Marley | Blu-ray Review

The herb induced gospel of reggae and Rastafarianism would never have become the international phenomenon it has if it wasn’t for the impassioned genius of Robert Nesta Marley, better known to the world as Bob. Under that dreaded mass that consumed his scrawny face, his mind worked overtime to, quite literally, bring peace and unity to the world, while his body decayed in shadow until it was too late to save. Director Kevin Macdonald has done an admirable job of piecing together Marley’s life with what little early material and incomprehensible interview footage he had to work with. Marley shows deep respect for the musician who gave a voice to the struggling nation of Jamaica while remaining surprisingly honest about his short comings as a father and husband.

As most Marley fans know by now, Trenchtown was, and still is, not the best of places to grow up, and because of this there is almost no photographic proof of Bob’s childhood, but this is where the story begins. A man of mixed ethnicity, he grew up in a musical household with his single mother, Cedella Booker. His white British father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a golden age Royal Marine apparently uninterested in fatherhood. As a teen Bob started to dabble in the local music scene, and by the early 1960s he had put together a group that would later come to be known as the Wailers, together releasing a series of singles that garnered attention that encompassed their small island nation, but Marley’s ambitions were much greater than simply reaching the locals. After temporarily moving to the U.S., he realized his potential, and with his passion to spread the word of Rastafarianism and his pure devotion to the off-beat music that was born in his homeland, he made a name for himself. But, with his popularity came a variety of unintended consequences including local political contention, which he unintentionally became involved, fatherhood, which he seemed to be never really invested in, and the decline of his personal health, which inevitably led to his untimely passing.

Produced as a classic interview based doc with plenty of archived material, the film relies heavily on the recollections of Marley’s band mates, family members, and Trenchtown confidants, but the main issue with Macdonald’s stylistic decision is the fact that several of these folks have obviously smoked themselves into oblivion, verbally blurring their memories before the camera. If not that, many of their Caribbean accents are so heavy, their gnarled English requires subtitles for complete comprehension, and sometimes they are thankfully provided, but often times they are sorely omitted, and details sadly start to get lost in translation. These problems especially hinder the film’s early development as it tries to introduce its lead storytellers. Many of them come off as laughable oddities rather than legitimate first hand sources, despite most of them being directly involved with Marley’s life and career for decades. Unfortunately, their inherent goofiness unintentionally hurts the film’s perceived legitimacy.

Despite these issues, the lengthy film remains a solid biography of an undisputed musical legend that naturally deserves to have his story told. To add to the feature’s importance, Macdonald has collected a number of unreleased recordings and visual artifacts, weaving them into this classic rags to riches narrative along with famed on stage performances that remind us of why Bob Marley is such an important musical figure. Coming from the utter detritus that is the poverty stricken country of Jamaica, he developed his craft within his own medium, and under the threat of political assassination and all, brought it to the world through hard work and unrelenting dedication to his art form.

The Disc:

Going back to the original film elements for much of the archived concert and interview footage, the film looks pretty decent overall. The new interviews conducted for the film, as well as the stunning helicopter shots of the gorgeous Jamaican landscape are all crystal clear. Obviously for a musically based doc, the audio is going to be pivotal, and the DTS-HD 5.1 track does not disappoint, reproducing many of Marley’s tracks with a clarity and liveliness not heard before. The disc itself comes packaged in a standard Blu-ray case.

Audio Commentary with Director Kevin Macdonald and Executive Producer Ziggy Marley
At the start, Macdonald goes it alone, speaking on where he met some of the people interviewed or where certain footage come from. He is soon joined by Bob’s son Ziggy, who helps to liven up the conversation by asking questions or giving background information about events that play out in the film.

Around The World
This 18 minute featurette shows how expansive Marley’s influence traveled by highlighting individuals from around the world that were touched by his music. It starts with groups of young singers in Jamaica recreating his songs and moves to stories from Brazil, Japan, Kenya, Ghana, Tibet, India and Tunisia.

Extended Interview with Bunny Wailer
As one of the key interviewees from the film, Bunny gave much depth to Marley’s story, and here there are nearly 20 more minutes of fascinating interview footage from the same session, in which he shares many additional memories from growing up and going on the road with his late friend and band mate.

Children’s Memories: Additional Interviews with Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley, and Cedella Marley
Here, three of Bob’s children tell stories from when they were children interacting with their dad. We find out how Ziggy got his nick name, what it was like for Stephen to learn how to ride a bike, and Cedella’s memories of practicing to sing.

Listening to “I’m Loose”
In this brief piece, Macdonald has many of his interviewees listen to a rare recording of Marley blissfully riffing in front of a few ladies. Their reactions bring back memories of all varieties.

Photo Gallery
In this gallery there are many shots from the film, as well as photos unearthed during the research process. Each has a brief description of the who, what, and wheres.

Theatrical Trailer
An elegant, well crafted trailer, this shows the key storytellers while hitting on many of the turning points in Marley’s life. It also gives previews of a few of his most known songs.

SiriusXM: Ziggy Marley’s Legends of Reggae
Only 2 minutes, this is a clip from Ziggy’s radio show when he spoke with Jimmy Cliff in February of this year. Unfortunately, it acts as an advertisement for the show more than anything else.

Marley Soundtrack
Another ad, this is a 30 second spot for the soundtrack.

Visit Jamaica
Previewed with a written statement about how great a vacation spot Jamaica is, this is yet another ad, and a pathetic one at that.

Final Thoughts:

Marley is an admirable illustration of Bob Marley’s mostly undocumented life despite his iconic stature. A slew of interviews with his loving family and his rag-tag crew flesh out the cavities left by the lack of photographs and video from his adolescence and home life, but as expected, there is plenty of beautifully recorded concert footage that highlights the passion and talent that brought him to the international stage. While not the most inventive or efficient bio-doc, Macdonald’s feature serves as the most complete visual record of Marley’s legacy, and for that alone it deserves a view or two.