Rockers (1978)

Directed by

Theodoros Bafaloukos

Genre

documentary film, drama film

Country

Jamaica, Denmark

Runtime

1h 40m

Rated

15

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 38 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A reggae drummer named Horsemouth tries to make a living playing music in Jamaica. He gets drawn into a conflict over a stolen motorcycle. The movie shows real reggae musicians and recording studios from the 1970s.

livelyearthyauthenticgroovylow-keysunnyunpretentiousmusicalslice-of-life

What happens

Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican comedy-drama film by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Several popular reggae artists star in the movie, including Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger, Robbie Shakespeare, and Jacob Miller. Rockers was originally intended to be a documentary but blossomed into a full-length feature showing reggae culture at its peak. The film features authentic culture, characters and mannerisms. The main rocker Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, for example, is shown living with his actual wife and children and in his own home. The recording studios shown are the famous Harry J Studios and Channel One Studios, where many roots reggae artists recorded during the 1970s including Bob Marley. The film includes Kiddus I's recording of "Graduation In Zion" at Harry J's, which he happened to be recording when Bafaloukos visited the studio, and a scene where Robbie arranges a session for the protagonist at Channel One. It also features Randy's Record Mart, the largest Jamaican music store of its time, and Joe Gibbs Record Manufacturing Co. With a budget of JA$500,000 (about $40,000), Rockers was completed in two months. The film premiered at the 1978 San Francisco Film Festival and had a theatrical release in the US in 1980. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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