Land of Film;
If Jamaica Were An Actor
— By Peter Polack
IF JAMAICA WERE AN ACTOR SHE WOULD HAVE APPEARED IN MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY–ONE FILMS ACCORDING TO A POPULAR INTERNET DATABASE. OFTEN FILMS SHOT IN OTHER COUNTRIES SUCH AS FIJI WOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE COMING FROM JAMAICA AND THE BAHAMAS WHICH WERE TWO POPULAR SPOTS FOR TROPICAL ISLAND FOOTAGE
There were a few unfortunate occasions when productions such as Island in the Sun, shot in Barbados and Grenada during 1957, were mistakenly attributed to Jamaica by even official sources.
The frequen“t productions on the island and its “exotic locale” appeal, including good weather The prodigious output of films shot on location in Jamaica led The New York Times to proclaim Jamaica as “An Island Rediscovers Its Role as the Little Hollywood Of the Caribbean” in a 1988 article. Economic benefits in recent years were confirmed by a 1990 comment in The Hollywood Reporter that “Club Paradise was the foreign production that most benefited the local economy, adding US$5.3 million to the coffers”.
One of the most costly films for its time at US$1 million was the 1916 drama A Daughter of the Gods that not only saw substantial set construction in the capital Kingston, but one of the earliest examples of partial nudity by actress Annette Kellermann in mainstream cinema. Jamaica was also home to at least one example of the horror genre with the 1991 film Popcorn shot in part at the iconic Ward Theatre in downtown Kingston — renamed Dreamland Theatre for the production. The progression towards ‘made for television films’ also made Jamaica a useful location such as the Viacom production Scamwith Christopher Walken in 1991. Additionally the film recorded the acting debut of reggae singer, Maxi Priest.
There were a few unfortunate occasions when productions such as Island in the Sun, shot in Barbados and Grenada during 1957, were mistakenly attributed to Jamaica by even official sources. One film, the 1970 Jungle production of Skullduggery starring Burt Reynolds, appeared on some records to have been shot in Papua New Guinea and Samoa when in fact it was filmed on location in Jamaica for safety reasons. This idea began much earlier with the locale for Captain Blood (1935) portrayed as Port Royal but in fact was Three Arch Bay in Laguna Beach, California, and the subterfuge has been perpetuated.
The star, Errol Flynn, came to have a more realistic and enduring attraction for Jamaica and Port Antonio later in life. Jamaican-themed films not shot on location included City Beneath the Sea based on the book Port Royal: The Ghost City Beneath the Sea; Jamaica Run and Swashbuckler which were shot in Mexico. This was a worldwide phenomenon with the blockbusters Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales filmed in Australia and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides using Hawaii. Jamaica was sufficiently popular as a film location to have several productions in one year such as Live and Let Die as well as Papillon in 1973. Jamaican-based productions provided opportunities for local actors over the decades. Pre-eminent among them was Claudia Robinson in Wide Sargasso Sea; she was described by the New York magazine as “A remarkable actress”. The popularity of earlier Jamaica located films was based on low production costs, its close proximity to Florida, the availability of extras with prior experience from the frequent productions on the island and its “exotic locale” appeal, including good weather.
The list of international film productions in Jamaica includes Dr. No, Lord of the Flies, Father Goose, A High Wind in Jamaica, In Like Flint, Live and Let Die, Papillon, Club Paradise, Clara’s Heart, Cocktail, The Mighty Quinn, Wide Sargasso Sea, Cool Runnings, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, License to Wed and Knight and Day. The last major international production in Jamaica was Knight and Day with Tom Cruise in 2010 but Jamaica has maintained a large welcome mat with their energetic and youthful Daryl Vaz, Minister of Land, The Environment, Climate Change and Investment, continuing the long tradition of supporting such ventures.
He is also the long- standing member of Parliament for West Portland, the historical and landscape favourite of film producers and location managers – this bodes well for a quantum leap by the film industry in Jamaica. Jamaican luxury hotels featured in several movies over the years. They have also provided a celebrity hideaway since the 1950’s and the most prominent among them is the fabulous Round Hill Villas on the outskirts of Montego Bay. The spy flick sequel to Our Man Flint— called In Like Flint— was shot in Jamaica with locations at Dunn’s River Falls and the Round Hill Hotel.
Directed by Gordon Douglas for the 20th Century Film Corporation and released in 1967, it was a tale about a spy trying to stop an organization of women from taking over the world. Round Hill also featured in part of the film Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung you in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad, starring Rosalind Russell. It was shot by Paramount and also used the Montego Bay airport as a location. Ms. Russell, more famously known for her turn with Cary Grant in His Girl Friday, was a frequent visitor to Round Hill along with many actors, celebrities and members of the jet set. The successful Terry McMillan novel, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, became a movie in 1998 with lead Angela Bassett. It was produced by a great friend of Jamaica with many credits to her name, Deborah Schindler, who has vacationed with her family at Round Hill for three generations. That luxurious film set encouraged a return by actor Taye Diggs for a wedding on the Round Hill beach to Broadway star Idina Menzel.
