The Harder They Come, Perry Henzell’s classic urban drama, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.

To commemorate the golden anniversary of the movie which starred Jimmy Cliff, the Henzell family staged an exhibition of visual art and poetry, inspired by the movie, at the director’s former home at West King’s House Road in Kingston.

Henzell and co-writer Trevor Rhone died in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Most of the cast, including Janet Bartley and Winston Stona, have also died.

Stona, who had other movie roles in Cool Runnings and The Lunatic, died in August.

A 50th anniversary edition of its soundtrack was released on vinyl December 9 by UMe.

Cliff, who played Ivan, was star of the groundbreaking movie which co-starred Carl Bradshaw as Jose, Stona as detective Ray Jones, and Bartley as Elsa, Ivan’s lover.

The soundtrack, built mainly around songs by Cliff, was also a monumental success and helped introduce Jamaican pop culture to a global audience. Cliff’s contributions included the title track Many Rivers to Cross; You Can Get it if You Really Want; Wonderful World, Beautiful People; and Sitting in Limbo.

Pressure Drop by The Maytals, 007 (Shantytown) by Desmond Dekker and The Aces, By The Rivers of Babylon by The Melodians, and Johnny Too Bad by The Slickers are also part of the soundtrack which Rolling Stone magazine named among its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Most of its songs were produced by Leslie Kong for his Beverley’s Records. He died in August 1971, 10 months before The Harder They Come opened in Kingston at Carib Theatre.