Thorny path

The leading role of reggae singer Jimmy Cliff appeared as a hero, whose image was inspired by the famous Jamaican criminal of the 1940s under the nickname Rhyging (Vincent "Ivanho" Martin). Prior to filming, the film project was called Rhygin . Later, the film was renamed to Hard Road to Travel , and then to The Harder They Come , which prompted Cliff to write a song of the same name ^[5] . The plot of the film only partially reflects the life of a real Vincent Martin, since Rhyging himself was neither a musician nor a drug dealer.

The lead actor Jimmy Cliff at the time of filming had no acting experience other than participation in school productions ^[5] . Other major roles in the film were played by Janet Barclay (Elsa), Basil Keane (preacher), Ras Daniel Hartman (Pedro), Beverly Anderson (housewife), who will later marry Michael Manley , future Prime Minister of Jamaica , Bob Charlton (Hilton ), Volare Johnson (a man with a cart), as well as comedians Bim and Bam in Jamaica - Ed “Bim” Lewis (photographer) and Eston “Bem” Winter (drunk husband) ^[6] .

The film became a sensation in Jamaica thanks to a realistic reflection of the life of the country's black population, filming in real-life places and the use of the local dialect. The black population first saw themselves on the screen - this caused such an incredible reaction of the public to the film ^[4] .

The film was released in February 1973 in New York by Roger Corman's New World Pictures for limited viewing. He gained great fame in April of the following year, when he was released for viewing across the country for the so-called “midnight audience” ^[7] . However, outside of Jamaica, the popularity of the film was not so wide. The fact is that the local dialect, which the main characters used to communicate, was illegible and subtitles were required. It is even possible that this was the first English-language film to go with subtitles in the United States ^[8] .

The soundtrack for the film was a breakthrough for reggae in America ^[3] .

In 2006, Prasad Studios digitally restored the film. The film was recreated in its original form ^[9] .

Ivanho “Ivan” Martin lived in the village with his grandmother, and when she died, he came to Kingston to his poor mother. In the city, he is trying to find work, but nothing comes of it. Mother advises him to turn to a certain Preacher, who takes him to her. Now Ivan has to work with this man in the courtyard of the household and carry out small assignments. One day, the Preacher gives him the task of taking the sermon recordings to a recording studio. At the studio, Ivan listens to musicians singing and playing, and begs the producer to give him the opportunity to record, as he also writes songs and sings. The next day, Ivan writes his song The Harder They Come at the studio and receives $ 20 for it. At the same time, the Preacher kicked him out of work, since Ivan rehearsed his songs in the church. Ivan leaves, but not alone, but with Elsa, an orphan girl who has lived with the Preacher since childhood. Ivan wants to become a famous and wealthy singer, but this is impossible, since almost all the profits are taken by the producer and the record company. Ivan visits the Preacher to pick up the bike, which he collected from the wreckage while working in the yard. The man who is now working in the courtyard of the Preacher does not give the bike away. A scuffle ensues and Ivan pokes the knife several times. Since Ivan was not previously convicted, he is not sent to prison, but punished by flogging.

One of the new city friends of Ivan Jose offers to make money on drugs. Ivan agrees, and now his task is to deliver goods from the province to the city to the customers. Over time, Ivan notices that this is a big business, where a lot of money is spinning, but people like him have very little from this. He shares his observations with Jose. Jose turns to the police, because it is they who control the drug business, where he asks Ivan to be a little scared, because he gets into his own business. During a police chase, Ivan shoots a police officer, and later generally kills three officers when they arrive to detain him. After some time, she also kills the friend-girlfriend of Jose.

However, many poor people consider Ivan a hero and hide in slums. His song at this time becomes a local hit. The police block the entire local drug business, and since this is the only possible income for the poor, they begin to starve. Thus, the police want the dealers themselves to extradite Ivan, and many of them are really starting to think about it. One of the few remaining dealer-friends invites Ivan to flee to Cuba , where he could pretend to be a revolutionary. At this time, Elsa was in a difficult position, because she took care of one orphan boy. He is very sick and they have absolutely nothing to eat. She decides to extradite Ivan and reports him to the Preacher, who is the police. A large troop of police landed on the shore, where Ivan is waiting for the boat. Ivan tries to behave like the hero of the spaghetti western , which he watched when he first arrived in the city. Since this is an unequal battle, Ivan dies.

The film received mostly positive reviews ^{[10] [11] [12]} . On the Rotten Tomatoes website , its freshness rating is 89% ^[13] .

• In 1980, Jamaican American writer Michael Telwell published a novel based on a movie of the same name. Telwell included many Jamaican sayings in the novel that were not in the film.
• In 2005, the film was adapted to the musical staged in the UK by the Royal Theater of East Stratford and the International Theater of Great Britain. The script was created under the supervision of the director of the film Perry Hentsel ^[14] . The premiere took place on March 25, 2006 . In addition to the original soundtrack, the musical also featured new compositions, including The Ganja Song by Geraldine Connor ^[15] . The production was later presented at the Playhouse Theater, and was also staged in Toronto and Miami. ^[14]
• The film is referenced by a track from Chase & Status called “Hitz” from No More Idols .
• The film is referenced in The Clash 's song “The Guns of Brixton” from the London Calling album . Jimmy Cliff recorded a cover version of this song and later appeared on his Rebirth album. The film is also referenced in the song “Safe European Home” from the Give 'Em Enough Rope album.

• Jamaica cinema
• Rockers (film, 1978)
• The Harder They Come (album)