Through the mind of young explorer Leonard Percival Howell (1893 – 1981), this documentary looks to shed light on the origin and the vision of the Rasta Movement. Read more.
Ostensibly detailing the life of Leonard ‘The Gong’ Howell, founder of Rastafarianism, The First Rasta finds plenty of time to hang out with some present day Jamaicans, many of them former residents of Howell’s commune The Pinnacle. Founded in the 1930s, The Pinnacle was home to thousands of Rastafarians until 1954 when it was shut down by police, and was the birthplace of reggae music (later Bob Marley would name himself Tuff Gong as a tribute to Howell).
The film is as laid back as the subject matter would suggest, switching between Howell’s story (told via narration and archival footage), intimate chats with (mainly elderly) Rastas, and some impromptu musical performances. That director Hélène Lee is content to dwell on some of the less pertinent moments involving interviewees can come off as a bit indulgent, but she’s clearly enamored of them and their faith (The First Rasta is based on her book of the same name), and the leisurely pace is forgivable when it’s accompanied by such a cracking reggae soundtrack. For the uninitiated there’s also a handy primer on Rastafarianism, covering Marcus Garvey’s influence as well as the concept of Babylon.
Unfortunately the film skims the surface in some areas I would’ve liked to have seen expanded: the actual creation of the Rasta movement and the birth of reggae. Things coast along but never get particularly in depth. Rudimentary nature aside, The First Rasta is charming enough as a documentary that captures and reflects its subjects’ easygoing nature.
