Jam, smoke weed, read the Bible: The biopic of Reinaldo Marcus Green provides insights into the eventful life of the reggae icon.
Berlin (jmb) – “Unless the philosophy that considers one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, there will be war everywhere.”: Bob Marley’s commitment to equality and peace extended far beyond the borders of his native Jamaica . The most famous of all reggae artists and ambassadors celebrated international success with his band The Wailers in the 1970s. His biggest hits include “One Love”, “No Woman No Cry”, “I Shot The Sheriff” and “Get Up Stand Up”.
More than a mere idealist
Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 – he turned 79 last week. The biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” now honors the singer’s life’s work. US director Reinaldo Marcus Green pays particular attention to the creation of the album “Exodus” and the preparations for the “One Love Peace Concert” that Marley played in Kingston in 1978.
For Marley, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, ‘Peace & Love’ was more than just ideals. The deeply religious Rastafari countered the civil war-like conflict that prevailed in Jamaica in the mid-seventies with a message of reconciliation and used his influence as a public figure to do so: at the concert in question, he invited the then Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga onto the stage convinced both of them to shake hands with each other. A gesture that reassured supporters of both political camps.
A national hero – pursued by inner demons
But that meaningful moment was preceded by a long maturation process. Marley’s sunny, cheerful melodies belied his struggle with his inner demons: the film explores Marley’s dealings with various traumas that haunted the singer for years, including an assassination attempt in December 1976 after he fled Jamaica. Cheered on by his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch), his love for his homeland and, last but not least, his faith, he finally gained new courage. When Marley traveled back to Jamaica for the first time after exile, he was received like a national hero.
“Bob Marley – One Love” portrays the reggae icon as a well-read, idealistic man whose heart beat for football, reggae and his family. Smoking weed was just as much a part of everyday life as jamming and reading the Bible. The scenes in the music studio portray Bob’s artistic discipline and his perfectionist standards. The soundtrack consists of Marley’s original recordings. Booming basses, clanging drums and groovy guitar parts frame the entertaining plot. There are also picturesque, beautiful nature shots that could have come from a promotional film about Jamaica.
A bit of hero worship
Although “One Love” reveals the pressure that Marley, a private individual, was exposed to as a public prophet of peace, it only raises a few critical questions about the Bob Marley myth. At times the singer’s portrayal drifts into a heroic transfiguration. Marley’s numerous affairs during his relationship with his wife Rita – he fathered seven children out of wedlock – are not discussed in detail. This may be because Rita and their two children Ziggy and Cedella played a key role in the production of the film. Pretty much anything that didn’t fit the narrative of Marley as a moral role model was swept under the table.
It is precisely Bob Marley’s fallibility that makes his peace activism so special: If someone like that succeeds in resolutely and courageously calming a conflict-torn country, then that gives hope for all of us. “Bob Marley – One Love” (103 minutes, FSK 12) is in German cinemas tomorrow.
2024-02-14 22:03:16
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