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Bob Marley Film

72 replies

Maggiethecat · 11/02/2024 10:50

The trailer looks good and looking forward to seeing it this week.

Anyone else excited about this film?

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Maggiethecat · 14/02/2024 22:50

Sidebysws9 · 14/02/2024 07:36

Following also! It's quite a long film! Don't think DS would manage to sit through it and he's only 9! May be too mature for him anyone else taking their DC to see it?

It’s only about 1hr40mins. Not longer than a Disney film.
There are the scenes of violence and focuses on some serious issues although interspersed with some light moments.
It’s not a light hearted celebration of Bob’s life but it does give a peek into a pivotal time of his life.
It really depends on your child and his maturity.

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Sidebysws9 · 15/02/2024 08:33

@Maggiethecat thank you I'll have a think about it!

LadyKenya · 17/02/2024 20:14

I went to see the film this afternoon. I had been so looking forward to seeing it. I thought that it would focus on his childhood more. I got completely absorbed in it, and thought that the young man, who played teenage bob, displayed such sensitivity. I found myself getting emotional at some of the scenes, which is quite unlike me. I think that it is definitely worth seeing. The message of peace that Bob Marley advocated is so needed right now. I will be getting out my Legend album!

Sidebysws9 · 17/02/2024 20:18

I went to see it. It was a great watch and a very nice atmosphere in the cinema someone even spoke after the film which I thought was lovely. For a film they did well its not a documentary which I would like to watch from all his children! It was more light hearted than I thought it would be DS loved it too!

User19798 · 17/02/2024 23:53

@Maggiethecat sorry I just saw this.
I just wonder if a Muslim or Hindu man of such standing and significance would have been played by an actor of a different nationality and religion. I would have liked to see a Rasta with a deep belief of Bobs activism. I haven't seen it though and may be speaking out of turn.

User19798 · 17/02/2024 23:54

Oh and that wig 😬Bob's locks were just gorgeous, it's a bit jarring to me.

Orangeandgold · 18/02/2024 00:04

Im glad you started this post. I was going to watch it when it came out as my partner wanted to see it. But I was told by a few friends that the patois would be disappointing and I should watch American Fiction instead.

The trailer looked good so I’ll add it to my list (again).

Disturbia81 · 18/02/2024 00:12

Turmerictolly · 11/02/2024 22:43

Reviews aren't that good.

I never look at reviews and make my own mind up. We all have different tastes and expectations.
I thought it was brilliant 🖤

Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 00:18

@LadyKenya - Great that you enjoyed it!
The family/producers focused on those 2 pivotal years of his life which revealed his intensity for music and the things he held dear.
I didn’t feel that I needed the film to expose his roots and upbringing any more than it did. But that might be because I grew up with an awareness of his story so can understand that others might be curious. There are documentaries around for that though.

I liked that there was a focus on his relationship with Rita, his backbone and the living family matriarch and I felt that their story was sensitively played.

I reached for my Exodus album as soon as I got home!

@Sidebysws9 - hope your DS enjoyed it! Will go with Dc next time.

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Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 00:30

@User19798 - it’s similar to the debate that Americans have been having for some time and whether these British actors should be playing iconic American personalities - MLK, Malcom X (coincidentally played by KBA in One night in Miami) etc

I don’t think you need a Rastafarian to play Bob. My view is that you need a good actor and I feel that KBA delivered.

I wasn’t bothered by the dreads. They did look fuller and less worn than the dreads grown by someone over the course of their life would look but they didn’t seem overtly fake to me.

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Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 00:50

@Orangeandgold - haha! I can tell you that especially Jamaicans in Jamaica were gunning for that accent, ready to shoot it down.
I think the general feeling is that he done good with it. The family knew the accent would be critical to how the portrayal would be received by Jamaicans in particular and probably even by they themselves and they gave KBA all the tools he needed to do a good job. He had 8 or 9 dialect coaches! He had realms of audio tapes from Bob’s daughter to immerse himself in and so on.
It’s not perfect but bear in mind that it’s not just any Jamaican accent that he had to get, he also had to get Bob’s rhythm and style of speaking.
There were bits that my ears involuntarily picked out, so from the trailer: “ I a nuh supastah” rather than “I a nuh supastarrgh” ( I know phonetic spelling can be rubbish!)

Lashana’s accent on the other hand was so inconsistent, surprisingly as she is of J’can parentage. But what she lacked in the accent she made up for in the expressiveness and often tenderness that she gave the role.

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Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 00:53

And BTW I watched American Fiction and it was brilliant.
But One Love is worth the watch too.

