One love: The King of Reggae Bob Marley lives on

How does a single film adequately chronicle the life of one of the world’s most revered musical artists?

Bob Marley: One Love which premiered in cinemas worldwide on February 14 does not attempt to tell the entire story of the short life of the Jamaican reggae legend who died of cancer at the age of 36 in 1981.

What the biopic does is portray the man who has grown into a larger-than-life global icon since his death through the events during a turbulent chapter of his life. 

“I have travelled the world and I have not been to a country where people did not know Bob Marley,” says James Malcolm, Marley’s first cousin.

“I knew the world was waiting for this film so I am not surprised by the success. The Marley family has been talking about it for a long time but we were waiting for the right moment when the vibes were right,” adds the 62-year-old pianist, composer and producer. 

After attending the movie’s premiere at the Century Cinemax, Sarit Centre in Nairobi, Malcolm said despite being involved in an advisory role to Ziggy Marley, eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, who is a producer of the film, this was the first time he was watching it in a relaxed atmosphere.

“I was in Jamaica during the filming and Ziggy would be asking me for my opinion about certain scenes or events so this screening was the first time I was watching the film in a completely relaxed atmosphere.”

Malcolm and Grammy Award-winning musician and producer, Stephen Marley, the second-born son of Bob and Rita, are producing an album called The Journey Continues, reimagining the classic Marley songs by incorporating diverse global rhythms.

“I am in Nairobi because I am recording a choir, percussionists and some other musical elements with Kenyan artists and that is why the premiere of the film found me here because I have to prioritise my project. I thought when Bob passed, that was it, and yet, here I am, 40-something years later still working with him,” says Malcolm. 

The biopic is based on Bob’s life from the mid-1970s amidst the violent political scene in Jamaica, surviving an attempted assassination and his eventual exile to the UK, which is where the album Exodus was recorded.

While he travelled to Europe, Bob’s wife Rita took his children to Delaware in the US to stay with their grandmother, a part of the story that Malcolm can intimately relate with. 

In 1966 when Bob Marley first traveled from Jamaica to visit family in Wilmington, Delaware, US, Malcolm was just five.

This was three years after Bob’s mother, Cedella Marley Booker, had first stayed in the city with her older sister (Malcolm’s mother).

During Bob’s visit, he did various jobs, including working at the Chrysler factory but his passion for music was unmistakable.

“He always had a guitar while I was playing the piano,” recalls Malcolm.

“So, when the children were brought over to the States a decade later, I was old enough to take on the responsibility of walking them to school.”

The film succeeds in portraying that phase of Bob Marley’s life, juxtaposed with flashbacks from his youth, including the recording session with the original Wailers that yielded their first hit Simmer Down.

The story also delves into the loving yet sometimes acrimonious relationship between Bob and his wife, Rita, who was also a member of his backup singers the I-Three, played by British actress Lashana Lynch.

“It is a movie about a segment of his life. People want to know a lot more about Bob and I think this movie will introduce them to Bob in a different way,” explains Malcolm.

The family was part of the production and so they approve every part of the film while many of Bob’s associates also contributed to the story.”

Malcolm is impressed with the interpretation of his cousin’s life through the film’s cast.

“After watching Kingsley Ban-Adir playing Bob I think he did a good job and he actually reminds me of one of the grandsons. But the end of the film when you see the actual man and then scenes from the funeral brought tears to my eyes because I felt like I was reliving the moment.”

The film ends with Bob’s triumphant return to Jamaica, reconciliation with his would-be assassin and the historic concert where the singer reconciled the leaders of the two warring political factions in Jamaica before an uproarious crowd.

“The world had a relationship with Bob’s music but I have a relationship with him through family, as a cousin and I love him the same way not because he was a legend,” says Malcolm. 

Confining the storyline to a specific chapter in Bob Marley’s life allows the film to remain focused while providing context with the aid of flashbacks.

Hearing some of Bob Marley’s best-loved songs enlivens the drama, while the recreation of studio atmosphere during the making of Exodus is an eye opener to some of the creative tensions behind the making of one of the greatest albums of all time. 

The filmmakers also took a bold decision to stick to Jamaican slang, popularly known as patois, throughout the dialogue, without subtitles, a valuable contribution to the story’s authenticity.

Judging from strong box office performance and reviews from movie critics and social media users, Bob Marley: One Love lives up to the hype as one of the year’s most anticipated films and carries on the legacy of the man, the myth, the legend. 

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