Music & Lyrics: Review of Marley

Marley

Director: Kevin MacDonald

By Alex Watson

Everywhere you go; it is guaranteed that you will see Bob Marley’s face on a t-shirt. His music and character has reached legendary status and has touched many different generations. Through his songs No Woman, No Cry, One Love and War helped bring the reggae music scene to worldwide attention and he is considered to be the Godfather of this sound. His premature death at 36 from Melanoma robbed the world of a true great who was at the peak of his talent.  But unlike his music, the man and his origins have new been fully documented. So now director Kevin MacDonald gives the full story behind the music, here we delve deep into Bob Marley’s past and we see the people, the events and the sounds that inspired his journey. No stone is left unturned in Marley.

In Marley we see Kevin MacDonald tell the full story of Bob Marley’s life, from his birth into utter poverty in St Anns, Jamaica and the difficult early years where he was shunned by members of the community for having a white father. We then s meeting and performance with the music group The Wailers in Kingston. In this we see the influence that his music had worldwide, through his American and European tours and how it helped play a role in ending civil unrest in Jamaica.  Also MacDonald interviews many of the important people in Marley’s life, from his family members, former lovers and the band mates who shared his life.

MacDonald’s documentary is a wonderfully crafted piece and in this we get an insightful look into the man behind the music. Like his excellent documentary Touching The Void this a film that truly matches its quality.  Through his interviews with his former friends and family it helps un-mask an unknown side to Bob Marley. In this we learn of the anger he felt when he was rejected by his father and it helped influenced some of his early recordings. His acceptance into the Rastafarian culture is also one of the key points of his background, because it gave his music a new spiritual side and would eventually pave the way for his music to make a major impact.

One of the more interesting points of Marley is the documentation of the civil unrest that broke out between supporters of the Jamaican Labour Party and People’s National Party. Bob Marley played a key role in helping stop the violence from escalating. But it wasn’t without great cost and through MacDonald we see the genuine horror of his friends and family as they recant when Marley was nearly killed by a gunman when he about to play a free concert to help his country!

This scenario caused Bob Marley to go into self imposed exile in London. This section breaks the originally peaceful view of Jamaica that is given to us and instead we see a country of the verge of breaking apart and one man’s efforts to bring back to normality. But there is an uplifting feel as Marley takes to the stage despite his injury and for a brief time his performance captivates a nation!

The music that is the real driver of the film; and as Marley progresses we witness first-hand how his sound brought people together. The concerts scenes demonstrate this as we see sell out crowds of both black and white people. His music brought people together no matter what the politics or religion involved and wherever he performed everyone felt his vibe on stage. Here MacDonald lets the lyrics speak for themselves and this allows the audience to sit back and be taken in by the legend himself.

Marley will no doubt be one of the top documentaries of 2012. Bob Marley is a true great of the music scene and in this we are given a story that the world needed to hear. Once again MacDonald comes out on top and right now he is one of the up and coming filmmakers in the world. For anyone who doesn’t know Bob Marley this is the place to start. No doubt the t-shirts will keep on selling for years to come.

Spy Hard: Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy Review

New Cult Classic

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Director: Tomas Alfredson

By Alex Watson

When people think of John Le Carre’s novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, we tend to think back the old BBC adaptation starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley. Overall it was an excellent adaptation and for many set the benchmark for the entire series that followed. The novel itself was considered a classic example of the spy espionage thriller. But when it was announced that Swedish director Tomas Alfredson was due to take on a cinematic re-make, many people had mixed feelings. But it appears that it was a gamble that was worth taking and in doing so we got a very different kind of spy thriller and the stand out British film of 2011.

Staying faithful to Le Carre’s story Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is set in London in the 1970’s and tells the story of George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a former agent in the Circus- a secret British Intelligence operation. Smiley and his counterpart Control (John Hurt) were sacked following an undercover operation that went wrong in Hungary. Smiley is soon recalled to active duty because it appears that there is a mole high up in the Circus personnel who is leaking information to the Soviets. Smiley is tasked with search for the mole which could be anyone of his former colleagues (Colin Firth, Toby Jones and Ciaran Hinds).

The principle strength of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is that it has an intelligence story which keeps us guessing all the way through. The film doesn’t rely on big chase sequences, gun fights or stunning women. The plot is allowed to drive itself forward as Smiley searches in vain for who the villain could be. The film is distinctly unglamorous to the eye and through Tomas Alfredson, we see a drab and grey world filled with craggy and tired old spies. With this shine taken away, the film is given a gritty edge to it and Alfredson was the perfect choice to bring this feeling across. In his previous film, Let the Right One In, we saw a real talent to cinema making his mark and in Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy he solidifies his new reputation.

The characterisation also stays in the same vein as Le Carre’s novel. Smiley in a lot of ways is a sad sack of a man; he is in a failing marriage to his wife Ann and has an obsession with his tricky soviet counterpart Karla. But his mind is one of true brilliance and in his quiet moments we see him carefully gluing the pieces of the mystery together. Karla looms heavily in the mind of Smiley, and through one brilliantly acted monologue by Oldman he recants his first meeting with his nemesis in Delhi and his fascination with the man his methods. Here we see the ghosts of Smileys past and his willingness to stop any more occurring.

