Land of Look Behind (1982)

Name: Land of Look Behind
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 1982-01-01

1h 30m

Running Time

Plot.

There has never been a documentary like "Land of Look Behind". Relatively unknown due to poor distribution and New York Film Festival skullduggery, this breathtaking film presents a unique epic vision with quasi-dramatic elements and cinematographic wizardry. The non-reggae original soundtrack is outstanding, as is the reggae music of Bob Marley and Gregory Isaacs. The great documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog has called "Look Behind" the non-fiction film that has influenced him most over the last fifteen years. Indeed, this film's peers are the best of Herzog, Bunuel's "Land Without Bread", Flaherty's "Nanook" and Leacock-Pennebaker's "Louisiana Story". With thoughtful viewing, one will see this moving documentary actually end with a lovely little dream sequence. No American has come close to making a film this ingenious in the last thirty years.

Where to Watch.

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Cast & Crew.

Gregory Isaacs

Self

Louis Lepke

Self

Mutabaruka

Self

Bob Marley

Self

Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

Director of Photography

Alan Greenberg

Director

Media.

Details.

Release Date
January 1, 1982

Status
Released

Running Time
1h 30m

Content Rating
PG

Genres
Documentary Music

Last updated: 2025-02-11

Wiki.

Land of Look Behind is a 1982 documentary film about Jamaica. It was filmed in May and June of 1981 by Alan Greenberg, and was the director's first film. The film's cinematographer was Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein, an associate of Werner Herzog. The musical score is by K. (Kerry) Leimer.

The film begins with footage of Jamaica's wild interior region called the Cockpit Country. It also features footage of the funeral of reggae musician Bob Marley. A number of Rastafari are interviewed, and performers Gregory Isaacs and Mutabaruka are also featured. In addition, Father Amde Hamilton of The Watts Prophets performs a spoken word piece during Marley's funeral service.

Land of Look Behind won the Chicago International Film Festival's Gold Hugo Award.

Werner Herzog has said in the film's DVD commentary that "This film achieves things never seen before in the history of cinema." The American director Jim Jarmusch writes in the DVD liner notes that Land of Look Behind is "striking...beautiful...near-perfect."

In 2007, the film was released on DVD, with interviews of and commentary by Greenberg and Herzog.