The Harder They Come Film Report
1. The Harder They Come depicts the rise and fall of Ivan Martin, a drug dealer and aspiring reggae musician. The film follows Ivan’s arrival in Kingston, Jamaica and his attempts to gain stardom within the reggae music industry. In a state of desperation, Ivan becomes a drug dealer so that he can afford to sustain his own life. The Harder They Come emphasizes the themes of poverty and the struggle for success in a world with limited opportunities. Ivan (played by Jimmy Cliff) writes and records a song called, “The Harder They Come” which dictates the struggles of a rising music star. The shared song title and movie title show how Ivan is working to achieve success, but he has endless forces working against …show more content…
One question I have is, if Ivan had grown up in different circumstances with a family he could rely on, a government that provided aid, and society that did not repress his people, would he have been able to enjoy his fame without as many outside forces working against him, or can this situation occur in any setting? Could a situation like this happen today in America where our government can provide some aid to those who are struggling, or was the impoverished Jamaican society that Ivan lived in the deciding factor of his fate?
Another question I have is, if the church had tried to help Ivan after he murdered the man who claimed he owned Ivan’s bike, rather than turning Ivan away so he could no longer practice his faith, would the protagonist still have had a chance to be successful in life? The Pastor clearly did not care for Ivan and made sure he could not practice his faith there because he was a sinner. If the church had given him another chance and helped him to become a better man, could he have avoided his ultimate death?
4. Reggae- a genre of music originated in Jamaica from calypso music. Kingston- A city in Jamaica where the film is set. Ganja- another name for marijuana. Record- can be a song not an entire
1. The Harder They Come depicts the rise and fall of Ivan Martin, a drug dealer and aspiring reggae musician. The film follows Ivan’s arrival in Kingston, Jamaica and his attempts to gain stardom within the reggae music industry. In a state of desperation, Ivan becomes a drug dealer so that he can afford to sustain his own life. The Harder They Come emphasizes the themes of poverty and the struggle for success in a world with limited opportunities. Ivan (played by Jimmy Cliff) writes and records a song called, “The Harder They Come” which dictates the struggles of a rising music star. The shared song title and movie title show how Ivan is working to achieve success, but he has endless forces working against …show more content…
One question I have is, if Ivan had grown up in different circumstances with a family he could rely on, a government that provided aid, and society that did not repress his people, would he have been able to enjoy his fame without as many outside forces working against him, or can this situation occur in any setting? Could a situation like this happen today in America where our government can provide some aid to those who are struggling, or was the impoverished Jamaican society that Ivan lived in the deciding factor of his fate?
Another question I have is, if the church had tried to help Ivan after he murdered the man who claimed he owned Ivan’s bike, rather than turning Ivan away so he could no longer practice his faith, would the protagonist still have had a chance to be successful in life? The Pastor clearly did not care for Ivan and made sure he could not practice his faith there because he was a sinner. If the church had given him another chance and helped him to become a better man, could he have avoided his ultimate death?
4. Reggae- a genre of music originated in Jamaica from calypso music. Kingston- A city in Jamaica where the film is set. Ganja- another name for marijuana. Record- can be a song not an entire