AUSTIN, Texas – So much has been written about Bob Marley, his life so meticulously documented in print and on film, it doesn't seem like there's much left to say about the reggae legend.
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The Jamaican singer and songwriter, who died of cancer in 1981, was responsible for spreading reggae music and the Rastafarian religion across the world, and for bringing international attention to the political and socioeconomic strife of his home country. He's a massively influential figure, not only as a musician, but as an advocate for peace and as a prophet for black consciousness. Marley's musical message, like his image, is ubiquitous.
And yet there's still room for a new film about him. The documentary, simply titled Marley, premiered here this week at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Even with all the material that's come before, Marley offers a fresh look at the musician's life, his music, his triumphs and his failings. The film packs enough new revelations to satisfy the most die-hard Marley know-it-alls, and those new to his story will be riveted throughout the two-hour-plus running time.
Marley was directed by Kevin Macdonald, who won an Oscar for his 1999 documentary One Day in September, and produced with the cooperation of Marley's family. Ziggy Marley, the oldest of Bob's sons (he had 11 kids by seven different women), was in attendance at Sunday's premiere, and described the film as "very intimate and emotional."
At over 150 minutes, it's also quite long. Macdonald said he was only contractually obligated to deliver a two-hour movie, but he had so much great material, he decided to go longer.
"The joke during the production was: What's the difference between an authoritative film and a definitive film," Macdonald told the crowd after the screening. "We decided the answer was 'about 30 minutes.'"
Macdonald said he felt comfortable releasing a very long movie about Bob.
"Scorcese gave four and a half hours to Bob Dylan," he said, "and I felt Bob Marley was at least as important as Dylan."
Indeed, Marley is in-depth and sweeping, but it's not overly long by any means. It's fascinating to watch. Macdonald conducted scores of new interviews with Marley's mother, Cedella Booker, his wife, Rita Marley, his children, his longtime girlfriend Cindy Breakspeare, and several extended family members. Marley's many musical associates appear as well: Ex-bandmate Bunny Wailer justifiably gets a great deal of screen time, and producer Lee Perry shows up, still as eccentric as ever.
The major events of Marley's life are all covered in depth – his country upbringing, his conversion to Rastafari, the rise and breakup of the Wailers, a gunman's attempt on his life, the 1978 One Love Peace Concert and his descent into illness.
Considering the buy-in from the Marley family and Bob's estate, I was surprised and delighted to see that the movie doesn't pull many punches. For example, the musician's marital indiscretions get laid bare.
"Bob was faithful to Jah. But to one woman? No.""Bob was faithful to Jah," says his former lawyer in the film. "But to one woman? No."
Most shocking are the moments when Marley's widow readily admits she was aware of his fooling around, and that she was sometimes enlisted to remove women from his dressing room on tour. Also, the break-up of the original Wailers is handled with chilling honesty. Chris Blackwell, the head of the Wailers' label, Island Records, says he recognized Marley wanted success and stardom more than Bunny and the third Wailer, the late Peter Tosh. As Bunny recounts his side of the story, we can sense his bitterness about the machinations of the music industry PR machine, and he doesn't exhibit a shred of regret for leaving the group.
Many of the greats from reggae's golden age have passed, so there are too many voices missing, especially Tosh's (the singer was gunned down in 1987). Also, the film ends with Marley's death, and there's little discussion of his legacy. For a man who introduced reggae to millions of people and is still a hugely influential voice in music – not to mention all those T-shirts with his face on them – this is a painful omission.
But the wealth of new material is wonderful. There are dozens of never-before-seen and rarely seen photos in the film, especially shots of Bob in his youth and in his final days, when he retired to Germany for last-ditch cancer treatments. There are a few snatches of newly unearthed performance footage, and some great home movies. There's also some unreleased Wailers music in the film, like a fast gospel rendition of "No Woman, No Cry," with Tosh on piano.
Even those who've seen every Marley documentary and read every book will find something new here. The mid-1980s BBC film Caribbean Nights has long stood as the most comprehensive visual document about Marley and his message, but Macdonald's Marley bests it (though it helps that Macdonald's film is more than twice as long).
Best of all is the music. It positively bristles with life on the big screen. See it in a theater, and sit on the aisle so you have plenty of room to dance.
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Marley will see limited theatrical release April 20. It will also be available soon through video-on-demand services.
Update: This story was changed to correctly state the birth order of Bob's children. Ziggy is Bob and Rita's oldest son, not their oldest child.
