''Dancehall Queen'' is a 1997 indie Jamaican film written by Suzanne Fenn, Ed Wallace and Don Letts, starring Audrey Reid, who plays Marcia, a street vendor struggling to raise a bad-tempered daughter, Tanya (

Cherine Anderson Cherine Tanya Anderson (born 25 September 1984, Rockfort, East Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican dancehall/reggae vocalist and actress. Biography Anderson's acting career began in the film '' Dancehall Queen'' (1997), as Marcia's pressured, t ...

). Directed by Don Letts and Rick Elgood.

Plot

Marcia Green ( Audrey Reid) is a single mom and street vendor barely scraping by even with a financial assist from the seemingly avuncular Larry (Carl Davis), a gun-toting strongman with a twisted desire for Marcia's teenage daughter Tanya (

) who he then decides to pursue. Complicating things is Priest (Paul Campbell), a murderous hoodlum who killed Marcia's friend and now is terrorizing the defenseless woman. Facing three big problems (Larry, Priest, and without money), Marcia arrives at an inspired solution: develop an alter ego, a dancing celebrity called the Mystery Lady who can compete in a cash-prize contest and put both of the men against one another. She does so and Marcia very amusingly carries out her complicated plan, with a little help from sympathetic friends.

Cast

* Audrey Reid as Marcia, a struggling street vendor, who decides to use dancing to better her situation. So, she takes on the persona of the Mystery Lady, to raise money. *

as Tanya, Marcia's older daughter. Trying to live a normal life, she has to deal with the advances of Larry, the wealthy man that her mother seeks money from. *Mark Danvers as Junior, Marcia's younger brother and Tanya's uncle. After witnessing his friend's death, at the hands of Priest, he fears he'll be murdered next. *Carl Davis as Larry, a well-off man, who has an interest in Tanya, he falls for the Mystery Lady. * Paul Campbell as Priest, the knife-wielding hoodlum who's pursuing Marcia * Carl Bradshaw as Police Officer #1 *

Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...

as himself *

Lady Saw Marion Hall, formerly known by the stage name Lady Saw, is a Jamaican singer and songwriter whose career has spanned over two decades. Formerly known as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Dancehall, she is known for her guest ap ...

as herself *Paula Ouch as herself *Debbie Ouch as herself *Nicky Ouch as herself

Soundtrack

''Dancehall Queen'' mixed recent hits with songs created for the movie, including the title track by

.Kevin O'Brien Chang, Wayne Chen, ''Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music'', 1998, p. 216: "'The Harder They Come' collected some of the cream of reggae's golden years from 1967 to 1971 with only the title track being a new song. 'Dancehall Queen' mixed some recent hits with songs created for the movie. ...Still 'Dancehall Queen' was the biggest song of 1997, heading the Star Top 40 for nine weeks."

References

External links

Official Website
* 1997 films 1997 crime drama films Jamaican drama films Films set in Jamaica Films directed by Don Letts 1990s English-language films English-language crime films {{Jamaica-film-stub