And The Band Played On Reflection PDF

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Summary

Essay covering major themes in the film And the Band Played on. Relates topics from movie to ethical concepts covered in class....

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In 1976 an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa devastated communities. And the Band Played On opens with a gruesome scene as Don Francis, an American epidemiologist, tosses the bodies of Ebola victims into a blazing fire. This disheartening encounter foreshadows what is to occur only years later in the 1980s for thousands—if not more—Americans during an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. And the Band Played On addresses many issues surrounding the epidemic among them are the bureaucratic “red tape,” greed, and public opinion of homosexuals and disease. “This is not a political issue. This is a health issue. This is not a gay issue. This is a human issue. And I do not intend to be defeated by it. I came here today in the hope that my epitaph would not read that I died of red tape.” A quote from the film uttered by Roger Lyon offers the sentiment for dislike of bureaucracy. One of the major conflicts within the film revolves around Don Francis trying to determine what causes the disease and to prevent its spreading. Francis constantly clashes with Dr. Jim Curran who is head of the task force for the AIDS epidemic at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). With limited resources, Francis consistently clashes heads with Curran trying to get more funding. Curran plays politics to fund the research. Originally, the disease was believed to only affect gay men, so its importance was minimalized. Don constantly battles his own feeling of helplessness as he flashbacks to his time in Africa during the Ebola outbreak. This feeling drives his emotional outbreaks of anger and frustration. A particular scene in which Francis and Curran meet in a diner shows the futility that they feel. While discussing Francis’s proposal, Curran states, “It was meant to sound angry,” to which Francis responds, “At me or at you.” Curran begrudgingly answers, “Both, alright? Both.” Curran plays the diplomat while Francis charges into a fight which seems impossible to win. To me, this summed up the film’s criticism on the bureaucratic system.

AIDS is an immune deficiency disease which makes a person more susceptible to other illnesses. Because of this, most patients with AIDS die of other common diseases. This can make it difficult to link deaths to the disease. A major issue throughout the film is the need to have definitive proof. Curran constantly asks the group for any certainties and proof. Rarely is there good news. As the audience, it becomes frustrating to see connections which are obvious be dismissed by “higher-ups” to be inconclusive. Francis keeps a “Butcher’s Bill” of how many people have died by AIDS, but he makes the comment, “This may be the first epidemic in history of which no one officially died.” Bureaucratic restrictions prevent the CDC from getting funding to get the proper proof, but then do not accept any evidence that is shown. As this plays out, I sympathize with Don Francis because the businesses and government officials are so stubborn with Francis and his team. They ask for proof; they are shown proof; they ask for more. The cycle is quite literally deadly during the epidemic. Throughout the film Dr. Robert Gallo chases fame and recognition. He constantly plays games to achieve his ends. His primary goal is not to save people from a deadly disease, but rather to prove his own self-worth. Gallo shows his true colors during a conversation with Francis as he is accused, “Is it you against the French? I thought we were all against the virus. If you go to court now, everybody loses. You, the people who die while you quibble...” Gallo interrupts, “What do you want?” To which Francis responds, “I want to stop you from turning a holocaust into an international pissing contest!” Francis knows that he can help people this time around, but he is constantly met with roadblocks. Gallo is obsessed with proving that his retrovirus is the culprit. He is willing to sacrifice people to get the scientific recognition. Gallo’s use of suffering people as a means to his end brings Kantian ethics into the film. Gallo appears to be a generally unethical man due to his end goal being self-elevation at the cost of others. This is

a problem for many people involved in research today. Intellectual property suits occur frequently and can often halt the process of discovery. Scientists often refuse to cooperate with one another because they are trying to win recognition. Often people do not look at healthcare as a business. And the Band Played On delves into this side of healthcare through the blood banks. As the plot progresses, the CDC finds more evidence that the disease is transmitted through blood which puts people who have transfusions at risk. As Francis pushes for the blood banks to test blood samples for infected blood, the executives refuse due to high costs and lack of proof. A meeting with these executives culminates in a poignant question as Francis asks, “How many people have to die to make it cost efficient for you people to do something about it?” He sees that the blood banks do not care if they might be causing hundreds and thousands of deaths. They are more fixated on maximizing profit. This is a sad aspect of healthcare that we have seen in a short video about immigrant healthcare. The lives of those who are unable to pay are somehow less important than those who are. In the case of And the Band Played On the lives of the healthy and wealthy are shown to be more important than those who would get sick. The stigma surrounding homosexual relationships has become much less harsh than it had been in the 1980s. One of the major issues that surfaced in the film was public opinion of the gay population. This was a driving factor for many problems which faced research and treatment of those who were affected by AIDS. One example of how the public viewed their homosexual population pitted Dr. Willy Rozenbaum against the hospital administration. Being one of the first doctors to report the new disease, doctors would refer patients with it to Dr. Rozenbaum. One of the administrators requests that Rozenbaum keep “not normal” patients out of the hospital. Rozenbaum left the hospital. This compares the general public opinion with that of many who

are sympathetic with the gay population. The French researcher seems to be focused on finding out the cause of the disease. As the movie progresses this research begins to conflict with Gallo and his team who is fixated on his own personal recognition. As the film progressed the researchers began to quibble over personal recognition as Francis and the CDC worked tirelessly with minimal resources to find answers. The negative opinion of the gay population contributed to many difficulties within their care. Research was underfunded, and many people did not want to care for them. While the disease was still new the CDC was trying to gather more information. One person, a choreographer, who had agreed to help, encountered the “self-appointed poster boy” Bobbi. During their conversation, Bobbi says that the gay community has to be the one to bring the epidemic into the light. The choreographer applauds the boy’s courage, but he responds, “Courage... no. I'm scared to death. I just have this absurd determination to live. Don't you?” This poignant statement sheds light on the fact that while AIDS was a political or social issue to some, it was a life and death issue for those who had the disease. It is disheartening to think about how many people were complacent in this issue and chose to do nothing about the problem. Toward the end of the film, many healthcare professionals are fearful to treat the new disease. As someone who wants to go into healthcare, it is difficult to watch them refuse to help those who need it most. And the Band Played On offers an inside look into the innerworkings of what made up the AIDS epidemic. It shows the struggles and conflicts for those suffering from the disease, but also the difficulties of those working to find the cause of the disease. The film portrayed a story of politics, vices, and people while offering insight into the different approaches to the epidemic.

The film also shed light on many of the issues that faced the AIDS epidemic and many of the darker sides involving downplaying significance and greed....