Rockers (1978 film)

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Rockers
Rockers FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Theodoros Bafaloukos
Written by Theodoros Bafaloukos
Produced byPatrick Hulsey
Starring Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace
Cinematography Peter Sova
Edited by Susan Steinberg
Production
company
Rockers Film Corporation
Distributed by New Yorker Films
Succéfilm
Release date
  • 1978 (1978)
Running time
100 minutes
Country Jamaica
LanguagesEnglish
Jamaican Patois
BudgetJA$500,000

Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican film by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Several popular reggae artists star in the movie, including Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger, Robbie Shakespeare, and Jacob Miller. [1]

Contents

Rockers was originally intended to be a documentary but blossomed into a full-length feature showing the reggae culture at its peak. [1] The film features authentic culture, characters and mannerisms. The main rocker Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, for example, is shown living with his actual wife and kids and in his own home. [2]

The recording studios shown are the famous Harry J Studios and Channel One Studios, [3] where many roots reggae artists recorded during the 1970s including Bob Marley. The film includes Kiddus I's recording of "Graduation In Zion" at Harry J's, which he happened to be recording when Bafaloukos visited the studio, [1] and a scene where Robbie arranges a session for the protagonist at Channel One. It also features Randy's Record Mart, the largest Jamaican music store of its time, and Joe Gibbs Record Manufacturing Co.

With a budget of JA$500,000 (about $40,000 [4] ), Rockers was completed in two months. The film premiered at the 1978 San Francisco Film Festival and had a theatrical release in the US in 1980. [1]

Plot

Horsemouth, a drummer living in a ghetto of Kingston, Jamaica, plans to make some extra money selling and distributing contemporary reggae records. He buys an orange-red 175 motorcycle to carry them to the sound systems, bodegas, clubs, and even (dance) parties around the island. His friend Jah Wise paints a Lion of Judah on both sides of the gas tank.

The film starts as a loose interpretation of Vittorio de Sica's The Bicycle Thief and turns into a reggae interpretation of the Robin Hood myth. [5]

Cast

Critical reception

Q Classic wrote: "What makes Rockers so splendid is both that it is entirely natural – the Rasta speak verges on impenetrable and subtitles are essential for most – and its stellar cast. Despite depicting a grittily real Jamaica, Rockers is in essence similar to a mid-'60s pop B-movie: a feeble plot bolstered by some pop stars trying to act, between singing a few songs." [9] Jamaican novelist Marlon James, writing for GQ magazine, opined: "Don't bother watching for the plot ... you watch Rockers for the dazzling feats of Jamaica's fashion imagination: sweater-vests, tracksuits, sweater-vests with tracksuits, suits tailored for a wedding but put to better use at a party... The fashion bull's-eyes fill every frame". [10]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the film was released in 1979 by Mango Records and includes only some of the songs heard in the film. [11] [12] In 2024, Rolling Stone magazine named it the 52nd greatest soundtrack of all time. [13]

Legacy

Samples of the film's dialogue were used in the early 1990s jungle track, "Babylon" by Splash, "Terrorist Dub" by Californian ragga-metal band Insolence, in the track "Zion Youth" from the 1995 album Second Light by Dreadzone and in 2012 in the song "Smoke" by Inner Terrestrials.[ citation needed ]

In 2018, Wallace, Kiddus I, and Big Youth came together to perform two shows in São Paulo, Brazil, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the film. [14]

In 2019, Italian singer Alborosie released "Living Dread", a cover of Black Uhuru's "Anthem". The music video recreates scenes from the film Rockers and features Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, the film's original star. [15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Campbell, Howard (17 August 2013). "Still Rocking at 35". Jamaica Observer .
  2. Maslin, Janet (27 June 1980). "'Rockers' Explores the Hard World of Jamaican Reggae". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 11 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Nishimoto, Dan (11 October 2005). "Rockers (1977)". PopMatters . Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  4. "1978 JMD to USD".
  5. "Rockers - 25th Anniversary Edition". DVD Talk . Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Peter I (5 December 2022). "Prince Hammer: Life's Trials & Tribulations Part 2 (The Interview)". Reggae Vibes.
  7. 1 2 Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 83. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4.
  8. Goldsmith, M. U. D.; Willson, P. A.; Fonseca, A. J. (2016). The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 248. ISBN   9781442269873.
  9. Tyler, Kieron (2015). "Shot! Reggae Cinema" . Q Classic via Rock's Backpages.
  10. James, Marlon (Summer 2016). "100 Minutes of Wild Jamdown Style". GQ. pp. 164–167.
  11. Deutsch, Didier C., ed. (2000). MusicHound Soundtracks: The Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music. Visible Ink Press. p. 499. ISBN   1-57859-101-5.
  12. Greene, Jo-Ann. "Rockers [Original Soundtrack] Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  13. "The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time". Rolling Stone. 24 September 2024.
  14. Campbell, Howard (2018) "Feeling Rockers in Brazil", Jamaica Observer , 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018
  15. Creatah (15 May 2019). "Alborosie releases "Living Dread" 7" Green Vinyl Single". World A Reggae Entertainment. Retrieved 28 October 2024.