Marley Blu-ray Review
Score: 68
from 3 reviewers
Review Date:
Marley is a fascinating, all-encompassing documentary with outstanding A/V quality, satisfying extras, and a thorough historical portrayal of the reggae legend.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 67
Marley's Blu-ray presentation, featuring a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer, impressively enhances archival footage to HD where possible, delivering a mix of clarity and vivid color in modern interviews and location shots, while balancing the natural grain and artifacts in older film material.
Audio: 71
Magnolia Home Entertainment's Blu-ray of 'Marley' features a stellar DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, offering immersive sound quality for Marley's music and a clean, clear presentation of interviews, despite minor hisses in archival material; the balance and ambiance are excellently handled, enhancing the overall experience.
Extra: 60
Supplementing a detailed 145-minute documentary, the Blu-ray extras offer valuable insights: a director-artist commentary, an impactful 'Around the World' segment, extended Bunny Wailer and Marley children's interviews, rare audio clips, and promotional snippets that provide a deeper cultural context and personal reflections.
Movie: 80
Kevin MacDonald's documentary 'Marley' provides an exhaustively detailed, engaging, and inspiring portrait of Bob Marley, exploring his rise from Jamaican poverty to international acclaim, his groundbreaking music, cultural impact, and personal struggles, enriched by extensive archival footage and compelling interviews.
Video: 67
The Blu-ray video presentation of "Marley" employs a 1080p/AVC-MPEG-4 encoded transfer, which is displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The documentary, directed by Kevin MacDonald, integrates a wide range of source materials, resulting in variable image quality. Source material includes contemporary HD interviews and b-roll, mixed with archival footage of Marley’s performances and television interviews. The modern footage excels, displaying sharp detail and vibrant color, such as vivid green foliage in Jamaica and detailed textures in Cape Coast Castle’s weathered buildings. However, the archival content often falls short, showcasing grainy 16mm or smaller film formats with diminished clarity.
McDonald and his crew took meticulous care to transfer original negatives to high definition wherever possible, enhancing the visual experience significantly. While select archival clips shine with surprising clarity, others suffer from inherent issues like macroblocking, artifacts, and ghosting due to their standard-definition origins. Notably, the footage from Haile Selassie’s arrival in Jamaica stands out for its impressive clarity. Modern HD interviews are generally clean with good facial detail and lifelike colors, despite occasional noise and softness in some early segments. The Blu-ray's 1080p/AVC encode surpasses DVD, on-demand, or streaming alternatives, ensuring a superior viewing experience.
Overall, "Marley" on Blu-ray showcases a strong video transfer given the challenges of diverse source materials. The documentary benefits from vibrant visual contrasts in contemporary sequences and enhanced archival footage. Despite occasional visual artifacts inherent to older material, the collective effort to present the film in HD pays off, preserving both historical and emotional authenticity.
Audio: 71
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track on Magnolia Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release of "Marley" significantly enhances the auditory experience, particularly apt for a film centered around Bob Marley's music. The sound quality is superb, especially for the music sequences, providing a full and clear representation of Marley's hits, such as "Judge Not" and "Redemption Song." The multi-channel mix offers a remarkably immersive listening experience, with crisp snare hits, articulate guitar riffs, and Marley's powerful vocals. Additionally, the audio mix utilizes the rear channels effectively to create natural ambient sounds, enriching interview scenes with subtleties like distant bird tweets and insect buzzes. Dialogues are meticulously clear, albeit some Jamaican subjects’ thick accents necessitate subtitles. Despite some vintage material having minor audio grunge, it remains non-intrusive and listenable.
Complementing this musical richness, the subwoofer effectively highlights Aston Barrett’s dynamic bass lines. The modern footage, notably pristine in quality, contrasts slightly with archival content that occasionally includes faint hisses. The documentary surprisingly excels in ambient sound recreations, capturing elements such as rain during breaks and children playing in the background during Jamaica-based interviews. These elements contribute to a well-balanced audio mix that preserves the authenticity and depth of the documentary experience. Overall, this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track not only does justice to Bob Marley's legendary music but also maintains a high standard in dialogue and ambient noise reproduction, making it a standout audio presentation for this Blu-ray release.
