Film producer and writer Perry Henzell. - PHOTO BY CLAUDINE HOUSEN
IN 1972 Perry Henzell produced his first film, The Harder They Come. Since then, it has grown into a cult-classic. In 2006, Henzell will finally see the birthing of his second film, No Place Like Home, which will debut at the 31st annual Toronto International Film Festival September 7-16.
Henzell, however, warns that the film is not a remake of The Harder They Come and those who expect it to be will be disappointed. He explains that whereas The Harder They Come was seen from the perspective of a country boy looking at the city, No Place Like Home reverses the perspective and becomes that of a city woman seeing the country.
The stories are intended to be parts of a thematic trilogy of which The Harder They Come was the first. No Place Like Home is the second in the trilogy and most of the film was actually shot just under three decades ago during the 1970s. As such, No Place Like Home has been about 25 years in the making as it was severely hampered by financial problems.
FRESH VIEWPOINT
"I was totally fed up with the film business, so I went into the bush and wrote novels," explains Henzell. However, more recent contact with footage from the film brought him back to the story. It has been rough going, however, as footage which had been lost had to be found then restored. Henzell explains that much of the work would not have been possible without David Garonzik.
Henzell is undaunted by any expectations of a remake of The Harder They Come. He notes that the movie will do well as long as audiences understand that it is a very different film.
"I think the film business should get out of the ghetto where it seems to be stuck," Henzell said. "There are so many stories that need to be told." Buoyed by new technology, Henzell has once again become interested in the development of the Jamaican film industry. Though he is battling bone cancer, he intends to go on to make the third of the films, Power Game, should his health allow.
CONFIDENT ABOUT DISTRIBUTION DEAL
Power Game has already come to life as a novel, and Henzell intends to return it to the original form it was intended for - film. He has spoken for years about the personal legwork that it took for him to distribute The Harder They Come. The knowledge gained through that has allowed him to be confident that distributing No Place Like Home will be much easier, even if he does not get a major distribution deal.
Of course, premiering at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival ought to signifi-cantly increase his chances at securing such a deal. The film is slated for final cut before making it to the festival. "You never stop thinking about how you can change the thing you've made," Henzell said.
Now Henzell is looking toward the future. "When No Place Like Home is launched and distributed, I'm gonna turn my mind back to Kingston, starting with Power Game," he said.
- Tanya Batson-Savage
