Analysis of And the Band Played On Docudrama - Research Paper Example

And the Band Played On” - Review “And the Band Played On” - Review “And the band played on” – a docudrama for HBO directed by Roger Spottiswoode is based on the book by the same name written by Randy Shilts. The movie revolves around the initial years of AIDS Epidemic in the US. The main protagonist of the movie is Dr. Don Francis who has had an earlier experience of working on small pox and Ebola virus. Francis joins the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to investigate and understand the disease (HIV, which is then unkown) that had lead to the death of many gay men in San Francisco, New York City and Los Angeles.

He comes up with a theory that HIV is a sexually transmitted disease but fails to come with a solid proof to prove his theory. During this he comes in contact with numerous public personalities such as politicians, gay leaders, etc who reject his theory to fulfil their personal agendas. He suggests closing all the local bathhouses and attempts to do the same. But he is met with resentment from many quarters as people view it as an unwanted inconvenience that would negatively impact their lifestyle.

On the other hand, CDC tries to explain and prove to the American Red Cross that the disease is also transmitted through blood but American Red Cross does not accept it without any conclusive proof. Meanwhile, American and French scientists headed by Dr. Robert Gallo and Dr. Luc Montagnier fight over the credit of discovering the virus first. Through all this the death toll keep raising. The film has had a major influence on the way I think and definitely will play on my decision making in the future.

The safety of my patients will be my first priority. Whenever there is any information, supported by conclusive evidence or not, that suggests that my patient is at risk, I will do everything under my control to prevent it. I wouldn’t repeat the mistake of American Red Cross of sidelining or rejecting CDC’s suggestion.