Customer Reviews

And the Band Played On [VHS]

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I never made it all the way through Randy Shilts's book so I won't presume to know whether this film did right by Mr. Shilts. Simply put, this is great drama. The patronizing statements about made-for-tv movies don't apply here. The drama, sadly, comes from the real events that are depicted--the collective denial about the reality of AIDS as that disease first began appearing in the gay and Haitian communities, the government's (read "Ronald Reagan's") persistent indifference, the professional jealousy within the medical communities vying to be the first to identify the agent (the virus) that causes AIDS, and how human beings resist having their preconceived notions about life challenged (as when a group of gay activists insists on keeping gay bath houses open even as it became apparent that AIDS was spread through sexual contact). This movie really took me back twenty years to when I first read a short article buried somewhere in the middle of the New York Times about a gay-related cancer little realizing how much my life would change from that point onward.

The performances across the board are great. I was especially impressed by Matthew Modine (I've liked him since "Birdy" and I like to see him get meaty roles as here), Alan Alda (not the likable mensch from MASH), Ian McClellan, B.D. Wong, and Phil Collins (who knew?).

Aside from some cast biographies this DVD has no other "extras". Nor does it need any.

This made-for-HBO movie definitely transcends the "disease of the week" genre that it's part of. Based on the book by Randy Shilts, it chronicles the struggle of science vs. politics vs. morality in the early days of the AIDS crisis. Our point of view character is Dr. Don Francis (Matthew Modine), a passionate young scientist with the Centers for Disease Control. He and his colleagues, both at the CDC and France's Pasteur Institute, seem to be the only ones who remember that there are real people dying of this mysterious disease. Dr. Robert Gallo (Alan Alda)is one of the few human "villians" of the piece, more interested in writing himself into the history of the disease than in helping anyone. Two other notable performances are those of Lily Tomlin as the tough, no-nonsense Dr. Selma Dritz) and Ian McKellan as Congressional aide Bill Krause, who as part of San Francisco's gay community, is in the epicenter of the crisis.

Watching this movie, I got very angry. The blood banks, for example, were more worried about money than lives. One of the best scenes in the movie is where Dr. Francis stands up at a meeting and screams at reps from the blood industry, "How many dead hemophiliacs do you need?" before they do something about it. (That was a reenactment of a real outburst, not a fictional event.) An end title tells us that "By the time President Reagan made his first speech on AIDS, 25,000 people had died." Between events like these and Gallo's blatant scientific misconduct, it's hard to avoid being incensed.

The acting is excellent, especially Modine and Alda, who even look a little like the men they're playing. Modine brings an incredible amount of passion and frustration to Dr. Francis. I especially like McKellan's character, an older gay man who is not a stereotype. Several familiar character actors show up as supporting players, and some very famous faces (Steve Martin, Richard Gere, Phil Collins, Swoosie Kurtz, and Anjelica Huston) make cameo appearances.

If you're looking for something light and fluffy, this is not the movie for you. If you want something that will make you think, with some fine acting and a realistic script, this is for you. (Watch this, then go read Shilts' book.)

In 1980, thousands of Americans were under siege by an unknown virus, destined to attack whomever it wished in a vicious, unbelievable way. The response from the government was to ignore it, the response from the primary community it attacked was denial, and the response from the doctors was puzzlement and wonder. This mix led to the deaths of thousands, and eventually millions of people, who were unwittingly victims in this plague that still sweeps the world. "And the Band Played On" marks the early struggles in this monumental epic, and the politics that all too effectively wiped out these victims.

Matthew Modine plays Dr. Don Francis, a virologist who's passion is science and is one of the foremost researchers for AIDS. Intrigued early on with this disease, and unable to answer some of the questions, Francis starts his campaign to discover the source, along with a talented and barely funded crew at the Centers for Disease Control. Because the population it attacked was gay, the Reagan adminstration turned a blind eye to the disease, not wanting to offend it's conservative religious core. And the Band Played On, and more and more people began to die.

Then toss into this mix a gay community recently empowered, afraid of the disease and yet afraid this was another attempt to subvert them. Led by Ian McKellan as Bill Kraus, who struggled against his own community to get them to stop spreading the disease. Yet they turned a blind eye, left the bathhouse open (which were a breeding ground for AIDS), And The Band Played On, and more and more people died.