Every aspect of the 1970’s is precisely presented in this Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy from a phone-box to cars and shirts of that era. Also the spirit of the cold war is ever present here it brings a frost chill to proceedings. Within the walls of The Circus everyone is a suspect and they we feel the sense that Smiley and co are working against the clock to find a spy who doesn’t to be found. The other higher ranking members of the circus are all presented with skeletons in their closets and in their own way are guilty of crimes. But whether any of them could be a traitor remains ambiguous throughout.

The film also boasts a stellar cast and is led by Gary Oldman in a spectacular performance. Through Oldman he brings Smileys quiet yet brilliant nature to life. His understanding of Smileys body simple gestures elevates his performance further and we hear the gears of Smiley mind working!  For this performance he was finally reward with an Oscar nod for Best Actor. He is joined in the acting ranks by Colin Firth as the arrogant Bill Haydon; Firth perfectly portrays his slimy nature and his willingness to get ahead by any means at all. There are also fine supporting turns by rising stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Peter Guillam and Tom Hardy as troubled agent Ricky Tarr. The two men even in their most troubled moments,  keep their heads and bring the task to its resolution.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one the best thrillers to hit our screens in recent years. It might feel low key and slow boiling to the un-trained eye, but those who watch this will be reward with a nail biting story that will keep you asking questions until the film frame. Even after that more question will come to as you consider what has just been. Gary Oldman and Tomas Alfredson bring this piece to life and I hope they work together again soon.

The Intimidation Bureau: J Edgar Review

J. Edgar

Director: Clint Eastwood

By Alex Watson

J. Edgar Hoover, is one the most recognised American figures of the twentieth century. His running of the FBI was notorious, yet effective. Intelligence to Hoover was always vital to success; and for this he kept close tabs on some the nation’s most powerful people (including several Presidents).  He was a man who truly feared no one and some might say; he was the man who really ran the United States!  But who was the man behind the portrait? Hoover’s life was always something of a mystery and in previous films that documented him; we have yet to learn about the man himself. We turn here, to Clint Eastwood, himself an icon of American cinema. Does one legend, bring the other one’s story to fruition?

The story documents J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) working on his memoirs about his rise from being a determined law student, to becoming the authoritative head of the Bureau of Investigation. This film documents the people in his life that made him what he was, including his mother (Judi Dench), and his number two man, Clyde Tolson, (Armie Hammer), who might have been his lifetime love! As well as the event that shaped his job. But as he dictates his story to numerous agents, it becomes clear that Hoover’s story might not be truthful!

Clint Eastwood on paper was the perfect man to bring J. Edgar to the screen. In previous years no one has better captured a person’s spirit and struggle than old Clint. In films such as Changeling and Gran Torino, we have engaged with the central character, and been with them until the end. But in J. Edgar, we never truly get to grips with his character.  The film, rather than solving the mystery of who Hoover was just adds more questions to it. Through un-linked flashbacks the audience often loses it ways in the story line and we feel we have to retrace our steps. Eastwood tells a fast paced tale. As skip through the Palmer Raids of 1919, the Lindenbergh kidnapping, to finally, the Kennedy wire taps, you feel your brain almost overloading!

Hoover’s sexuality is one of the key points of J. Edgar; it is implied right through that the man possibly harboured feelings for his deputy director, Clyde Tolson. Feelings that he could never act on. It is through this portion where the story sparks an interest. Through un-spoken words, and gentle touching of hands, we feel the conflict within Hoover. The stand out scene that demonstrates Hoover’s sexual confusion is one where he tries to explain to his mother, that he feels no attraction to women. His mother tells him a story of a boy called Daffodil, who killed himself after being revealed to be homosexual. She then tells him,

“I’d rather have a dead son than a daffodil!” it appears then, that his repression will always be a permanent part of him.

Leonardo DiCaprio makes for an interesting choice as Hoover. Although he bears no physical resemblance, DiCaprio captures Hoover’s fierce spirit. He plays him as a real control freak, a man driven by his sense of destiny and all the while, under the guidance of his overbearing mother.  Judi Dench is disappointingly underused in this role. Her scenes with DiCaprio are among the stand out of J. Edgar, and through Dench’s bitter performance, we feel her influence over Hoover and her guiding him to be the man at the top! Armie Hammer also gives good support as Tolson, a man who was with Hoover until the end.

It appears that J. Edgar Hoover’s story will forever remain a mystery; he was a man of two faces. The first was the man in the office, and the second is the one we are still trying to find. J. Edgar should have been one of the stand-out films of this year. With Eastwood and DiCaprio, it should have been a winning combination. But sadly it doesn’t really crack the surface of the story. But however, it still adds intrigue to Hoover and no doubt someday the answer will be revealed!