logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
10m 16s

The Harder They Come

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 1972, a low-budget Jamaican film and its legendary soundtrack helped popularise reggae music in the world.

Ben Henderson speaks to one of the most famous reggae artists ever, Jimmy Cliff, who played the film's protagonist and wrote a number of the songs.

Jimmy explains why the film was so popular and how it reflected his own life.

'The Harder They Come' was produced by International Films Inc.

(Photo: Jimmy Cliff in 'The Harder They Come'. Credit: Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)

Up next
Today
The creation of the International Criminal Court
In 1998, at a conference organised by the United Nations, a blueprint was devised for what would be the world's first permanent International Criminal Court.Judge Phillipe Kirsch chaired the Rome conference that led to the formation of the court. He tells Gill Kearsley about the ... Show More
10m 23s
Aug 22
Geneva Conventions
In 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant witnessed the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He couldn’t believe the lack of aid for the wounded soldiers and came up with two ideas – a voluntary aid organisation and an international treaty to protect those injured in wartime. They went o ... Show More
10m 2s
Aug 21
The rise and fall of BlackBerry
In the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the phone that ruled the world. But within a decade, it collapsed, overtaken by the touch screen revolution.Sam Gruet speaks to former co-CEO Jim Balsillie about BlackBerry’s meteoric rise, its battle against Apple, and the moment he knew it was ... Show More
9m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2013
Jimi Hendrix
In early 1967, the American guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, took London by storm.His flamboyant style and new ways of playing the electric guitar enthralled everyone from the Beatles to Eric Clapton.His English girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, recalls her relationship with a man who would ... Show More
9m 4s
Jun 2019
The Man Behind the Rocketman with Giles Martin
Rocketman is a spectacle the size of Elton John, four films in one. It contains a biopic, jukebox musical, addiction recovery story and a romance between friends. The soundtrack ties the story together by taking historical liberties to tell a fantastical story about one of the be ... Show More
52m 51s
Oct 2021
Key Alt-Rock Movie Soundtracks
There was a time when movie soundtracks were the lifeblood of the recorded music industry…the lp record, which was introduced in June 1948, was developed at least partially at the behest of movie studios and Broadway show producers looking a better listening experience. The first ... Show More
34m 30s
Jan 2024
Patrice
Für den 15. Februar kündigt sich mit „Bob Marley: One Love“ (paramount.de/bobmarley-onelove) ein weiteres Highlight im Genre des Biopics an. Kingsley Ben-Adir verkörpert dabei Bob Marley in einer ebenso akribischen wie mitreißenden Aufarbeitung des Schaffens des Rastafari-Aktivis ... Show More
32m 47s
Mar 2011
The Impossible Dream
‘The Impossible Dream' is a song that talks of the resilience of the human spirit.It tells the story of a quest and it's had a surprising journey of its own. It was originally composed for the 1965 musical The Man of La Mancha which was inspired by Miguel de Cervantes story of Do ... Show More
28m 1s
Oct 2012
Brothers in Arms
An exploration into the enduring appeal of the Dire Straits classic, Brothers in Arms.Although thought to have been written by Mark Knopfler in response to the Falklands war in the mid 1980's, it's a piece that people now associate with many other conflicts; military, personal an ... Show More
27m 51s
Jan 2024
Motown Begins
When Berry Gordy, Jr. founded Tamla Records in Detroit on 12th January, 1959, he reshaped popular music forever. With an iconic artist roster that included The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5, Motown’s ability to identify and nurture talent - inspired by the principl ... Show More
11m 39s