Keeling's Caribbean Showcase

Sunday, May 2nd, 7:30 pm

Keeling's Caribbean Showcase

Gregory Isaacs: Live at the Rocket

Dir. Dan Crouch (2003) 40 min.

Gregory Isaacs, the smooth crooner of Lovers' Rock performs a long list of classics and new hits before a capacity crowd.

8:15pm

Rockers

Dir. Ted Bafaloukos (1978) 100 min.

Jamaican Patois with English subtitles

In the history of Jamaican cinema Rockers is a close second to The Harder They Come as a crucial depiction of the politics and culture of its time. 

Legendary session drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace is the main character in a plot loosely resembling De Sica's Bicycle Thief. But the story is secondary to the documentation of a political and cultural context in which a new musical form, Steppers, emerged. With the increase in political violence on the island, the Steppers or Rockers beat appeared as a more rapid, militant variation on Reggae. Peter Tosh's anthem "Stepping Razor" is characterizes the role played by the many of the all star cast (including Big Youth, Jacob Miller and Burning spear) as cultural warriors fighting for recognition, against a racial elite and for basic survival.