And the Band Played On

source: And the Band Played On

Much has been made about the "good guys" and "bad guys" portrayed in "And The Band Played On". And with good reason. I can't help wonder what personal agendas are being followed when a prominent 'real-life' scientist like Dr. Robert Gallo (Alan Alda) is portrayed in such a shallow way. But simultaneously, the filmmakers coyly hide the fact from us that Richard Gere's choreographer is "A Chorus Line" creator Michael Bennett. They withhold that information like "The Simpsons" hide which state Springfield is in. With a wink of an eye. While these imperfections in the film can be distracting, they are also quite trivial. What many overlook is that "And The Band Plays On" is first...and foremost...a story of DENIAL. Throughout the first act, there is a reluctance to accept the seriousness of "GRID" ("Gay Related Immune Deficiency"). Once there is no escaping the growing horror, the film accurately describes how all parties (The C-D-C, Bill Krause, gay groups, Jerry Falwell, blood banks, Gallo, The Reagan Administration, etc.) react to preserve their own best interests. And while those special interests clash on how to proceed next, thousands of helpless people keep dying. (There's your tie-in to the Titanic-inspired title). In the spirit of Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper, Matthew Modine is best-suited to playing an 'everyman'. Modine's 'everyman' in this film (Dr. Don Francis)understands the growing, deadly consequences of H-I-V, but has his own ghosts to exorcise (an Ebola plague victim who grabs his wrist, covering it in blood). While Modine's character is the voice of reason, he is not immune from reacting irrationally to this plague. It is only at the end of the film, as he comforts the dying Bill Krause, that Francis begins to overcome his own fears. The message of this film is simple: We must be "pro-active" in addressing our problems. For if we wait for a "reactive" response, the resulting panic and confusion will only make things worse. In that respect,"And The Band Plays On" is one of the most important films to be made during the 1990s. For even with it's minor distractions, inaccuracies and agendas -- it truly is "MUST SEE T-V".

This impressive movie, about the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980's, was good. I found everything about it to be first-rate, from the performances and portrayals to the very writing. An impressive cast (Matthew Modine, Richard Gere, Richard Masur, Steve Martin, etc.) contributes to a very powerful film. *** out of ****

A doctor attempts to discover more information about a deadly epidemic, but the government, press and even those in the medical field thwart his plans, causing the disease to spread. Modine is miscast as the doctor, while Ian McKellan gives a brilliant performance as one of the many inflicted with this deadly disease. There are fine cameos from Richard Gere, Steve Martin, Phil Collins and Alan Alda. Based on Randy Shlit's book about the history of AIDS.

1993 saw two movies about AIDS. The famous one was "Philadelphia", but "And the Band Played On" is also important, focusing on the virus spreading in the '80's and how the Reagan administration acted like it didn't exist. If the movie has any problem, it's the number and range of big names. Matthew Modine as Dr. Don Francis is the nominal star, but also appearing are Alan Alda, Phil Collins, Bud Cort, Richard Gere, Glenne Headly, Anjelica Huston, Steve Martin, Ian McKellen, and Lily Tomlin, to name a few. Maybe they felt that they had to make this movie do to the fact that gays were portrayed so negatively in movies for so many years (see "The Celluloid Closet"). All in all, a very good movie. The way that Reagan denied AIDS mirrors how Bush denies global warming.

And The Band Played On overlays all the flaws of a film condensation on all the flaws of Shilts' book. Characters are black or white (loved McKenna, hated Alda), except for Modine, who I found colourless. The myth of Patient Zero is recycled (poor scapegoated Gaetan Dugas was just one of many, and for the most part spread the virus in all ignorance). The meetings are all shouting matches (does nobody know how to chair a meeting in the US?) and issues - especially the closing of bath-houses - reduced to nonsense: did nobody ever have the sense to ask whether closing bath-houses would stop a single man from having sex? Tragically this attitude continues in the US, with bathhouses open again but condoms not provided - a recipe for disaster.