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Sidebysws9 · 18/02/2024 07:20

The Jamaican accent thing has sparked a lot of controversy which I think is very unrealistic as well as unreasonable. Is it just me, but most Jamaicans born in UK do not speak patois daily within their households and speak to their kids like that. So to expect an actor just to pick up an accent/dialect is a hard thing to do we are not talking a few phrases it's throughout the whole entire film!

Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 09:12

@Sidebysws9 - by controversy do you mean that people are critical of the accents delivered by the actors (in general or KBA’s in particular) since the film release or surrounding the casting of non Jamaicans at the expense of Jamaicans?

Two separate issues but understandable that people might feel that a Jamaican should have played Bob and at the same time would have got the accent.

I think it is reasonable to expect people to do a good job of accents generally - if you’re British you probably cringe at a poorly done British accent.

It is even more important if the person you’re playing is known for their speech. Bob’s life was largely about the music and the message, he was Jah’s messenger, and it would have been a disaster if his accent was too off mark. The family knew that from the get go.

Arguably, although still important, the delivery of Rita’s was not as crucial and was perhaps more forgivable.

I’m not even aware of how much I speak patois daily at home but sufficient enough that my Dc understand what I’m saying. Their spoken patois is the Cool Runnings variety though.

Not sure if Lashana’s parents are British born and how much she would have heard/spoke patois at home but it doesn’t matter, it wasn’t her first tongue.

Lashana would have had to work on the accent too although you would have thought that she had a head start.

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Sidebysws9 · 18/02/2024 09:26

Maybe my view is different as mother is mixed race, dad is born in UK his parents are with Jamaican born and growing up they raised all their 7 DC in England but travelled back and fourth to JA. Granny now lives in JA and so did my Grandad. So based on their kids my aunts and uncles like you are saying I and other family members could understand of course because it isn't an official language. The point is though English language ran through the household and I don't think this is unusual across the board. Most British born Jamaicans don't speak full on patois like that. It's not that I don't expect the actors/actress to do a good job I just think there's an unrealistic element although I agree with you if someone who was originally from Jamaica played the role that would have solved the issue completely. Who knows the family's reasons for not taking that route.

Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 10:00

Kingsley is not of Jamaican heritage but was able to do a more convincing accent than Lashana. Don’t know if he worked harder or had more help, resources and coaching.

I don’t expect Lashana to have got the accent right just because of her heritage. I expect that she would have to work hard for it too but her exposure to the dialect and nuances of the language would have given her a foundation to work on.

This idea of making this movie has been knocking about for years and when they decided finally to make it they struggled with casting Bob. They could have found Jamaicans with the physical attributes to play him and indeed people wonder why not Bob’s grandson Skip who looks like his grandfather and sings.

Seems they saw a lot of people but were drawn to KBA. The family knows what they were looking for and must have found it in him.

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Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 10:06

I haven’t heard much about the casting for Rita but you’d think that especially as she’s still
alive they’d want to get her right too.

Lashana had the advantage of spending time with Rita which must have given her dimension into the character. There were scenes in which I was very moved by her portrayal.

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LadyKenya · 18/02/2024 10:09

I agree. The family would not have given their backing to the film, if they were not happy with who was chosen to portray Bob. They are aware of how important it is.

LadyKenya · 18/02/2024 10:25

Lashana had the advantage of spending time with Rita which must have given her dimension into the character. There were scenes in which I was very moved by her portrayal.

Lashana gave a solid performance as Rita. I really got the sense of her being a steadfast strength to Bob, and her family. It looks like it was her that introduced Bob to Rastafarianism.

Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 10:35

Rita is very respected by Jamaicans. The film rightly underscored how influential she was in his life. She also had to manage a lot of things ( we’d say she “run tings”)

I enjoyed watching their on screen dynamic and that the film wasn’t just about him. It may be that had there been no Rita there would have been no Bob.

So, for people who were not happy with the film’s focus I’d say that the family will be happy with the story of their family that they wanted to tell.

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Maggiethecat · 18/02/2024 10:40

And the more I think about it, this was a film about Bob but it was also homage to Rita.

She is alive but very unwell and I feel that getting this film done before she passes may have shifted the needle in finally getting it done.

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PleaseletitbeSpring · 18/02/2024 10:47

The Marley family are from Kent, England. My (white) DH is a cousin of Bob of which he's very proud. I've not seen the film yet. Really looking forward to it.

Sidebysws9 · 18/02/2024 10:57

@PleaseletitbeSpring Bob marley has a sister too doesn't he. I came across her on YouTube recently I wonder if the others keep contact with her!

LadyKenya · 18/02/2024 11:46

Well I hope that the neighbours appreciate good music, as I am putting on my Legend album soon! I was in my element last night, as they showed The Harder They Come on London Live, last night. I just need to see Smile Orange now, to feel complete😄

Disturbia81 · 18/02/2024 12:10

God the people who complain about every little thing must be miserable in life.