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'Marley' Has Great Music, Remarkable Personal Story

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Any documentary about a singer-songwriter can provide great music, but with "Marley" you also get a remarkable personal story. We have a review from our critic Kenneth Turan.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KENNETH TURAN, BYLINE: Bob Marley, who was only 36 when he died in 1981, could be a dusty musical footnote by now. Instead, the enormous popularity of this transcendent reggae superstar shows no sign of going away, and "Marley," a moving and authoritative new documentary, explains why.

Director Kevin MacDonald had the full cooperation of the extended Marley family, as well as the rights to big chunks of dazzling performance footage.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, 'NO WOMAN NO CRY")

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MARLEY")

TURAN: Because he was such a powerful figure in Jamaica, Marley ended up involved against his will in politics. That led to both an assassination attempt and a legendary concert where he called the country's two bitter political rivals onstage and joined their hands in peace.

Bob Marley's life ended much earlier than it should have. The cancer that killed him was found early on, but a combination of bad medical advice and neglect proved fatal. There is an inescapable sadness to that, but what "Marley" and its wonderful performance footage leaves you with most of all is the joy the man took in the music that set him free and enchanted the world.

INSKEEP: Kenneth Turan reviews movies for MORNING EDITION and the Los Angeles Times. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Kenneth Turan is the film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Morning Edition, as well as the director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. He has been a staff writer for the Washington Post and TV Guide, and served as the Times' book review editor.