Extra: 60
The Blu Ray disc of "Marley" offers a substantial collection of extras, delivering further insights into Bob Marley's life and legacy. The commentary led by Director Kevin MacDonald, with occasional contributions from David "Ziggy" Marley, provides an informative glimpse into the challenges of creating the documentary. The "Around the World" featurette is a standout, showcasing the global cultural impact of Marley's music. Extended interviews with Bunny Wailer and Marley's children offer deeper personal perspectives, while "Listening to I'm Loose" provides a rare, unguarded recording session of Marley. The inclusion of photo galleries, trailers, and promotional material enhances the comprehensive package for fans and scholars alike.
Extras included in this disc:
- Commentary with Director Kevin MacDonald and David Ziggy Marley: Insights on making the documentary from securing rights to family politics.
- Around the World: Explores Marley's global impact in various cultural contexts.
- Extended Interview with Bunny Wailer: Additional footage of Wailer's intriguing insights.
- Children's Memories: Interviews with David Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley, and Cedella Marley reflecting on their father.
- Listening to I'm Loose: Rare audio of Marley's impromptu recording session.
- Photo Gallery: Archival photos and production stills.
- Theatrical Trailer: Original trailer for the film.
- SiriusXM: Ziggy Marley's Legends of Reggae: Audio clip with Jimmy Cliff.
- Marley Soundtrack: TV spot for the movie's soundtrack.
- Visit Jamaica: Promotional video for Jamaican tourism.
- Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment: Additional offerings from the studio.
Movie: 80
"Marley," directed by Kevin MacDonald, is a comprehensive and highly engaging documentary that exhaustively covers the life of Bob Marley, the icon of reggae music. The film uniquely begins in Ghana, exploring Marley's Afro-centric themes and then masterfully unravels his life story from his birth in Jamaica to his rise as a global superstar. Through a plethora of archival footage, interviews, and previously unseen home movies, MacDonald presents an in-depth look into Marley's mixed-race heritage, his formative years in the Trench Town slums, and the genesis of The Wailers. The film effectively paints a vivid picture of Marley's early influences and the evolution of Jamaican music, capturing the progression from Mento and Calypso to reggae, all while highlighting Marley's importance as a unifying figure in Jamaican politics.
The documentary adeptly balances historical context with personal insights. It delves into Marley's relationships with his family and bandmates, the sociopolitical impact of his music, and the personal adversities he faced, including an assassination attempt and his struggles with cancer. Key figures like Chris Blackwell of Island Records provide valuable perspectives on Marley's career milestones, such as the creation of seminal albums "Catch a Fire" and "Natty Dread." Marley's deep-rooted Rastafarian beliefs and their influence on his music and lifestyle are thoughtfully chronicled, offering viewers a holistic understanding of his spiritual and artistic journey.
The film's poignant moments are amplified by the concert footage and candid interviews, culminating in an emotionally charged depiction of Marley's final years battling melanoma. Despite being produced in collaboration with Marley's family, which may have led to a somewhat sanitized portrayal, "Marley" succeeds in presenting an authentic and deeply moving tribute to a man whose music continues to inspire and challenge listeners worldwide. Kevin MacDonald's skillful direction ensures that the documentary is not only informative but also visually captivating and emotionally resonant.
Total: 68
Kevin MacDonald's "Marley" is an exceptional documentary that offers a comprehensive, birth-to-death account of Bob Marley, capturing the reggae icon in both historical and emotional contexts. The film excels in presenting Marley's life through a mix of rebellious, nostalgic, impassioned, and celebratory tones, making it a rewarding experience for both ardent fans and newcomers alike. With an array of insightful interviews, rare archival and concert footage, and vivid shots of significant locations associated with Marley, the documentary effortlessly sustains viewer interest despite its considerable length.
The Blu-ray version of "Marley" is notably the best way to experience this documentary. It delivers outstanding audio and video quality, particularly through upgraded archival footage and a pristine soundtrack that resonates with Marley's legendary music. The visual excellence of the Blu-ray format enhances every frame, immersing the audience in the rich history and vibrant culture that shaped Marley's life and work. The special features, although slightly limited with only a handful of extras beyond ads and deleted scenes, still provide valuable supplementary content that deepens one's understanding of Marley's world and the documentary's production process.