And then toss into this mix a doctor bent on restoring his shattered reputation and his shattered ego by arguing with the French about discovering this retrovirus. Dr. Gallo, brilliantly played by Alan Alda, put his own needs above those affected from this disease, looking for fame and glory, And the Band Played On.

Taking Randy Shilts' groundbreaking and revolutionary book into a movie format was a challenging and daunting task. The book is thick with characters and politics, and the movie successfully touches on all major areas in the book. However, to get the most complete story, check out the originial source material. The book is still a compelling read so many years later, and if this book doesn't get you outraged, nothing will.

The film ends with an incredible touching tribute to those we lost from AIDS, from the littlest babies to the greatest celebrities, over the haunting song of Elton John's "The Last Song". The end result was our loss of Ryan White ... Rock Hudson ... Bill Kraus ... Amanda Blake ... unspoken millions ... And the Band Plays On ...

If you have younger friends who were not there while millions died buy this DVD and let them see it. I worked for some time with a youth group and we watched this DVD together. I had to pause it dozens of times to explain what was happening. The younger people up to age 30ish simply have no understanding of this horrific epidemic. Believe it or not I think every school in North America should have this DVD as a class project. I work closely with the AIDS community today and find it difficult to see 16 to 28 year olds now testing positive. This movie gives out a lot of information and the list of people in it will get anyone of any age to watch it... and then watch them cry at the end. This DVD is a gift of life for a friend you may love.

I must have seen this movie at least three or four times, and it always gets to me. I will not go into the story line here, as that has been done in detail by other reviewers. Instead, I would just like to say that this is one of those great movies which, in my view, has not received as much attention as it should have. It is not only a suspenseful and gripping account of the early AIDS epidemic, it is also a lesson in how science can be at once extraordinary, as well as petty and ferociously competitive. Based in fact, this movie also serves as an important historical document.

Seeing this movie will not lift your spirits, and it most certainly doesn't paint a pretty picture of humanity, but it does leave you feeling a little wiser, and more educated about the beginnings of a disease which continues to greatly affect people and societies all over the planet. It tells a story which needs to be told, and it does it well.

I just saw this movie on December 1st (World AIDS Day). Before this movie I didn't know anything about the history of the AIDS virus and the impact it had on society. I now know about the devastation and fear it caused, and how the government chose to ignore it because it only primarily affected gay men. What was sadder then the tragic effects of the disease itself was the way society viewed and treated those infected with AIDS. I think everyone in the world should watch this movie to be better informed about AIDS. This movie made a big difference in my life and I know it will in others.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

(USA - 1993)

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
TV soundtrack: Dolby Stereo

Whilst Hollywood was busy congratulating itself for the critical and commercial success of PHILADELPHIA (1993) - an awkward, uncomfortable drama which undermined its own sincerity for the sake of mainstream acceptance - HBO debuted Roger Spottiswoode's AND THE BAND PLAYED ON, an adptation of the late Randy Shilts' hotly debated chronicle of the AIDS crisis in America. Itself the subject of considerable controversy, the film took several years to develop and was eventually taken out of Spottiswoode's hands during the editing process, to be completed by Bill Couturie (co-producer of the Oscar-winning documentary COMMON THREADS: STORIES FROM THE QUILT [1989]), who's credited as an editorial 'consultant' in the closing titles. Not merely a 'gay' drama, the film has broad-based appeal, both as a narrative and as an invaluable history lesson.

From the first case diagnosed in Copenhagen in 1977 to the US death toll in July 1993, Arnold Schulman's script follows the heroic efforts of virologist Don Francis (Matthew Modine at his most earnest) to uncover the source of an unknown 'plague' which is killing gay men, hemophiliacs and intravenous drug users across America. Unfortunately, as the unfolding drama reminds us in no uncertain terms, the crisis coincided with Reagan's election to the presidency, establishing a right-wing administration which refused even to publicly acknowledge the problem until it began to spread beyond the gay community and affect 'ordinary' voters.

