Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.The goal of this documentary was to find out as the director put it: “Why does he still speak to people around the world (because he clearly does) and why does he speak to people so much more profoundly than any other rock artist or popular music artist?” Vivid imagery, footage never seen before, audio that has been cleaned up and given new life; all elements of Marley are on full display and left me without a single complaint the two plus hours the movie lasts. Songs that have been heard countless numbers of times sound sonically enhanced; something that pushed the music to a new level and gave Bob’s music an even new light. (http://www.bobmarley.com)

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. 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. 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.
 

Ziggy Marley:
We started talking about doing a definitive film on Bob 6 years ago. We had spoken to a few directors and then Kevin (MacDonald) came up after that. I met with Kevin and we talked about what the film could be, something that covers Bob’s life, exposing the truth. The good stuff, the bad stuff, the happy stuff, the sad stuff—hoping we can have audiences feel a stronger connection to him. Like a person you actually knew, instead of just this iconic figure that smokes weed and plays reggae music. So this was the idea of the film, and I think it achieves that because of the content and the emotional responses I’ve had from it, the family has had from it, and people have had from it. It’s been good working on the film. It taught us a lot, and I think people dig it, you know?

“We have to protect and take care of his legacy,” Ziggy Marley said. “That’s why we do this film because that’s the role we played. Here this is our father and here is how we want you to see him, his life and feel him. We’re more like caretakers. It was interesting being around the studio, being around when he first started building the studio, going to his live concerts, dancing with him on the stage. His music was revolutionary music really. His message brought in a lot of elements within the Jamaican society that were involved in political change in Jamaica. So it was exciting because of his music, what that brought around us as children. It was very exciting for me and I learned a lot from it.”

 

Directed by Kevin MacDonald
I feel like I gotta a little bit more educated about him, his process, his life. Like the story about Zimbabwe and the tear gas, and how he was the only man on stage and everybody left. I didn’t know all that stuff. I definitely feel like I got to know him a little bit more. The first interviews I did on this were with Ziggy and Rita and Cedella, and I was amazed by how frank and open they all were, and that sort of set the tone for the whole thing. They were, I think, relatively brave in doing that, and Cedella in particular, you feel this rawness of emotion that she still had, this resentment towards her father in a way, a sort of unhappiness, and she wasn’t sort of covering that up.

 

In theatres and on demand 4.20.2012
Selected Theathers will be Showing the Movie:

Tempe, AZ: Valley Art 1 Theatre
Berkeley, CA: Shattuck Cinemas 10
Claremont, CA: Claremont 5
Los Angeles, CA: Cinefamily
North Hollywood, CA: Laemmle NoHo 7
Pasadena, CA: Playhouse 7 Cinemas
San Francisco, CA: Lumiere Theatre 3
San Jose, CA: Camera 3
San Rafael, CA: Smith Rafael Film Center
Santa Ana, CA: South Coast Village 3
Santa Cruz, CA: Nickelodeon Theatres
West Los Angeles, CA: The Landmark 12
Boulder, CO: Boulder Theatre
Denver, CO: Mayan Theatre
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema
Miami, FL: O Cinema
Atlanta, GA: Midtown Art Cinemas 8
Honolulu, HI: Kahala Theatres 8
Chicago, IL: Music Box
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema 9
Grand Rapids, MI: Wealthy Theatre
Royal Oak, MI: Main Art Theatre
Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema
New York, NY: Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center
New York, NY: Sunshine Cinema 5
Portland, OR: Hollywood Theatre
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz at the Bourse
Pittsburgh, PA: Regent Square Theater
Providence, RI: Cable Car Cinema
Nashville, TN: Belcourt Theatre
Austin, TX: Violet Crown Cinemas
Dallas, TX: Angelika Film Center and Cafe
San Antonio, TX: Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro 6
Seattle, WA: Harvard Exit Theatre