In conclusion, "Marley" on Blu-ray is an indispensable addition for anyone interested in reggae music or the life of one of the third world's most celebrated superstars. The film's high-quality audio and visual presentation, combined with its well-crafted narrative structure, make it highly recommended. Whether you are discovering Marley for the first time or revisiting his legacy, this Blu-ray offers a top-tier viewing experience that is both informative and deeply moving.
Blu-ray.com review by Casey BroadwaterRead review here
Video: 80
One of the early interviews with a relative in Nine Mile is uncharacteristically noisy and soft, which makes me suspect it was shot with a less professional rig, but the others have no real compression...
Audio: 90
What I didn't necessarily expect was how the rear channels are used effectively for quiet natural ambience, filling out many of the interview sequences with the distant tweets of birds and the buzzes of...
Extras: 70
Extended Interview with Bunny Wailer (1080p, 19:03): Twenty more minutes with Wailer, who explains the complicated blood ties between his and Marley's families, Bob's training as a welder with Desmond...
Movie: 80
Made with the blessing of the Marley family, the film does have the saintly glow of a hagiography at times�it glosses over the handsome singer's womanizing, for example, and paints him as something of...
Total: 80
The film was released in theaters and on-demand at the same time, but the Blu-ray really is the optimum way to watch Marley; the picture and sound are great, but it's the cornucopia of extras that really...
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 80
The modern footage looks free of grain while the older the material the more naturally appears....
Audio: 80
Of course, Marley's music, which should be played loud, makes the most of the surrounds, coming across warm and dynamic....
Extras: 40
Around the World (HD, 19 min) – This segment demonstrates the worldwide impact of Marley's music as it is covered by people from numerous countries....
Movie: 80
Described by Jann Wenner as "the Third World's first pop superstar" during his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Marley serves as an inspiration to many all around the world because of the...
Total: 80
I would have liked even more about the man or the documentary's production, but the film is satisfying on its own....
Why So Blu?Read review here
Video: 90
Overall, given that the film could have looked vastly different, were it not handled as effectively, this is a pretty great video transfer onto Blu....
Audio: 90
Again, similar to the video presentation, it is important to note the use of archival footage and the fact that it never had much of a chance of sounding pristine; however, nothing is ever to garbled or...
Extras: 80
This is my favorite extra on the set, as it further explores the cultural impact in a little more detail and in some countries one would not necessarily expect....
Movie: 90
The film features a wealth of concert footage, which is brought up appropriately, as we see where Marley was and what his intents were at the time in regards to the meanings behind these various singles....
Total: 90
It is an all-encompassing documentary that really delivers on providing lots of detail about the third-world’s most famous Superstar, while also proving to be very watchable....
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Actors: Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley
PlotThe story begins with a glimpse into the early life of a young boy growing up in rural Jamaica. Born to a white father and a black mother, he navigates the complexities of his mixed heritage, which shapes his unique perspective on life and music. As he discovers his passion for music, the boy joins a band that eventually becomes a cornerstone of reggae music. This band's soulful rhythms and poignant lyrics attract a growing local following, and they soon find themselves on the cusp of international fame. The narrative explores the boy's personal relationships, highlighting his bond with his mother and his deep love for a woman who would become a pivotal figure in his life and career.
As the band rises to fame, the boy who becomes a man, emerges as a voice for the voiceless, using his music to address social and political issues. His journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of peace and unity, even as he faces numerous challenges, including health issues and personal conflicts. The tale paints a vivid picture of his life on the road, his interactions with other iconic musicians, and his eventual status as a global icon. The story delves into the impact of his music on the world, resonating deeply with fans across generations and continents, ultimately solidifying his legacy as a timeless and influential figure in music history.
Writers: N/A
Release Date: 20 Apr 2012
Runtime: 144 min
Rating: PG-13
Country: United Kingdom, United States
Language: English, French, German