A year later on a set in London, actor Kingsley Ben-Adir stepped out of a subway station, two steps at a time, one step at a time. Bob Marley's son Zig is satisfied. "It's been a year and he still remembers it."
During the filming of "Bob Marley: One Love," Kingsley was like a marionette. The Bob Marley biopic, released on February 14, is the most authoritative in history because the producers include Bob's widow Rita and his children Sedara and Zig. They and a cast and crew with a Jamaican background closely followed Kingsley's every move on the set to ensure that the British actor was infinitely close to the music legend Bob Marley, who had passed away 43 years ago.
"Bob Marley: A Love" poster
Before accepting the film contract, Kingsley could not sing or play guitar. "Except for the fact that one of my parents is white and the other is black, I have nothing in common with Bob Marley." With the help of everyone, he managed to turn himself into the great Jamaican - speaking English with a thick accent and dressing up in disguise. , typhoons, habits, and even the smallest body language are all similar. But does this ensure that the officially certified "Bob Marley: A Love" is a good music biopic? After
was released, its media reputation was average. Criticisms focused on the script, which featured confusing editing, narrow angles and thin, almost saintly characters. Commentators are more interested in seeing how Bob Marley went from dropping out as a teenager to becoming the "Father of Reggae", the birth of music, human growth, the complexity of human nature, and his impact on the post-colonial era. As the first world superstar born in the third world, why did he touch the collective trauma and allow people to find a common language in his music? Who is Bob Marley beneath the "everything's going to be okay" façade?
"Bob Marley: A Love" movie stills
However, the box office of the movie was very good, far exceeding expectations. Within six days of its release, its U.S. box office revenue reached $51 million, beating "Madame Web" to become the box office champion in its first weekend.
A music biopic begins a journey of nostalgia. Over the past decade or so, biopics of music superstars have become a popular choice. After Bob Marley, in April, Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" will be released. Regardless of the quality of the film, this has become a business that rarely loses money.
The audience who bought tickets came for the music. As long as the musical content is high enough, you can wave your light sticks and sing and dance to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé or Queen on the big screen. It doesn't matter whether it's a concert movie or a biography.
"Bob Marley: A Love" movie stills
The same is true for this Bob Marley. Although there are many dissatisfactions in the comments, there is a "but". "But, the music is good..." The short two years selected in the film (1976-1978) contain the essence of the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers, including two world-famous concerts, one album, a violent marital quarrel and an attempted assassination. The background of
is the Cold War. Jamaica gained independence in 1962, but in the 1970s it was still mired in poverty, gangs were rampant, and two political forces were competing here - the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP). Bob has a friendship with Fidel Castro, so he is feared by the United States. It is afraid that with his rising influence, he will create another Cuba in the United States' immediate neighborhood.
Bob Marley
Bob Marley, who grew up in poverty and chaos, had a white officer father who abandoned him and a black mother. He may have been naturally left-leaning, but after meeting Rita, he became a Rastafarian. This sect advocates a simple and natural life, taking part of Christian teachings and part of the traditional beliefs of the Caribbean. It yearns to "return to Africa" (they believe that Jesus will be reborn as a black man); they smoke marijuana, believing that it can improve health and spirituality. , using red, black, green and yellow to represent the yearning of the heart, and using love and peace to heal the rifts in the post-colonial era.
Bob Marley and his reggaeton created a miracle that can only happen in a land that loves music very much.Politicians who were hostile to each other had to temporarily compromise with the public opinion gathered by music. There are many Rastafarian musicians on the island of Jamaica. But only Bob Marley turned out to be a force that could compete with political power, causing death for himself and those around him.
On December 3, 1976, an assassination took place against Bob and his family. The actual scene was more like a massacre. Gunmen broke into the recording studio and shot everyone present indiscriminately. It was rumored that the man behind the incident was then Prime Minister Michael Manley. Bob Marley was slightly injured and Rita was shot, but her injuries were not life-threatening. At this time, Bob Marley showed extraordinary courage. Two days after the attack, he held a "Smiling Jamaica Concert" with 80,000 people in attendance. He hopes this will quell the violence.
After the concert, Bob took refuge in England. During his 18 months in exile, he recorded the album "exodus", which included three golden songs "three little birds", "one love" and "jamming".
Because of his music, as well as his attitude, courage and charisma, Bob Marley is also popular in the Western world. His newfound international influence allowed him to accomplish a feat that his Western music colleagues envied but could not achieve - using music to influence politics - upon his return to Jamaica in April 1978.
At the "One Love, One Peace Concert", Bob invited the leaders of the rival parties, Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, to the stage at the same time, and taught them to raise their hands above their heads and shake hands to make peace. The handshake was significant, signaling a ceasefire in violence-plagued Jamaica.
Manley stepped down two years later, and Seaga became the Prime Minister of Jamaica, completing the transition of power. At Bob Marley's funeral in 1981, the two appeared in the same space again.
Album "exodus" "kaya"
"exodus" recorded during Bob's stay in London may not be his best album, but it is true that it was named "the greatest album of the 20th century" by Time Magazine. It strikes a perfect balance between politics, religion and romance, bursting with the energy of a pop star at the top of his game. Borrowing the famous songs "One Love" and "Three Little Birds", Bob Marley uses his own experience to tell you that no matter how difficult life is, you can get through it with music. "Don't worry about anything because every little thing will get better"; "Let's be together and it will feel good".
And he himself died from a "little thing" that was out of control. Bob Marley loved playing football as much as he loved music. After stubbing his toe playing football in London, he discovered melanoma hidden under it. Out of religious belief that his body must remain intact, he refused the advice of doctors in London to amputate his toes and underwent only partial removal of the lesions. In 1980, Bob collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park and had to cancel the remainder of his U.S. tour. Traditional Jamaican herbal and witchcraft treatments could not stop the spread of cancer, and the modern cancer treatment he received at the last moment was too late.
Collection "legend"
Bob Marley died at the age of 36. After his death, his image and records became spiritual totems and continued to sell well. His family developed Bob Marley merchandise ranging from marijuana to headphones, all but one movie missing. Now, this gap has been filled by them.
What they added was a glimpse of Bob Marley's stardust, a totem. There are playlists from the movie on the streaming media, and you can listen to the selections "legend" and "exodus". You'll find that the politics, faith, poverty, injustice, love, and hope in Bob Marley's music are still relevant today.
