighbours and friends. The acting wasn't perfect, I have to say that. However, I researched a little and found out that they were not actors. They were portraying themselves. This characters were real people, so I forgave the movie for it's not-perfect acting. Also, it had a calm and peaceful ending: after having returned all the possessions, Leroy laids in his bed, just wanting to sleep and then his wife enters to wake him up and see what's happening outside (what he did). He just says "Relax, man" with reggae music in the background, as if he were directly saying to the audience to relax now, that the movie is over. A relaxing ending to a relaxing movie.

• In conclusion to our Jamaican film unit, which was your favourite film of all 3? Why?

This is a hard one but my vote goes for this one, "Rockers". Structurally and narratively, "Ghetta life" is better, but only because it was made in the 2010's, with more resources available. I would say, however, that I cried more and felt more with that one, despite it's cliché story. Nevertheless, I have to say that this was my favourite because it was made with less resources and despite that they managed to film a unique and impactful story, plus with no professional actors or actresses, which for ever will be considered as one of the best Jamaican movies ever made. "The harder they come" may be meaningful too but it delivers the wrong message and it doesn't stand up to this day, not as "Rockers" anyway, which now that I come to think off relates to our current situation, where the wealthiest man and women of Chile continuously steal from us right under our noses without us even noticing. I which someone like Leroy Horsemouth Wallace could just bring us back everything these people has stolen from us.    

"The harder they come" review

The harder they come

• In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

The technical element I liked the most about this film was the soundtrack. While the rhythm of the songs used in the movie was very phenomenal, catchy and reggae-ish, the lyrics and its content were the most important element of the songs for me. They transmited the injustice exercised by the oppressors, those who have power and abuse it, and therefore granted the movie with a political statement. However, the way they presented this same statement through the narrative was the thing that I'm not certain if I liked or didn't like. The movie presented Ivan as a character who, through violence, corruption, threatenings and oppression itself climbed to the top of his musical career and became a succesfull person. This character, in the begining, wanted to fight against the system and the social injustice, but the gaining of power and fame corrupted him, and as a consecuence he ended up being what he hated the most. In the end, after having evaded the police, killing policeman in the process and even shooting an innocent woman in the leg, he ends up being shot multiple times, and therefore dies for his mean actions. But I don't know if the director intended to prove that power corrupts someone and gets you killed or if that kind of person represents some sort of anti-hero. An anti-hero because the last scene shows jamaican spectators laughing and happy for the dead of Ivan but in a way they are celebrating his character and everything he's done in the movie. Or maybe the audience shown in the movie is happy for the dead of such a mean character, therefore confirming my original hypothesis for the point of view of the director? I don't know, that's a question that comes up to my mind right after the movie has ended. Furthermore, the credits rolling right in front of the hip of a dancing woman confuses me even more. Speaking of a woman's hip, that's a point I completely didn't like about the film: the woman's objectification and her figure as a pasive one, present during the entire film. Additionally, the female figure existed in the movie only to sexually please male characters. Ivan's girlfriend was always obedient and submissive to Ivan's opinions. Even if sometimes she argued with him, she always gave up and ended up losing her argument over his. Plus, women in this film don't make the narrative proceed. Instead, it is through the action of men, and only men, that the plot advances. Finally, another thing I didn't like, in terms of filmmaking, was the editing. Sure, the cinematography was consistent with the cinematographic proposal (a handheld camera most of the shots consistent with the uncleanliness of the plot), but the editing was really bad, basic, poorly executed and sometimes it really made me jump from the viewing, specially in one scene where the father of the church notes that Ivan and his "daughter" are making eye contact during the singing of the chorus. The transition between the shots during that scene was so fast and unprofessional that it made me literally vomit. Nah, I'm kidding. 

• Who is your favorite character from the film?

I'd say that I don't have a favorite character in this movie. In fact, I disliked almost all the characters in it. Now that I'm trying to think of the character I liked not the most, but more than others, I really don't have one. Everyone in the movie were corrupt and mean. Ivan; his mom, who threw him out of her house right after his visit; the policeman leading the search, who threathened an old poor guy and several other people justo so they could colaborate with him; the guy who seemed friendly at the beggining with Ivan, but then unfairly stole his bike and attacked him... The list could go on and on.The only character in wich I don't find one mean action and I liked more than the others was Ivan's girlfriend, who just loved him and wanted to be with him, but then when Ivan endangered the drug business (the only way of the poor to make money in that place) and therefore the status of the poor population, she gave a tip of Ivan's location to the police so they could kill him and end his desertion. 

• Would you recommend this film to someone? Why/why not?

No, I wouldn't, mainly because I know that most people of my age, just hearing the sentence "movie released in 1972" start to lose interest in my recommendation. Maybe some of my friends who like more and know more about the film industry would watch it, but honestly I wouldn't recommend it for everything I said before. Maybe I could recommend it to friends who like a lot and know a lot about the reggae culture (and smoke a lot). 

• How does this film contribute to postcolonial identity?

I read somewhere that this film brought reggae to the world, and was the first feature film produced in Jamaica. According to this, I can see why: the movie was very succesfull in Jamaica. After being succesfull in it's original country, it quickly gained popularity in the international market, and then it became known for being one of the most influential of Jamaican films and one of the most important of the Caribbean. Additionally, the movie is in Jamaican Patois, a creole language which can be understood to some extent by English speakers. It even had subtitles in English for much of the movie on the original theatrical print, being recognised for it as "the first English language movie in history to require subtitles in the United States".