This HBO TV movie is far better than the average TV film. It tells the frightening story of the evolution of AIDS which might have been slowed or even prevented if politicians had not been afraid to talk about it. The strong cast does an excellent job, especially Modine and McKellan. I found the story, based on Randy Shilts' book, very touching. The title metaphor is apt -- the band played on as the Titanic sank.

Very interesting documentary/film about the explosion of the AIDS epidemic across America. It looks at the scientific side with getting itself bogged down in the detail. It looks at the human side without getting too sentimental. It looks at how competitive some scientists can be without over-blowing the issue or painting every doctor/scientist with the same brush. But one thing it did overcook was its hatred of Regan and the attempt (in part) to shift blame to him for the epidemic. Unfortunately, there was a dramatic presumption that if a liberal government had been in place, then more would have been done earlier. At the same time, it correctly points out that AIDS has a long incubation period - meaning that people had been transmitting HIV to each other for years before patients even turned up with symptoms. By its very nature, AIDS will not show up until it's almost at micro-epidemic levels. Only a government with psychic powers could have done something sooner to prevent the "first wave" of the AIDS virus spreading throughout the gay community. Ah ha - some of you might say - but increases in funding at the early stages could have prevented it from becoming worse! Well that's not really true either. Dr Gallow was given the preliminary data and samples. He had top rank scientists and resources at his disposal.... and yet he was unable to isolate and identify the virus. That's pretty remarkable considering he was the father of retroviruses. Now let's look at numbers. The movie frequently updated us with the "Butcher's Bill" : how many suspected cases and how many deaths. At times when the movie suggested Regan should have taken more action and endless funding to the CDC (an instrumentality chronically underfunded throughout it's history and under all kinds of administrations), the deaths were still only in the hundreds, it hadn't even been identified as virus and the transmission models were not backed up by science whatsoever. So if you think that miracles would have occurred under a different administration, think again. Look at where we're at now. No cure or vaccine has been successfully developed, it is one of the fastest growing infectious diseeases in the world, despite the fact there is now an endless stream of money, education and awareness out there these days. It appeared all too often that the film makers and Shiltz had a political axe to grind and took comfort in retrospect. Little would they realise that the eventual epidemic that transpired would have occurred under any government; and would have most certainly occurred in more or less the same way under a Democrat administration. Then again, I won't let that take the gloss off a very human and natural film. The production qualities were not high standard, but they didn't need to be and it is very much essential viewing for anyone who wants to know more about the origins of the AIDS epidemic in America.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON (MADE FOR CABLE TV/HBO-1993) ***1/2 Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Masur, Saul Rubinek, Richard Gere, Ian McKellen, Anjelica Huston, Swoosie Kurtz, Steve Martin, Phil Collins. Engrossing adaptation of Randy Shilts' landmark prize-winning document on the onset of AIDS and the fevered manhunt to find the cause and cure of the HIV virus. Compelling storytelling and a remarkable performance by Modine as the head for the Centers for Disease Control facing impossible odds and heartbreaking frustrations. Hallmark for cameo appearances and political correctness it may be but stirring and revelatory nonetheless. Dare not to be moved during Elton John's "The Last Song" as images and names of the disease's victims roll during the closing credits. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode for HBO.

The sad and tragic development of this terrible disease is certainly a good subject for a great movie, but this is not it. Modine was not a good choice, and the movie does not grab you like it should. Also, it is too easy to paint the government so broadly as the bad guy, governments and big businesses act slowly due to inertia and soul-draining bureacracy, not always out of homophobia. Also, the responsibility of the gay community itself should not have been soft-pedaled, they 'played on' too long as well as others, namely the refusal to accept and deal with the risk brought on by promiscuous lifestyles within their community. A better and more powerfully written script and acting combined with a more honest and courageous examination of the early days of aids could have achieved greatness.