Over the course of my lifetime, I have literally gone
to see thousands of movies but none of them struck a chord in me the way the
television movie, And the Band Played On, did.
Recently I sat down with my 22-year-old daughter to
watch it mostly so she could get a good sense of how this country's history of
hate and homophobia ended up costing the lives of thousands.
Unlike many movies which claim to be based on truth or
actual events while inserting situations or characters that are only for
creative value, this movie was more like a documentary of the AIDS crisis.
Along with telling of one of the most important
failures in American history, the movie cast actors who were at the top of
their area of theatrical expertise: Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin,
Steve Martin, Richard Gere, B.D. Wong, Ian McKellen, Glenne Headly, Phil
Collins, Angelica Huston, Swoosie Kurtz, and Richard Masur, among others.
As sad as the movie was, the most gut-wrenching part
came at the end during a parade to protest and to raise awareness for AIDS. It
showed photographs of some of the more notable people that the disease had
claimed such as Freddie Mercury, Arthur Ashe, Brad Davis, Elizabeth Glaser,
news anchor Max Robinson, Robert Reed, Rock Hudson, Liberace, Representative
Stewart McKinney, Amanda Blake, Anthony Perkins, fashion designers Perry Ellis
and Halston, Ryan White, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, French philosopher Michel
Foucault, Denholm Elliott, entertainer Peter Allen, Studio 54 club owner Steve
Rubell, and street artist Keith Haring.
The movie was based on a book by journalist Randy
Shilts who passed away from AIDS related causes in 1994.
Elton John’s haunting song, The Last Song, which was
played during the parade was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and appeared on
his 1992 album, The One. Proceeds from the single were donated to John’s AIDS
Foundation.
And the Band Played On - YouTube
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