And the Band Played On (1993)

The story of the discovery of the A.I.D.S. epidemic, and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Randy Shilts (book), Arnold Schulman (teleplay)

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Patrick Bauchau

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 11 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Dr. Don Francis
Alan Alda	...	Dr. Robert Gallo
Patrick Bauchau	...	Dr. Luc Montagnier
Nathalie Baye	...	Dr. Françoise Barre
Christian Clemenson	...	Dr. Dale Lawrence
David Clennon	...	Mr. Johnstone
Phil Collins	...	Eddie Papasano
Bud Cort	...	Antique shop owner
Alex Courtney	...	Dr. Mika Popovic
David Dukes	...	Dr. Mervyn Silverman
Richard Gere	...	The Choreographer
David Marshall Grant	...	Dennis Seeley
Ronald Guttman	...	Dr. Jean-Claude Chermann
Glenne Headly	...	Dr. Mary Guinan
Anjelica Huston	...	Dr. Betsy Reisz

Storyline

This is the story of the first years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States and focuses on three key elements. Dr. Don Francis, an immunologist with experience in eradicating smallpox and containing the Ebola virus, joins the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to try and understand just what this disease is. They also have deal with bureaucracy and a government that doesn't seem to care. The gay community in San Francisco is divided on the nature of the disease but also what should be done about it. Finally, the film deals with the rivalry between Dr. Robert Gallo, the American virologist who previously discovered the first retrovirus and his French counterpart at the Pasteur Institute, Dr. Luc Montagnier, that led to disputed claims about who was first to identify the AIDS virus.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to norman rockwell | aids | gay | disease | cdc | 

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Taglines:

A threat no one dared face. A word no one wanted to speak. A fight for many, fought by few.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Danish

Release Date:

11 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

...und das Leben geht weiter

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films,Spelling Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin appeared in All of Me (1984).

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Goofs

The movie presents January 4, 1983 as the date when the term AIDS was created in a proposition in the CDC, in Atlanta. The real meeting where the term was developed was July 27, 1982, and the reunion took place in Washington. (Source: Time Magazine)

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Quotes

Congressman Phil Burton: I'll introduce a bill. But if all the angels came dancing down to earth like the Rockettes, even they couldn't get a dime out of this administration for anything with the name "gay" on it.

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Connections

Features A Room with a View (1985)

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Soundtracks

Jumper's Way
Written and Performed by David I. Catney

User Reviews

Powerful...and Important!!

And The Band Played On is an extremely powerful movie. This movie should be required viewing in any high school. The fact that it took so incredibly long for the then higher powers to admit to the existence of AIDS is stunning and sad. The performances throughout the movie were moving and effective. I thought that Sir Ian McKellan and Richard Gere represented respectfully the signs of strength and fear.

I was also disheartened to learn that throughout this tragedy, there were individuals who might have been more concerned with helping and protecting their own reputation and agenda as well as accepting the credit for their work in breaking down point by point the disease known as AIDS. Alan Alda as Dr. Gallo was fascinating. In fact all of the performances from Matthew Modine and Richard Gere to Steve Martin and BD Wong were great. The most important thing here though is the history of this disease and the hope that we can learn from it.