[MARLEY screens Saturday July 14th at 9:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
As often happens to iconic figures, in
the just over thirty years since the death of influential reggae
musician Bob Marley, the man has largely been obscured by his legend.
Kevin McDonald's documentary film MARLEY
sets out to rectify that, presenting a comprehensive and balanced
portrait of Marley and the forces that forged his music and ideology.
MARLEY
is
presented in an “oral history” style. Nearly everyone who had an
important role in Bob Marley's life and career and is still alive is
given the chance to relate their memories as they see fit. Even some
people who are no longer with us, including Marley himself, get to
speak their piece via archival footage. Occasionally one interview
subject will contradict another, but thankfully there is no effort
present one viewpoint as more true than the other. The result is a film
that paints a
portrait of its subject just as ambiguous as real life without
feeling messy or unfocused.
