Assignment #2

Write a 500 word review of the movie And the band played on.
Review: Based on the bestselling book by Randy Shilts, this powerful and enlightening movie
tells of the discovery of the disease we now know as AIDS. An unforgettable tale of scientific
struggle, corruption, deceit, tragedy and triumph.

Mohamed Elzarka
Dr. Jason Blackard
PMM7050
February 3, 2016
Assignment #2
And the Band Played On, an enlightening new docudrama that chronicles the early
history of the AIDS virus, is a new film from Roger Spottiswoode based on the book of the same
name by Randy Shilts. A telling story of the initial spread of the AIDS virus in the United States
from roughly 1980 to 1985, the picture focuses on the conundrum that was understanding the
mysterious new autoimmune disorder in its early American infancy. Juxtaposing the challenges
of dedicated medical researchers struggling to understand the illness and their simultaneous
battle against fear and backlash from the public that halted research funding and acceptance of
findings, the film presents an interesting narrative as to both cultural and societally history of the
disease.
In many ways, the film is centered on the experience of the protagonist, Dr. Don Francis.
A World Health Organization expert, Dr. Francis is brought in to combat this new disease as he
has so many others--including previous outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa. Working
for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Francis must pursue academic theories as to the
root cause of the disease and how to control its spread. Initially confronted with problems such

as little space in which to work and no money with which to research, Francis must also contend
with antagonists to his work, like Dr. Robert Gallo, the discoverer of the human T-cell leukemia
virus, who decides to cut off any assistance that he had been previously giving when he learns of
Franciss collaboration with French researcherswho he views as rivals to his shot at a Nobel
Prize.
In many other ways, the film is about a collective experience shared by the first victims
of AIDS in the United States, most of whom are gay men. The film shows the struggles of gay
men in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, with the virus and the many new deaths that
it is causing. In large part, this is a rallying point for Dr. Francis and his initial motivation for
investigating the disease in the first place. Even so, there is a mixed reaction with the gay
community as to Dr. Franciss involvement, with some leaders encouraging his pursuit to end the
death and destruction that is being wrecked upon the community, and others being very
outspoken in their criticism of what they see as Dr. Francis trying to interfere in the way that they
lead their lives and the choices that they choose to make. More than anything, the films more
contentious moments show how important and havoc-inspiring the AIDS viruss effect was on
the gay population in America, and how the stigma associated with the disease prevented what
might have been a faster and more optimal solution to help save more lives. In this way, the film
is enlightening as to how cultural and societal norms at the time, in addition to personal quarrels,
precluded the advancement of medical research that could have saved thousands, and opens our
eyes as to the necessity for future generations to combat any similar problems that arise head-on.