Ep. 140: The Harder They Come

Do you know how much reggae is played in San Diego? Marc and Ryan
do, and Erica sort of does, which makes the NWPP the perfect
podcast to discuss Jamaica's first film, 1972's THE HARDER THEY
COME, as we continue #FFFebruary (Foreign Film February)! A
foreign film where the only language used is English? You bet!
But, if you think you won't need subtitles, you'd be wrong (or
from Jamaica)!

Jimmy Cliff stars in this musical crime film as Ivanhoe Martin,
based on a real figure from Jamaican history, who moves from the
country to the city of Kingston to make his fortune and dabbles
in both music and danger! From fixing up bikes to recording new
club hits to taking down cops, director Perry Henzell's debut
film not only introduced the Jamaican film industry to the world,
but its soundtrack is often hailed as what brought reggae music
to the United States, including several tracks from Jimmy Cliff
himself! 

Picked up for distribution by Roger Corman's New World Pictures,
the film has enjoyed cult status for many years.  We examine
Henzell's feelings about New World and Corman's thoughts on the
film. We also discuss the trouble with autocorrect, the
popularity of barbershop quartets, the proper temperature for a
recording studio, when moms don't want you to follow them to the
city, and the brand new beverage that is sweeping the
country!  Really, there's two and they both sound
delicious!  

Don't miss this trip into another under-discussed gem from the
New World Pictures vaults! We think after you listen to it,
you'll "soon come" back for more!

For more about the New World Pictures Podcast, including previous
episodes, t-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, other merch and more, head
here: https://newworldpicturespodcast.com/

For all the shows in Someone’s Favorite Productions Podcast
Network, head here: 
https://www.someonesfavoriteproductions.com/