Production for The Harder They Come began in 1969 and the film was not finished until 1972.

Jimmy Cliff had been approached originally only to provide songs for the film.

The film's shooting title was You Can Get It If You Really Want.

Perry Henzell cast Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin on the strength of the only two photos he'd seen of the singer – the front and back covers of his first record album, in which he looked alternatively defiant and vulnerable.

The film's budget was $200,000.

During this protracted filming schedule, several cast members moved on or died, forcing Henzell to employ doubles and look-alikes.

The film Ivan and Jose see at The Rialto is Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966).

The knife fight between Ivan and Longo was shot in three segments over the course of 18 months with Jimmy Cliff replaced by stand-in Alton Ellis.

The scene in which Ivan is whipped with a tamarind rod is taken from the true story of Vincent "Ivanhoe" Martin.

The short scene in which Elsa cradles Ivan after he has been whipped was shot after the completion of principal photography, in a London editing suite using a double for Jimmy Cliff.

The ship that Ivan swims to late in the film would only remain moored for half an hour, requiring a quick shoot and Jimmy Cliff to do his own swimming.

While the scene was being filmed, the ship's crew threw garbage overboard, which attracted sharks.

Cast as a firebrand preacher in The Harder They Come is Basil Keane, who was really a Kingston dentist.

Robert Charlton, who plays the record producer Hilton, was an insurance salesman.

Beverly Anderson, who plays the affluent housewife Ivan begs work from, later married Michael Manley, Jamaica's fourth Prime Minister.

Ras Daniel Hartman, who plays Pedro in the film, was a well-respected Rastafarian artist.

When The Harder They Come had its premiere in Kingston, the crowds were so huge that star Jimmy Cliff was unable to reach the Carib Theater.

The Harder They Come was nearly remade in 2003 with Mos Def, who abandoned the project to costar in the Bruce Willis thriller 16 Blocks (2006).

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

Sources:
Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998
Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001
Transcript of interview with Perry Henzell broadcast by Reggae Radio Station, SkabadiP Ska Radio Show, 1998
Interview with Perry Henzell by Jeremy Sigler, Index Magazine, 2001
Interview with Perry Henzell by Geoff Parker, www.reggaezine.com
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Graham Brown-Martin, Skywritings, 2003
Interview with Jimmy Cliff by Richard Harrington, Washington Post 2004
Through the 20th Century with The Gleaner: History of a Killer by C. Roy Reynolds, The Gleaner December 2000
Perry Henzell/Jimmy Cliff audio commentary, The Harder They Come DVD