Like the book on which it's based, the film vents its spleen on those who turned a blind eye to the escalating tragedy until it was too late, especially the blood bank industry which ignored repeated scientific warnings about possible contamination of the blood supply until lawsuits from people who became infected during transfusions forced them into action, and the gay community which railed against the proposed closure of bath houses in major cities as an infringement of their hard-earned sexual freedoms. Scientific divisions simply exacerbated the problem: Alan Alda portrays the eminent scientist Robert Gallo as an insensitive, vainglorious bully who was prepared to sacrifice lives whilst pursuing credit for discovering how the virus worked, an accolade which actually belonged to a number of extremely diligent French scientists! The film is careful to acknowledge Gallo's hard work in this field, but as depicted here, his arrogance leaves a rotten taste in the mouth.

With Modine's eminently sympathetic scientist-figure acting as the primary focus, the fast-moving screenplay conveys a wealth of information with remarkable clarity, keeping the viewer fully informed throughout. Paradoxically, if it wasn't for the all-star cast (including Richard Gere, Lily Tomlin, Ian McKellen, Phil Collins, etc.), the film might not have been made at all, but their contributions - often fleeting - are sometimes distracting rather than illuminating ("Oh look, there's Anjelica Huston, Steve Martin!", etc.), though the performances are uniformly strong, particularly since there's no time to sketch these characters in anything but the most basic terms. Evidence of production troubles is non-existent, and the film ends on an emotional highpoint with documentary footage of celebrities and individuals whose lives have been touched by AIDS, set to Elton John's 'The Last Song'.

If nothing else, AIDS forced society to confront its two greatest taboos, sex and death, and it also exposed a raft of prejudices which had been festering for decades. Galvanized by its sense of loss, and appalled by the state-sanctioned bigotry which prevented adequate funding of research and treatment while the US government allowed its defence budget to spiral into the stratosphere, the gay community finally shook off its complacency and launched a prolonged militant campaign which eventually forced the issue into the public arena. The film provokes anger and sadness in equal measure as it outlines the circumstances which incited the virus to epidemic proportions, and the inevitable devastation which followed.

But every so often, the story makes way for something more profound than mere anger, and reduces the viewer to heartbroken silence: A young man, once beautiful, waits alone for death in a room at the V.A. hosital in Los Angeles, slowly succumbing to the lesions which are beginning to destroy his brain. As the scene concludes, he turns toward a window overlooking an enormous cemetery featuring row upon row of gleaming-white gravestones which stretch to the horizon, an image that links the fallen victims of a bygone conflict to those of the present generation, dying in their thousands as a helpless world looks on.

Incidentally, the film's R rating seems unusually harsh, unless the MPAA was concerned about some brief dialogue references to certain sexual practices; otherwise, there's nothing here which warrants anything more than a PG-13.

A real-life story about the discovery and destructive nature of AIDS, And the Band Played On is a gripping drama that not only takes you to the front line and behind the scenes of the HIV virus. To the bath houses in San Francisco to the research labs at the Center for Disease Control, there is no area that is not shown in this film. An all-star cast also creates the ambiance to this film. Powerful actors giving the performances of a lifetime. Richard Gere, Angelica Houston, Ian McKellan, Steve Martin, Alan Alda, Phil Collins, and even Matthew Modine are just a few of the actors who deserved Academy Awards for their work. While most of their parts were small, they were not unforgettable segments. Each cameo actor had a crucial role in leading us to the next segment and life of the HIV virus.

We are first introduced to Modine when he is trying to help a tribe with the destructible Ebola virus. Then, just as quickly, we are in mainstream San Francisco. The booming gay community and the political figureheads that were pushing for rights. It is the beginning of 1980, the Democrats are pushing for a more liberal stance, while Regan is being sworn into the White House for his first term. The world is happy, yet timid. The gay community is growing, and discovering that a dark fear is lurking behind them. While the United States is beating a dead horse about closing bath houses and stopping the gay community, the French are looking at it outside of a sexual disease. Possibly a blood disease. While they research their ideas, America begins to see the full effect of AIDS. These scientists are predicting that in the next several years the fatality rate will be 100% if you contract AIDS. Ronald Regan has just had his second term and has still not mentioned AIDS in public. While the French work day and night to stop their public from dying, we begin shunning the gay community. Creating a phobia due to lack of education. We even see a well respected doctor steal the discovery from the French just so that he can credit the monetary value of this disease. While the ending to this film is very sappy, it still was powerful enough to not only be enjoyable, but also educational. A film that if you have not seen yet, you should...and if you have seen it, see it again.

