BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE IN CINEMA

You don’t have to be spiritual to believe in immortality and destiny. All you must do is open your eyes, mind, and heart. Then you recognize those surrounded by a magical light and born to enrich this world, forever. One of these gifted people was and is Bob Marley.

And it was high time to dedicate a film to Jamaica’s national hero. How nice that part of his family took part in the production, especially Bob’s son, Ziggy Marley, of course. Furthermore, Ziggy’s sister Cedella and mother, Rita, also took part in the production. Just like Brad Pitt.

THE ICON BOB MARLEY

Bob Marley was born in Nine Miles in Saint Ann Parish on the beautiful Caribbean Island of Jamaica. To this day, Nine Miles remains a place of pilgrimage for the people whose hearts Bob Marley touched deeply, as a musician, activist, and outstanding personality.

REGGAE & THE RASTAFARIAN MOVEMENT

Of course, the term reggae also resonates with Marley’s name. With his band, The Wailers, Bob Marley shaped this style of music internationally.

However, reggae was and is more than music. It is a powerful message that has its origins in the Jamaican Rastafari movement. At the beginning of the movement, in the 1930s, Jamaica was still a British crown colony. And we know that the wealth of the colonial rulers to this day comes from the slave market.

This is how a Back-to-Africa movement arose, which was supposed to lead the enslaved people back to the promised land. The Rastafarians do not locate this in Palestine but in Ethiopia. To this day, Rastafarians don’t like the decadent Western political system, which they compare to the biblical Babel. They consider it, certainly more than justifiably, as corrupt and discriminatory.

The colors of the Rastafarian movement are red for the blood of the martyrs. Gold represents the wealth of Africa. Finally, the green symbolizes the vegetation of Ethiopia and the hope of returning to the country.

THE INFLUENCES

With reggae music, which is also closely linked to styles such as mento, ska, and rocksteady, this hope for return, peace, and freedom was beamed into the international music scene and thus became known worldwide. The term scratching is also derived from reggae. Outside of Jamaica, the former colonial power Great Britain was probably most influenced by reggae. Styles such as punk, new wave, and pop were derived from reggae, and bands such as The Police and The Clash were largely influenced by it.

BOB MARLEY’S FAMILY

Bob Marley embodied the soul of Jamaica. Musically, and spiritually, but also because his mother, Cedella, was a black singer and author and his father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white captain in the British army. Due to the couple’s wedding, which was a scandal at the time, Norval had to resign from the service.

Later, Bob Marley married his Cuban childhood friend Rita Anderson in 1966. With her, he has 4 children: Cedella (1967), Ziggy (1968), Stephen (1972) and Stephanie (1974). However, already in 1964, both had adopted daughter Sharon. Marley also fathered seven children out of wedlock, including Rohan (1972).

HOUSE OF MARLEY

We reported in detail about Rohan Marley 10 years ago. Like many of Bob’s children, he not only followed in his father’s musical footsteps. Rohan also founded the House of Marley label. Of course, this also has to do with music and the values of the Marley Family. Headphones, turntables, and speakers from sustainable production are offered here, and at extremely fair prices.

THE PREMIERE OF BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE

Of course, son Ziggy Marley and his mother, Bob Marley’s widow Rita, appeared at the premiere in Kingston. Moreover, the next generation of the Marleys also performed on stage. The pretty Mystic Marley sang, among others, the Redemption Song. Afterward, Yohan performed Could You Be Loved and Jammin. Zuri Marley then acted as a DJ.

Marley’s former friends and companions also appeared at the Bob Marley: One Love premiere. For example, Junior Marvin, who played the lead guitar in Bob Marley & The Wailers for a long time. He brought his son Davo with him. In the film, Davo takes on the role of his father.

THE GUESTS

Lead actor Kingsley Ben Adir, the beautiful Sevana and Naomi Cowan as well as the British actor James Norton celebrated the premiere. As did His Excellency, Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness. Jamaica’s sports superstar Shelly-Ann Fraser also attended the screening of Bob Marley: One Love. Finally, director Reinaldo Marcus Green came also to Kingston.

BOB MARLEY: A SYMBOL OF PEACE THEN AND NOW

Bob Marley’s life, like that of other great personalities, was unfortunately far too short. But even in that short time and despite an attack on him, his wife, and his manager, he achieved so much. At that time there were civil war-like conditions in Jamaica. There were two warring political camps, the PNP and the right-wing JLP. Chaos and violence ruled the island.

At the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston in 1978, Bob Marley managed to get representatives of both parties on stage. Here they had to shake hands in front of thousands of people. Mainly, the violence largely ended thereafter.

Even though Bob Marley lost his battle with cancer at such a young age, he left us wonderful, energetic, and profound music and an image of a person who fights for his ideals and values.

THE MOVIE BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE

We can now experience this image on the cinema screen in magnificent images and even more powerful sound. In the biopic Bob Marley: One Love.

Its release makes more than sense. Because Bob Marley’s messages are more important today than ever. In times when the world seems to be torn apart, we could need some kind of Messiah to show us the right path and give us hope.

The film is now available via VoD and on Blu-Ray. One love, one heart, one destiny.