WITH THE passing of film-maker Perry Henzell on November 30, Jamaica not only lost one of its most creative minds, but a firebrand who was frustrated that his country never fulfilled its post-independence promise.

Henzell, 70 at the time of his death, belonged to an energetic generation who desperately wanted to shake off the shackles of British colonialism.

The classic film, The Harder They Come, was Henzell's lasting tribute to his generation - a generation that produced visionaries like musicians Don Drummond and Bob Marley, and dancer/choreographer Rex Nettleford.

Each man was determined to make societal change, just as their 'Beatnik' counterparts did in the United States during the 1950s.

Henzell's background differed considerably from that of Drummond, Marley and Nettleford. He was a product of the plantocracy, educated at prestigious lily-white schools in Britain and Canada.

Yet, Henzell was always in touch with the grass roots, so much that he crafted a movie that defined the frustrations, and passions, of his peers.

The Harder They Come was Henzell's Beyond The Boundary; it was his Rebel Without a Cause.

Many foreigners who saw The Harder They Come got an intimate look for the first time at how the average Jamaican lived. Until then, most of them basked in its postcard image of sun, sea and sand.

The grittiness of The Harder They Come drew thousands of foreigners to Jamaica in the 1970s. Its powerful soundtrack did for reggae and Bob Marley what James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause did for rock and roll.

To the revolutionary, The Harder They Come depicted a political turbulence reminiscent of the civil rights struggles that took place in the United States in the 1950s and '60s.

For over 30 years, Henzell basked in the acclaim of The Harder They Come. He received several awards and gave lectures in North America and Europe explaining the concept behind the film. But The HarderThey Come was much more than a movie to Perry Henzell. From as early as 1972, he advocated a social transformation that would make life easier for persons like Ivan, the hero of film. He called for prison reform and widescale changes to the justice system. He did not live long enough to see the realisation of either.

What he did live to see was The Harder They Come rated by critics as one of the most enduring movies of all time. It is the ultimate compliment for a low-budget film, especially one made in Jamaica by Jamaicans.

Thirty-four years ago, Black Power types, college students and hippies crammed small theatres from New York City to Cambridge, Massachusetts and Los Angeles to watch The Harder They Come.

It had the same impact Beatniks had on young Americans in the 1950s. Like the provocative writings of Jack Kerouac and the jazz strains of Charlie Parker, Henzell's movie did not discriminate. The message is what pulled and continues to draw viewers to The Harder They Come. That may well be Perry Henzell's greatest gift to all generations.

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