# And the Band Played On. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247 "2013-12-01T23:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/1 "2013-12-01T23:51:07Z")
It’s been twenty years since this movie came out and I still love it. It makes me bawl my silly head off every single time I watch it. What a horrible time that was in our country. But what a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/2 "2013-12-02T00:33:13Z")
It’s an important movie that I will never watch. I was there in reality, and that’s enough. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/3 "2013-12-02T01:13:19Z")
[The book](http://www.amazon.com/Band-Played-Politics-People-Epidemic-ebook/dp/B000V761ZA/) should be required reading. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/4 "2013-12-02T01:16:49Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > It makes me bawl my silly head off every single time I watch it. Oh my word, same here. Wonderful, terrible movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/5 "2013-12-02T01:44:54Z")
Are you referring to the HBO movie about the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, with a bunch of stars like Lily Tomlin, Richard Gere, Steve Martin, Ian McKellen and (notably) Alan Alda as a selfish, egotistical asshole doctor? I would have guessed that was even older than '93! ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/6 "2013-12-02T02:44:29Z")
One of my all-time favorite movies, yet makes me sick how people and the government reacted at the time. I have a copy of the film and watch it from time to time. Right before the end credits, a montage of people who had died of the AIDS-related illnesses. The music was [The Last Song](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1uxmu_elton-john-the-last-song_music) by Elton John. Always makes me tear up. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/7 "2013-12-02T02:46:02Z")
Yes, that’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/8 "2013-12-02T08:16:26Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It’s an important movie that I will never watch. I was there in reality, and that’s enough. I think I might have watched it when it came out - but never again. As you mention - I was there back then and, well, no need to live through that experience again. I see they are making a new movie of A Normal Heart - another film I will pass on for the same reasons. Some memories are still too raw, even after all these years. The young’ins should watch for historical purposes, but I don’t need to relive a minute of those horrible days again. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-band-played-on/675247/9 "2013-12-02T22:46:50Z")
The book had a huge impact on me when I first read it in college. Apparently Randy Shilts took a lot of criticism from the gay community for his views on closing the bathhouses and unsafe sex. Interestingly, he waited until he finished the book to get the results of his own HIV test. The movie is a decent though incomplete adaptation of the book. I just saw it again on HBO yesterday.