And The Band Played On Movie

Very few movies get to me quite like And The Band Played On does. While it's a gay themed movie, I don't think it's far to label it one. I don't want people to get the wrong idea, that's nowhere near all it is. It's much, much more than that. It dares shine a spotlight on how fear made it almost impossible to (in the early days) fight HIV/AIDS. Also considering the great challenges of discovering a new retro-virus the movie is very tense. There is another movie that made me feel this way and it was Flight 93. A completely different plot but I felt the same throughout. I was in agony, wishing someone would do something. Someone would stop the onslaught before more died.. but, You know it's inevitable conclusion.

The film follows the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) as they struggle with limited resources to figure out why several gay men have died. Matthew Modine plays the idealistic Dr. Francis who struggles to deal with the bureaucratic realities of working at the CDC, while trying to identify and stop an epidemic with extremely limited funds or equipment. The film works because we get to see the inner workings of the CDC as they try to solve this mystery. All the while, friends and people are dying of a bug that they can't find. It's a truly remarkable movie that has some special apperances by; Alan Alda, Phil Collins, Richard Gere, Anjelica Huston, Steve Martin, Ian McKellen and Lilly Tomlin. Tomlin and McKellen actually play big roles.

I also have to mention the VERY powerful soundtrack to this film. It's oddly effective and when you hear it afterward you'll remember it. It's very powerful.

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