This powerful two and a half hour epic was the most entertaining informative film I have seen in ages. I rented it not knowing anything about it. I first picked it up for the actors to see what they could do in such small roles. Little did I know I was about to see everyone in the performances of their lifetime. Richard Gere proved once and again why he is an actor. It befuddles me why Modine has stopped working, because after seeing him in this film I would have liked to see him move further in the Hollywood community.

It is not everyday that you find a gem as this film. If I was a superintendent of schools and I just saw this film, I would push with every ounce of strength to get this film into my schools. I learned more about AIDS than I ever had in my education career. It not only brought out a text book style of education, but it also brought a very humanistic approach to the disease. It also brought out a very dark political side that perhaps the general public is not as familiar with. Not only that, but it also brought out the dark side of human nature. In times of plagues, we rely to heavily on science to be our savior. While it will be the backbone to our cause, we do need to have a feeling for those that already have the disease. We, as a nation, need to look past social standings, sexual preference, and color of our skin to realize that we are all humans. If this is a "human" disease, then we need to research every venue, not just the most obvious ones. If this film doesn't scare you, I don't think any horror film will.

Like all great films, it did have some horrible sides to it. McKellan's story was too cliché. The story of the homosexual politician who looses his lover because he is more involved with politics than his social life, who eventually reunite when it is discovered that McKellan has AIDS. Modine's flashbacks were unnecessary. I felt that we did not need to be reminded why he believed in human nature, and I don't think that we needed to be reminded by seeing a scene where he throws bodies into a fire. Something more substantial would have been nice. Finally, the ending was too much for me. I don't think it needed to have an Elton John (prominent homosexual figure in entertainment) singing one of his songs with flashing pictures of famous people, straight and gay, that we have lost to AIDS. Perhaps a more poignant picture would have been less famous people (every day Joes) who have died from the disease.

Overall, the good well out weigh the bad points that I just mentioned. I guarantee that you will be surprised, educated, and emotionally enthralled by this film.

Grade: **** out of *****

Having gotten poliomyelitis in 1953, I see comparisons between the two diseases. People with AIDS suffered prejudice and lack of information of how the disease is passed just like those who got polio. There was isolation and fear with both. Polio killed as did AIDS, but Polio was not necessarily a death sentence as was AIDS (at least at first). Polio children were often pitied,especially if they were crippled. But, much money was raised from the public sector by the National Foundation to pay for braces, operations, etc. The story of AIDS is as tragic as the disease itself. It is a gripping story that everyone should know. This movie shows clearly how it happened and why money was hard to get. It certainly kept my attention throughout. All the actors did a wonderful job with their respective roles. Even Alan Alda was convincing as Dr. Gallo, the researcher. (Alda was a polio survivor.) Lily Tomlin was wonderful as was Matthew Modine, and all the rest. My advise is not to watch this movie on the same day as you see Tom Hanks' "Philadelphia" (another great movie). At least for me, I can only take so much injustice in one day. I now want to read the book by Randy Shilts.

From the very first time I sat through this movie, my awareness of AIDS versus politics, and the gay rights movement versus gay peoples' self-examination into their personal activities and morals, increased 10 fold. The various band members portrayed -- "fast lane" homosexuals, the bathhouse owners, the San Francisco Health Department, Blood bank operators, Homosexual Rights Groups, and the Media, Public Health Authorities, and the Reagan Administration -- show a stunning portrayal of the responsibility we all share in the face of a crises that ultimately affects us all on one level or another.

Though not as thorough as the book upon which the fact-based movie is based (And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic; By Randy Shilts, St. Martin's Press), this made-for-cable film poignantly testifies to those few who fought desperately to get the band's attention and those who died horribly while it continued to play.

The movie proves that the issue does not necessarily surround, (in Shilts's paraphrase), "society's responsibility to find the medical technology to prevent all sexually transmitted diseases rather than the gay community's responsibility to keep sexuality in line with what medical technology can cure."