One of the hallmarks of a great documentary is its ability to not only appeal to people already interested in its subject matter, but also to make the material compelling to people who have no interest whatsoever. You don’t need to care about (or even like) basketball, Formula One or The Dixie Chicks to love Hoop Dreams, Senna and Shut Up and Sing because each manages to tell their story in a captivating manner without requiring that the audience be fans already. Kevin Macdonald’s Marley, an engrossing and exhaustive account of the life, loves and music of Bob Marley falls squarely into this latter category since it managed to engage me, someone who has hardly any interest in Marley, for pretty much all of its two and a half hours.
That ethos of making the effort to explain Marley for the
layman extends to the interview subjects that Macdonald uses to illustrate his
life. Using new interviews with friends, family and contemporaries – not to mention
previously unseen footage of Marley himself – the film covers pretty much everything
a newbie or long-time fan could want to know. From his poor upbringing, through
his early struggles and later superstardom, right up to the last few months of
his life when he was dying from cancer, the film hits all of the major points
without ever feeling rushed, whilst at the same time suggesting that there is
still much more of Marley’s life left to discuss.
Carried along by the flow of the music, which is pretty much
omnipresent and gives the film a strong forward momentum, it makes for a fun,
moving journey that manages to be both broad and deep in its examination of Marley
and his impact. It manages a fine balance between cultural commentary and
personal anecdotes that illuminate what a vibrant personality Marley had, with
the mix of new and archive footage serving to get across his undoubted charisma
both on and off stage, with the performances featured throughout being a
particular highlight.
Since the documentary is officially sanctioned by the Marley
family, with many members appearing both as interviewees and as producers,
there are moments when the film seems to veer too close to hagiography. Most
notably, details of Marley’s philandering and the occasionally distant
relationship he had with his children are treated in a very off-hand manner,
but it does at least address them head-on, even if only briefly, and this stops
it just short of portraying him as entirely saint-like. At some points it goes
entirely in the opposite direction, even heavily suggesting that Marley’s death
was at least partly his own fault for refusing to consult with doctors even
when it was clear that he was very sick. That unevenness fortunately doesn’t
run throughout the film, but there is a definite sense that the version of
Marley we are privy to has had at least some of the roughness taken away.
Although Marley
will ultimately mean more to people who are already fans of Bob Marley, the
film itself is anything but a case of preaching to the converted. It’s a
compelling examination of a fascinating figure which offers plenty of insights
into the life and impact of an icon by revealing something of the man himself,
whilst also placing him in a broader context. Reverence or appreciation of his
work is not required in order to enjoy the film, though it may very well result
from watching it.