Fire In Babylon [DVD] [2010]

Saw Fire In Babylon last week at a preview screening with a friend and despite all the good things I'd heard about it i wasn't keen as I'm not a cricket fan in the least and usually avoid watching it at all costs.
That's why this film interested me - I expected it to be a movie that just cricket fans would like and the rest of us would be left at the wayside thinking what on earth is a goggly... Definitely not the case with this movie.

Taking on the unification of the West Indies, the race riots, the importance of the sport to West Indian communities in the commonwealth, apartheid in South Africa and the amazing winning streak of the Windies, the movie is a fascinating look into 70s-80s history. Plus their lethal fast bowlers, who will have you wincing with pain at the jaw breaking speed, are amazing to watch!

What tips it into 5 stars is the reggae soundtrack! Brilliant. Brings a flair of the Caribbean to the whole film.

I haven't come back loving cricket (or sadly, knowing what a goggly is), but appreciating the sport a bit more and definitely understanding why the West Indies cricket team were spoken of as the best in the world.

At the very least, it has got to get an award nom at the BAFTAs!

This is one of the best documentaries you will see and you don't have to like or understand cricket to enjoy it! The film charts the rise of the greatest cricketing team ever to grace the field, the West Indies between 1975 and 1996. It looks at the politics of race and sport and shows how the only way the Windies could answer injustice and racism was by excelling on the field. Their contribution has benefited cricket as a whole and the level at which all nations have to compete now is far higher than that which existed prior to the rise of the Windies. The film shows the double standards of the English and Australian teams, especially the latter which was happy to dish out dangerous bowling from the likes of Lillee and Thomson but could not take it when the West Indians retaliated with Roberts, Holding, Croft and Garner. The film also shows the struggles of the players, their experiences in Australia, disputes with their own cricketing board, and the bias of the media, as well as how the hopes and aspirations of ordinary people in the Windies and England rested on the success of the cricketing team. I was fortunate to see all of the test matches between England and the Windies in this film and it captures the spirit of the players and the audience as it really was. In fact, audiences of all races appreciated the manner in which the Windies played and the excitement generated even if they hated the results. It is a joyous, uplifting film of an era the likes of which we will never experience again.

The film mixes original footage with commentary from musicians, admirers and many of the players themselves, and music from many local bands and established singers. This is definitely one for a long summer evening in with friends and sets up a summer full of sport...and cricket. The blu-ray picture sparkles and is bright and the 5.1 soundtrack is suitably loud and energetic. This film has only just been released in the theatres over a fortnight ago and is, along with 'Senna' which is the other sports documentary of Summer 2011, one of the the highlights of the year. Don't miss out.

My friend was lucky enough to get us a couple of tickets to the premiere of this film in Leicester Square. I'm not a massive cricket fan myself, but I knew that he was - so off we went. I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a documentary as much as I enjoyed Fire In Babylon. The interviews are amazing and the footage is breathtaking. It manages to be educational, exciting, and funny all at the same time - which is incredibly rare!

The soundtrack is awesome and as soon as the film starts you are immediately transported to the Caribbean to enjoy 90 minutes of film making that will provide as much entertainment as anything else coming out this summer. There is only one set of Pirates in the Caribbean this summer and it doesn't include a drunken, slurring Jonny Depp. To adapt a stuffy cricket themed phrase, this whopper of a film - It's not just Cricket!

Put simply - I was bowled over.