5 Popular Movies with Reggae Music
Reggae music has been growing in popularity over the years. Here are 5 popular movies that feature reggae music.
The Harder They Come
The Harder They Come is a Jamaican crime film released in 1972. The film was directed by Perry Henzell and starred Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin, a young Jamaican man who turns to a life of crime to make money. The film is considered one of the best reggae movies of all time and the soundtrack is just as iconic.
Released in 1972
The Harder They Come is a Jamaican crime film directed by Perry Henzell and starring Jimmy Cliff. The film became an international sensation, helping to popularize Reggae music and Jamaican culture worldwide.
The plot follows Ivanhoe Martin (Cliff), a young man from the country who comes to the city in search of fame and fortune. After a series of unfortunate events, Ivanhoe turns to a life of crime, quickly becoming the most wanted man in Jamaica.
The soundtrack album, released alongside the film, is considered one of the greatest ever Reggae albums, containing some of the genre’s most iconic songs such as “The Harder They Come” and “Many Rivers to Cross”.
Reggae soundtracks were created by the film’s star, Jimmy Cliff
Reggae soundtracks were created by the film’s star, Jimmy Cliff, and designed to resemble a collection of singles. The film tells the story of Ivanhoe Martin (Cliff), a young Jamaican who turns to a life of crime to make money. The film was a critical and commercial success, and Cliff’s performance earned him widespread acclaim. The soundtrack was also widely praised, and is considered one of the best reggae soundtracks ever released. It features many popular reggae songs, including “The Harder They Come” by Cliff, “Many Rivers to Cross” by Joe Higgs, and “Satta Massagana” by The Abyssinians.
Countryman
Countryman is a popular movie with reggae music. It is about a Jamaican fisherman who turns to drug smuggling to make ends meet. Countryman is a great movie that showcases the culture and music of Jamaica.
Released in 1982
The international reggae classic “The Harder They Come” starring Jimmy Cliff is a story about a Jamaican countryman who tries to make it in Kingston as a singer but ends up getting involved in crime and violence. The soundtrack is packed with classics from the likes of Cliff, Toots & the Maytals, and Desmond Dekker.
Reggae was used throughout the film to create a Jamaican atmosphere
The Movie “Countryman” is a popular film that used Reggae music to create a Jamaican atmosphere. Reggae music has been widely used in many popular films, including “The Harder They Come”, “Cocktail”, and “Cool Runnings”. Reggae music is a popular choice for filmmakers because it creates a unique and lively atmosphere.
The Mighty Quinn
The Mighty Quinn is a 1989 American comedy-drama film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Carl Franklin. The film’s soundtrack includes several reggae songs.
Released in 1989
The Mighty Quinn was released in 1989 and is a crime comedy-drama starring Denzel Washington, Mimi Rogers, Robert Townsend, and Tomas Milian. The film was directed by Carl Schenkel and written by Earl Maupin. It is based on the 1967 novel “The Moral Basis of Terrorism” by Irving Wallace.
The story follows Xavier Quinn (Washington), a police chief in the small Caribbean island nation of St. Mary’s, who is tasked with investigating the murder of his best friend, Maubee (Townsend). Maubee was a Rastafarian who lived a peaceful life as a fisherman with his wife and children. However, when he is found dead, Quinn suspects that foul play was involved.
Quinn’s investigation leads him to Jumbo (Milian), a local gangster who runs the island’s black market. Jumbo is also involved in smuggling drugs and weapons into St. Mary’s. Quinn eventually discovers that Jumbo was behind Maubee’s murder and brings him to justice.
The Mighty Quinn features several popular reggae songs, including “Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Red Red Wine” by UB40, and “One Love/People Get Ready” by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Reggae was used in the film to add to the Caribbean feel
Although the film The Mighty Quinn is set in the Caribbean, it was actually filmed in Antigua. Reggae was used in the film to add to the Caribbean feel and did so very successfully. In one scene, main character Mauby is driving his truck with Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” playing on the radio. This use of reggae music helped to create an authentic feeling for the Caribbean setting.
Cool Runnings
Reggae is a genre of music that was created in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Reggae is a combination of African, Caribbean, and American music. It is a very popular genre of music, and there are many reggae songs that are popular in movies.
Released in 1993
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American comedy sports film directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malice (in his film debut), and John Candy. The film was released in the United States on October 1, 1993. It was Candy’s final film appearance before his death on March 4, 1994.
The film is loosely based on the true story of the Jamaican Bobsled Team’s debut in competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The soundtrack for the film was predominantly reggae music.
Other popular movies with reggae soundtracks include:
-The Harder They Come (1972)
-Rockers (1978)
-Bounty Killer (2013)
-In Dub We Trust (2016)
Reggae was used to create an authentic Jamaican feel
In the film, Reggae was used to create an authentic Jamaican feel to the film and to introduce the culture and music to a mainstream audience. The use of Reggae in the film helped to make it one of the most popular films of all time.
Other films that have used Reggae music to create an authentic feel include:
The Harder They Come (1972)
This film is considered to be one of the first major films to introduced Reggae music to a mainstream audience. The film tells the story of a young man who turns to a life of crime to make money. The film features some of the most popular Reggae songs of all time, including “The Harder They Come” by Jimmy Cliff.
Cool Runnings (1993)
This film is based on the true story of the Jamaican national bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. The film features several popular Reggae songs, including “One Love” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff.
The Young Rascals (1964)
This film is set in Jamaica and features several popular Reggae songs, including “One Love” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, “I Shot The Sheriff” by Eric Clapton, and “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
This film is set in Jamaica and features several popular Reggae songs, including “Red Red Wine” by UB40, “Could You Be Loved” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, and “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff.
Cocktail
If you love reggae music, then you’ll definitely enjoy watching Cocktail. The movie features some of the most popular reggae songs of all time, including “No Woman, No Cry” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. You’ll also hear reggae classics like “Stir It Up” by The Wailers and “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff.
Released in 1988
The Cocktail is a popular 1988 movie with reggae music. The story is about two friends who are bartenders and they fall in love with the same woman. The movie was filmed in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Reggae was used in the film to add to the Caribbean feel
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that developed following on the development of ska and rocksteady.
Reggae is strongly influenced by traditional African music, African-American R&B, and Caribbean mento (a distinctly Jamaican folk music). Reggae typically features a sparse drum beat with accents on the offbeat, played by a drum known as the “skank”.[1][2] horns, electric guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards play riff-based patterns. Lyrics are often suffused with jazz imagery and wordplay, and feature themes related to love, family life, social issues, and spirituality.
The origins of reggae are traced to the early 1960s ska movement in Kingston, Jamaica. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues.[3][4] By 1966 it had begun to be used Hammond organ “riff-based” music accompanying an uptempo jungle beat (mento/calypso rhythm section supplemented by drums),[5][6] particularly that played by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters/The Dominoes/Ben E. King/The Falcons.[7] Reggae developed as traditional ska was giving way to rocksteady.[8]