The Tom Cruise film, Cocktail, that featured a steamy waterfall scene at Reach Falls was a production that lasted for several weeks in Jamaica. Tom Cruise and his then wife, Mimi Rogers, stayed at the old Trident hotel in the eastern parish of Portland during filming. The film gave Tom Cruise his best opening revenue at the time which by one estimate was $300 million. In 1988, Whoopi Goldberg appeared in Clara’s Heart as a Jamaican housekeeper at a vacation resort who befriends a young boy, Neil Patrick Harris.
The picture also included the classy Trident Hotel which has since changed ownership followed by a beautiful renovation that now includes several stately villas with private, heated pools.
The next year MGM produced The Mighty Quinn at Port Antonio with actors Denzel Washington, Jamaican-born Sheryl Lee Ralph and well-known local screen actor, Carl Bradshaw. Various sites in the parish, including the Folly mansion ruins and Trident Castle (where Denzel was seduced by Mimi Rogers), were included in the production.
Many years ago, Sea Wife with Richard Burton and Joan Collins involved beach footage in Ocho Rios which remains a popular spot with numerous highquality tourist hotels nearby available to cater to cast and crew alike after a long day in the tropical sun.
Produced by Andre Hakim who was accompanied by his wife Susan, the daughter of Darryl Zanuck, the cast and producers stars stayed at the famed Jamaica Inn. Other areas included in the location schedule were Kingston, used to represent Singapore. Priory in St. Ann — including the area at the Laughing Waters property where the Roaring River meets the sea with many picturesque falls — was used to simulate the Cottonwood home of English industrialist Sir Bernard Docker.
The 2007 Warner Brothers release License to Wed with Mandy Moore, John Krasinski and Robin Williams was a marriage-based comedy with honeymoon footage in Jamaica at the deluxe Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios.
Twenty-three year old Joan Collins managed to go rafting on the Rio Grande and visit Brown’s Emporium in Ocho Rios to shop for locally made goods in her off time. There was a marine scene included of a torpedoed boat with hundreds of extras — this sequence was happily preceded by Richard Burton participating in a local cricket match.
In 1985 Warner Brothers came to Portland for four months to start production of a comedy directed by Harold Ramis of Ghostbusters fame. He repeatedly wrote in new locations as he saw more and more beautiful spots. In a storyline similar to Herman Wouk’s Don’t Stop the Carnival, Robin Williams joined up with singer Jimmy Cliff for Club Paradise using the old Dragon Bay resort in Portland.
Following the well-worn practice of using fictitious place names, beautiful Jamaica was renamed St. Nicholas. One review revealed a US$36 million budget as well as a prevailing opinion that experienced actor Jimmy Cliff gave the best performance of the show, and included his singing ability.
This was a boom time for Portland after the depressed Seventies, with employment of hundreds, multiple donations by the crew and cast to local institutions and charities as well as the full-capacity of bars and hotels. Club Paradise took on a wider dimension as it created a tropical heaven for producers, cast, crew, Jamaicans and ultimately, the audience.
The 2007 Warner Brothers release License to Wed with Mandy Moore, John Krasinski and Robin Williams was a marriage-based comedy with honeymoon footage in Jamaica at the deluxe Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios.
The film had its Jamaican premiere at the Carib cinema with chairman of Jamaica Trade and Invest, Robert Gregory, announcing that Jamaica had earned US$7 million in 2006 from film production. This was an outstanding progress report by any measure and due in no small part to the efforts of then Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson.
The world outside Jamaica has become an unstable place: many conflicts in many places spilling over into Europe and North America make filmmaking with large crowds and foreign crew no longer a cautious exercise but a perilous undertaking even at the best of times. Jamaica has a wide variety of landscapes from the sea caves of Negril to the desert like seascapes near Treasure Beach; the vast open areas of Vernamfield on to the lush Blue Mountains; several picturesque valleys that flow down to the magnificent north coast with unspoiled rivers and coastlines. They all make the island a compelling case for a visit, soon. Caribic Vacations has recently been appointed the ‘Jamaica Land of Film’ tour operator. It showcases multiple film production locations to visitors, from Falmouth eastwards to Ocho Rios and in the west, from Montego Bay to Hanover. With landscapes filled with scenic vistas, there are few better ways to discover the island than walking in the footsteps of the movie stars who have captured the beauty of Jamaica’s landscape in film. — JP