The Harder They Come (1972) on Netflix
After his grandmother dies, Ivanhoe Martin leaves rural Jamaica for Kingston, where a street vendor cons him out of everything he owns. He wants work, and he wants Elsa, the preacher's ward.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb6.9/107,726 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes92%
Trailer
Plot summary
Ivanhoe Martin is a young man from rural Jamaica who, after his grandmother dies, leaves the countryside for Kingston. A street vendor cheats him out of all he owns, and the jobs he seeks are refused one after another. His mother warns him that city life is hard and points him toward a local Christian preacher, who offers only menial work watched over by Longa, an older man at the church. Ivan falls for Elsa, the preacher's ward. He builds himself a bicycle from a frame he finds abandoned, and brings Hilton, a record producer, a tape from the preacher, asking for a chance to sing. To rehearse his song he borrows the key to the chapel from Elsa.
Cast
- Janet Bartleyas Elsa
- Carl Bradshawas Jose
- Ras Daniel Hartmanas Pedro
- Basil Keaneas Preacher
- Bob Charltonas Hilton
- Lucia Whiteas Mother
- Volair Johnsonas Pushcart Boy
- Beverly Andersonas Housewife
- Clover Lewisas Market Woman
- Elijah Chambersas Longa
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Harder They Come (1972)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The characters' Jamaican Patois was so thick that the film is described as possibly the first English language movie in history to require subtitles in the United States.
- Production on the Jamaican crime film began in 1970 and dragged on for the next two years due to inadequate funding.
- Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff's character Ivanhoe Martin is based on a real Jamaican criminal of the same name, better known as Rhyging, who became famous in the 1940s.
- The film's title went from Rhygin to Hard Road to Travel to The Harder They Come, and the final title prompted Jimmy Cliff to write the song of the same name.
- The Clash referenced lead character Ivan in "The Guns of Brixton", and Big Audio Dynamite sampled the line "Sit tight and listen keenly" on "C'mon Every Beatbox".
