The Harder They Come

Perry Henzell’s daughter Justine has recorded a special introduction to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. As well as being a golden time for reggae, the early 1970s was the time for classic Jamaican film. The Harder They Come broke out in 1972, riding a wave of optimism a decade after independence. Co-written by Trevor D. Rhone (Smile Orange), this classic cult film fuses a true tale of a country boy turned badman with that of ruthless reggae star-making. Jimmy Cliff plays Ivanhoe, newly arrived in Kingston and searching for work. While Ivanhoe sinks to badman crime, the music, by Cliff, Desmond Dekker and The Maytals’ Toots, soars.

I was in the studio recording You Can Get It If You Really Want when the director Perry Henzell came in and asked if I could write some music for a film he was about to make. The next thing I knew, he was sending me the script and asking me to play the lead. I think he was taken aback by my self-confidence. I’d never acted before, and I was doing well as a singer, but I jumped at the opportunity.

Actor and singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, from an interview with The Guardian