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And the Band Played On (TV)

And the Band Played On

1993

Roger Spottiswoode

Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Richard Gere, Phil Collins ...

6.6

1,088

Drama 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 ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Chicago Sun-Times	"Complicated, intelligent and vibrant. Without a trace of sentimentality, it is very moving"	POS
United States	John J. O'Connor The New York Times	"Excessive tinkering has left the pacing of the film sluggish in spots, but the story is never less than compelling."	POS
United States	Rick Kogan Chicago Tribune	"A fine film but one lacking an emotional punch commensurate with its subject."	NEU
United States	Hal Boedeker Miami Herald	"Swift pacing energizes the movie, and Schulman writes compelling scenes for the large cast. Many actors, who have only one scene to make an impression, meet the challenge splendidly."	POS
United States	Boston Herald	"The most discouraging aspect of the film is the fact that we can never latch onto these characters in any warm, intimate or sympathetic way. They stand as ciphers in the larger steely drama"	NEU
United States	Tom Shales The Washington Post	"Noble endeavor, bad movie"	NEG
United States	Howard Rosenberg Los Angeles Times	"¡What And the Band Played On¡ needs more of are not good actors, obviously, but characters who have depth and texture as well as sheen"	NEU

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