Classic World Music Movies: The Harder They Come

I hate Fall. First of all, it's just a terrible harbinger of doom... the nights get colder, the days get shorter, and you know that winter is right around the corner. Yuck! Also, with Fall comes ragweed. Ragweed is my nemesis, you see. Sneezes, hives, and general disgustingness are just some of the fabulous symptoms that come with the season, so I'm forced to stay inside as much as possible. Luckily, I've got Netflix to keep me company, made twice as entertaining by the fact that I don't look at my queue. It's about a billion movies long, and I can never remember what's coming next, because I added it so long ago. I like surprises.

The other day, my fun surprise was The Harder They Come, a classic reggae movie starring (and soundtracked by) Jimmy Cliff. Now, the soundtrack to The Harder They Come is, in my opinion, essential, fundamental reggae listening. The movie itself, though, is bit tougher to take. First of all, the language is hard to understand (though the film does have a subtitled version, the ending is different). Secondly, though much of the film is fun and upbeat and music-related, it pretty quickly becomes very intense and dramatic. If heavy drama doesn't bother you, I think the movie is definitely worth watching. Regardless, it's worth getting your hands on the soundtrack... it's epic.