Perry Henzell, a filmmaker whose reggae classic “The Harder They Come” helped introduce Jamaican pop culture to a global audience, died Thursday. He was 70.
Henzell, who had battled cancer for seven years, died at a relative’s home in the Jamaican farming parish of St. Elizabeth, according to his son, Jason Henzell.
“We’re just glad he went peacefully without any more pain,” his son said.
Henzell’s death came one day before the Jamaican premiere of his new feature, “No Place Like Home,” set for the Flashpoint Film Festival in the resort town of Negril. Henzell shot the movie in the 1970s but production troubles kept it from reaching theaters until this year.
He directed and produced “The Harder They Come,” Jamaica’s first feature film, from 1970 to 1972. Shot on a shoestring budget, it became an international success, winning an award at the 1973 Venice Film Festival.
The film, starring Jimmy Cliff, was based on the life of Ivanhoe “Rhyghin” Martin, a notorious outlaw who terrorized sections of west Kingston during the late 1940s.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
