The late reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, who passed away in November at 81, left behind a complex cinematic legacy defined by one monumental success and one notorious failure. While his starring role in the 1972 classic ‘The Harder They Come’ earned him permanent international recognition, his subsequent venture into Hollywood comedy proved disastrous.
Cliff’s portrayal of Ivan, an ambitious country musician navigating Kingston’s ruthless music scene, became an instant cultural landmark. Director Perry Henzell’s film not only launched Cliff’s acting career but also introduced reggae music to global audiences. Despite this breakthrough performance that suggested a promising acting future, Cliff surprisingly retreated from cinema screens for over a decade.
His cousin, filmmaker Lennie Little-White, reveals Cliff consciously refused numerous acting offers during this period. ‘Either because he did not want to be stereotyped only doing roles like The Harder They Come or the money was not right,’ Little-White explained to Observer Online.
Cliff’s eventual return to acting came in 1986’s ‘Club Paradise,’ a Caribbean-set comedy that paired him with Robin Williams. Directed by Harold Ramis fresh off his ‘Ghostbusters’ success, the film featured an impressive ensemble cast including Peter O’Toole, Twiggy, and Rick Moranis. Despite its US$19 million budget and A-list talent, the project failed spectacularly, generating only US$12.3 million at box offices while receiving scathing critical reviews.
Renowned critic Roger Ebert particularly criticized Williams’ performance, noting ‘when the star of a movie seems desperate enough to depend on one-liners, can the rest of the cast be blamed for losing confidence in the script?’ Little-White concurred with this assessment, identifying fundamental flaws in the film’s direction and scripting: ‘It had a lot of brand-name actors, but the director could not make up his mind about where the greatest emphasis should be.’
Following this disappointment, Cliff largely withdrew from acting, making only minor appearances including a 1990 role in Steven Seagal’s ‘Marked For Death’ and contributing to the successful ‘Cool Runnings’ soundtrack in 1993. His cover of ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ for the Jamaican bobsled team film became an international hit, topping charts in multiple countries and demonstrating where his true artistic strengths lay.