By Peter Polack

Peter Polack

Jamaica has provided a production location for international movies since the turn of the Twentieth century with nearly 200 movies filmed in part or entirely with the lush background scenes that the island provided. The major productions included A Daughter of the Gods,, The Black Swan, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Sea Wife, Dr.No, Lord of the Flies, Father Goose, A High Wind in Jamaica,In Like Flint, Live and Let Die, Papillon, Cocktail, The Mighty Quinn, Cool Runnings and many others.

The most popular parish was Portland that saw actors like Charlton Heston, Eugene Levy, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elizabeth Shue, Denzel Washington, Christian Bale, Oliver Reed and Cameron Diaz starring in many productions.

A vast number of recent producers and directors, latterly James Mangold, Jon Turteltaub, Hype Williams, Edward Zwick, Roger Donaldson, Harold Ramis and Nicolas Roeg used the intoxicating location of Jamaica to summon many patrons to the cinemas until today.

But now the film pearl of the Caribbean, not included in Pirates of the Caribbean, has been almost destroyed by a wicked hurricane and she needs help, urgently. Structures, buildings and houses have been destroyed with many left homeless without access to electricity, water, food and medical care.

Hollywood and the film industry have received substantial and consistent revenue from this third world location and the opportunity is ripe for Hollywood and Los Angeles to help those who helped them. Not gift bags from the latest ceremony but a combined effort to help reconstruction by some of the most powerful people and companies in the world.

Jamaica is still open for business and production houses like Justine Henzell of Reel Jamaica are ready, willing and open for business as are the many island locations.

Like the common words of the silver screen, the time is now, the place is Jamaica and the people are ready.

Come back for the next bestseller.