If you haven’t been lucky enough to get tickets for this summer’s big festivals then get yourself down to the QFT this week to relive some of the greatest musicians. For the mere price of a cinema ticket you can walk in the shoes of the icons and get your festival fever fix in just a few hours. You’ll leave the screen feeling as uplifted (but not as muddy) as the crowds nationwide.

BY LAURA SHEARER

Think of summer and you think of the chilled melodies of sunny reggae. Jimmy Cliff is up there with Bob Marley and the other giants of the genre, so what better way to get into the Caribbean vibe than with The harder they come, a retro 1972 flick following the rise of country boy Ivanhoe Martin in Jamaica’s reggae fame after his criminal ways come to light. If the name Jimmy Cliff isn’t terribly familiar then it will surely to be lodged firmly in your musical vocabulary by the time the end credits roll. Those of you who are fans, your hearts will swell with love for the music.

This is a tale of musical freedom, with a genuine search for the quality of truth. Perry Henzell’s debut film is a real spiritualist piece. Ivanhoe’s bohemian radical spirit is his drive, his passion knows no bounds and his self belief is immeasurable. Striving to keep his girlfriend happy, his new life in the city is tough, his turn to drug dealing inevitable and hence he becomes a stereotype.

Violence ensues in true 70’s chic, so don’t expect anything impressive, but there is plenty of giggles with the unskilled editing style and interesting cinematography choices. Sequences of Ivanhoe’s ridiculous escapades are intercut with scenes of the search for him, and all of a sudden the producer that wasn’t interested in his music can’t wait for him to reappear. Some iconic photographs offer an insightful glimpse and are surely the most technical aspect of the whole film. Like so many, this is a film that has aged terribly, but that’s half the pleasure.

Set in the heartland of reggae, Jamaica is both beautiful and fraught with troubles, much like the life of our protagonist. Living mostly in poverty and struggling to make ends meet, surrounded by richness and gospel preaching, the  reggae roots are clear and apparent in wonderfully colourful dramatics. Footage of recording and performing has the same energetic exuberance that the whole soundtrack offers. You just can’t help it as a grin creeps from ear to ear, and before you know it you’re bopping along in the dark of the cinema, much to the distain of fellow viewers.