Biographical films about iconic people are notoriously tricky to do right. By nature, they deal with larger-than-life individuals with stories and significant moments so expansive that capturing their essence within the confines of a single film can be difficult. The bigger the name, the larger the weight of expectation from everyone whose lives were touched by them, and every fan or follower they ever had.
When the film,Bob Marley: One Lovewas released, it was the legendary artist’s musical contributions and enormous influence on the world and his millions of fans worldwide which transcended different generations that provided the expectations.
Bob Marley: One Love
While it’sdone reasonably well so far commercially, and featured a great performance by its star,Kingsley Ben-Adir, the film left a lot to be desired in a critical sense — mustering an unexpectedly paltry 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With such a colossal life and legacy as its subject, it was perhaps always doomed to be overshadowed by the enormity of Bob Marley himself, and struggled to fully capture his gravitas as a person and artist.
The film has also recently been the subject of much fact-checking, causing many people to wonder just how many of the scenes it depicted were based on facts. If you’re one of them, here’s a look at the significant thingsBob Marley: One Lovegot factually correct, and which prominent facts about the singer were either incorrect, left out, or changed for dramatic purposes.
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Most of His Life and Legacy Were Accurately Depicted
One of Bob Marley’s most endearing qualities to fans was that he lived his life in a manner based on his spiritual underpinnings as a Rastafarian. Aside from being known for his practice of smoking marijuana (which Rastafarians believe brings one closer to the divine through the meditative states it induces), Marley was known as a kind and gentle soul who only wished for peace anda sense of unity and togethernessamong all people.
His propensity for peace actually informed the plot of the film, as it centered on the One Love Peace Concert that he devised to help heal divisions responsible for a huge spate of violence in Jamaica at the time.
All of these angles are adequately catered for in the film, with Marley’s childhood influences (or lack thereof) also briefly covered. Significant among those he lacked was the fact that his father was only brieflyseen in flashbacksin the film, and seemed to be absent from his life. This was true, since his father, Norval Marley, was a white construction engineer who met his mother while overseeing a project. Norval left shortly after Marley was born, seeing him only a few times after that, ultimately passing away before his son turned 10.
Related:Kingsley Ben-Adir Talks Bob Marley: One Love’s Success & Basketball Ken at the Oscars
His Arrest Was Real But His Marijuana Use Was Downplayed
While Bob Marley’s arrest and detention during his famous stay in London in the late ’70s, was depicted, other aspects of his life were downplayed. As the film depicted, the incident never had a very significant impact on his life. He was, of course, arrested, charged, and convicted for possession of a small quantity of marijuana. However, given that his marijuana usage played a major part in his life, with him even campaigning for its legalization, the film seemed to downplay his relationship with it.
While these aspects of the film were negligibly handled either way, the scene where Marley speaks with gang enforcer Claudie Massop after an attempt on his life, was likelyfabricated for the film. The surrounding factors were true. Marley was indeed a target of the gangs plaguing the region at the time for what was deemed his support of one group’s views over the others. However, his meeting with Massop in the film was probably made up, since Massop would likely have been in a detention center around the time depicted in the scene.
The assassination attempt itself was true, and the fact that it almost resulted in Marley and his wife, Rita’s death, did have a profound emotional effect on Marley. It’s also true that no one was killed in the incident, though there were injuries to Marley and the others as depicted in the scene. It was also true that he and Rita still made it to the concert, and he performed magnificently in it.
His Love Life and Affairs Were Downplayed
Bob Marley: One Lovedid depict the fact that bothhe and wife Rita had affairs. However, while the film showcased this significantly through a jealousy outburst, it downplayed the fact that their marriage was actually more of an open one. In reality, Marley was notorious for his love affairs, fathering children with at least six other women. However, his most famous side quest was with 1976’s Miss World, Cindy Breakspeare — who is the mother of Marley’s son Damian.
Aside from all the headlines andthe enormous stir their relationship caused, the film also downplayed just how significant a love triangle it caused between the pair and Rita. Given Marley’s far more amorous reputation, and the fact that the film was produced by, among others, Rita Marley herself, and their children, Ziggy and Cedella Marley, it’s understandable why her own affairs weren’t spotlighted as much. It also likely explained why she was depicted as his true love, while in reality, he was said to have been just as close to Cindy Breakspeare too.
Related:The Best Musical Biopics, Ranked
His Death and Musical Legacy Were Mismatched
Asa biographical filmthat really centered on a snapshot of the life of Bob Marley, the film also dealt with his death. However, it inaccurately portrayed that he never sought adequate treatment once he learned he was ill.In reality, after learning of his Melanoma, Marley did have surgery and thought he would be okay. Sadly, his cancer spread rapidly, leading to his untimely death four years later.
What wasn’t shown by the film was that he did still seek to try and treat his cancer after it had spread, even looking into experimental treatments in Europe. While his battle was ultimately futile, Marley did try to do everything he could to save himself. As sad as his death was, what the film did get right was capturing the timeless and immortal soul of his legacy.
Through the emotive way it handled the concert, and many little momentswonderfully performed by Kingsley Ben-Adir,Bob Marley: One Lovedoes do a good enough job of conveying just how loved, talented, and immense he was as a singer, activist, and an all-round icon.
It’s the words of the great man himself that often best convey how he lived his life and why he remains so revered to this day. Amonghis many famous quotes, this one perfectly captured why people loved him best.
Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together black, white, Chinese, everyone that’s all.
