The challenge with reviewing this film isn’t so much trying to encapsulate the film and it's message, it is in doing so without using a Jamaican ‘accent’ or any cliché Rasta buzzwords. Unfortunately, public perception today regards reggae as little more than a novelty (are you paying attention, Shaggy?) or as the exclusive domain of stoners and pseudo revolutionaries. Heartland Reggae explores the importance of reggae to Jamaica in the seventies when it was used as an invaluable tool for social and political change by an island nation in the grip of civil war.
In 1978, Jamaica’s two major political party leaders (Michael Manley and Edward Seaga) were the figureheads for violent gang warfare throughout the land. Hundreds of murders had taken place in the name of party policy and neither party were prepared to compromise or even meet for discussion. Each party employed vicious gunmen to run as cover for their activities and when the two premier gunmen from opposing parties (Bucky Marshall and Claude Mossop) were thrown into a cell together, they conceived of a treaty and a plan to hold a peace concert for the people of Jamaica in a display of national unity.
The One Love Peace Concert was to involve Jamaica’s finest musical talent including Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller and Dennis Brown. Reggae’s most visible ambassador, Bob Marley was living in the mainland United States at the time and flew home for the event and was eventually responsible for the first public meeting, onstage, between the embittered and staunch party leaders.
Though some of the musical appearances are certainly inspiring (and apparently quite rare), the strength of the film lies in its unique snapshot of island life in 1978 only twelve years after Jamaica had gained independence. The concert footage is shot in three main locations, not the least idyllic being in a field surrounded by palm trees as the local villagers bump and grind amidst a haze of smoke and whirling dreadlocks to the beats on hand. Ras Lee Morris helps to enhance the mood and setting for the events that take place on film with a breezy narration that is both light and infectious (so infectious in fact, that I ended up talking to my dog with a Jamaican accent for days afterward).
With such a diverse array of talent, the concert footage is rarely dull and offers many highlights. Marley’s performance is more established and on a larger scale than his compatriots but lacks none of the soul and electricity that catapulted him onto the world stage. Peter Tosh smoulders with cool rebellion in each of his performances while Jacob Miller mischievously donning a police hat to smoke a trumpet-sized joint during his rendition of I Am A Natty is as tense as it is confronting. The standout track though, comes from Judy Mowatt who sings Black Woman with such grace and conviction that it begs the question of how international fame could possibly have eluded her (she toured as a member of Marley’s backing singers, the I-Threes for much of her career).
Technically, the film is not without it's problems. It is often poorly edited, the footage is not of a high quality and it skims too briefly over the social issues that give the film its substance in the first place. Nevertheless, given its era and Jamaica’s economic situation at the time, it is hard to bemoan the films lack of sophistication when reggae fans are probably fortunate that the footage exists at all.
What Heartland Reggae lacks in polish it more than compensates for with its heart.
Given the nature of its origin, the picture quality for the main feature is reasonable although the picture often appears a little washed out. Given that the source material for this film is almost twenty-five years old and was hardly cutting edge to begin with, it is likely that any picture problems are inherent in the film rather than in the transfer. Film artefacts and film grain are inevitable and each is noticeable throughout.
Conversely, the picture quality on each of the special features is exceptional with near-perfect textures and realistic skin tones. In my opinion, this fact helps to exonerate any flaws in the main feature given that the rest of the transfer appears in excellent condition.
The aspect ratio presented on this disc is 16:9 enhanced.
There are two sound options available on this disc: Dolby Digital Stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Although it must be said, it appears that the surround option may have been added as a bit of an afterthought as the speakers don’t really get much of a workout. As with the picture quality, it is probably unreasonable to expect too much surround activity given the source material.
In it’s defence, either sound option is reasonably clear and I experienced no problems in understanding what was said nor did I notice any sync problems.
Once again, the audio on all of the extra features is of exceptional quality indicating no problems with the actual disc production.
As well as offering a unique glimpse into a forgotten time in musical history, Heartland Reggae gives viewers a rare opportunity to see some of reggae’s pioneers in their performance prime. Though fans of the music will benefit most from the concert footage, the wealth of extras on offer here make the disc an excellent jumping off point for those with more than a passing interest in world music. Above all, it highlights the positive power of music to bring about social change.
Now, if only Shaggy would use his power for good instead of evil…