Movie Analysis: And The Band Played On

And the Band Played On (1993) is a famous movie that displays how the AIDS epidemic was developed. It shows how the disease started in Africa and then moved to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) first saw it as a small outbreak among homosexual men but eventually it leads into something massive and Dr. Francis develops a theory of “Patient Zero” who is the first person that is connected to the AIDS virus and its spread to different states. Unfortunately, the media does not bring light to the disease and it remains in the dark for quite some time. After more cases develop, a pattern develops and researchers at the CDC conclude that it is a human retrovirus. As more cases occur the CDC tries to close bathhouses and the homosexual community retaliates. The disease finally becomes important to the
Ultimately, the virus is identified and plans for prevention and cure are planned. The movie And the Band Played On has many themes but my reaction is most impacted by the themes, lack of media attention and the lack of government funding. During the movie, there was very little attention form the media. This impacted people greatly because they were not able to control or change their behavior. It makes me appreciate the media that we have today and outraged at the fact the media did not feel that these deaths were something to broadcast. During the movie, there was a scene where the CDC did not want to tell the people that the disease may be transmitted by the bath houses. Later, they released that it may be transmitted by sexual intercourse that occurred in the bath houses. Obviously, the people were outraged but I would have been particularly mad because during the time that they knew vital information that could have potentially saved lives. Even if something is not completely connected to a disease or something harmful I would still