Marley

There have been many films and TV documentaries about the reggae artist Bob Marley, but this above-average rock-doc about his life and legacy is deeper and more nuanced than the usual intercutting of interviews and live performances. The film does feature an unprecedented number of interviews with people who actually played a major role in his life, and there is excellent concert footage that I, at least, had never seen before. The film explores Marley’s humble beginnings, his half-breed status, his discovery of Rastafarianism (and what that religion is all about), his politics, what he meant to his family and to his country. Family involvement, both in front of and behind the camera (his son Ziggy is an executive producers) lend credibility to this project.  When I started watching I thought I knew everything there was to know about Bob Marley, and as it progressed I realized I had known almost nothing about the man.