Emancipation Park

Last night we previewed Kevin Macdonald's Marley movie in Kingston's Emancipation Park. A sensitive strategy by Tuff Gong Pictures who, no doubt, wanted to win the support of a Jamaican home crowd before the film's general international release. And it worked. The multicoloured carpet that stretched the length of the park's fountain walkway to the largest centre screen, greeted Bob's family and Rastafari celebs in regal style. For those without special invitations, the park was scattered with multiple screens so that the thousands of viewers could relax throughout the grounds and watch Bob's life unfold. Although the BBC's Talking Movies had criticised Macdonald for his conventional documentary style, it was clear that this director allowed Bob, his fellow musicians and relatives to tell their story without stylistic diversions. The script was forthright while the combination of historical footage, music concerts and contemporary filming in Kingston's ghetto and the scenic rural mountains where Bob grew up, were compelling. For Marley enthusiasts, the film offered rarely seen images, including photos from the musician's teenage years and the final months of his life. For two and a half hours the crowd was mesmerized, most undeterred by the cloud burst that came just minutes from the end. It was a moving evening when Bob's natural mystic was blowing in the air....

Watch the trailer or see more preview pictures, courtesy of Panmedia