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Amazon.co.uk Review
The West Indies cricket team in the 1970s and 80s rightly continues to be regarded as one of the finest of all time. Names such as Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall and Gordon Greenidge played the kind of cricket that remains talked about to this day. But what the film Fire In Babylon does is dig a little deeper, examining the ramifications of what that team achieved off the pitch as well as on it.
Fire In Babylon examines the oppression and prejudice that the West Indies team was batting against, and how it came to gradually overcome them. It looks, too, at just what can be achieved by sporting success, with many of the key names of the time all contributing.
Running to a little shy of 90 minutes, Fire In Babylon blends match footage when it can, and breezes through its running time. Perhaps it doesn’t quite fully match its ambitions, but it does provide a thoughtful, engaging documentary, one whose appeal should extend far beyond followers of cricket. It’s an uplifting piece of work, and one that really deserves to be seen. --Jon Foster
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: From the producers of the academy award winning The Last King of Scotland and One Day in September comes one of the most inspiring stories in sporting history... Fire In Babylon is the breathtaking tale of how the oppressed people of the West Indies fought back and triumphed over its colonial masters, through the remarkable achievements of one of sports most iconic teams. In a turbulent era of apartheid in South Africa; race riots in England and civil unrest in the Carribean, the West Indian cricketers, led by the enigmatic Viv Richards, struck a wonderfully defiant blow at the forces of white prejudice worldwide. Their undisputed skill, combined with a fearless spirit, allowed them to dominate the game at the highest level, replaying it on their own, terrifying, terms. This is their story. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: British Independent Film Awards, ...Fire in Babylon (2010)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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!
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!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
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.
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.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
On fire
This DVD was well worth the price. I was mostly unaware of the sport during this era, but it didnt matter. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Diane Martin
nostalgic, if a bit bland
lots of things to love about this film... characters, hostile bowling, music. saw it about 6 months ago, and am struggling to remember any of it. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Stunt Goat
FIRE IN BABYLON
I love cricket and this an excellent DVD of the history and power the West Indies brought to the game for the two decades when they dominated International Test cricket. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. H. POUPART
Sport or Politics ?
I was extremely disappointed to see the lovely game of cricket marred by the dirty world of Politics. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Anthony Owen
VERY GOOD
A very good DVD with many insights into the minds of the West Indian cricketers.
As an avid cricket fan, I felt I would appreciate more footage of some of the key incidents on... Read more
As an avid cricket fan, I felt I would appreciate more footage of some of the key incidents on... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jeeves
Fire in Babylon
Excellent viewing! Bought 1 as gift then bought another after that..relive the halcyon days of 1 day cricket..a must for cricket fans and just general viewing!
Published 3 months ago by Angie
Fulfilled all my expectations.
I looked forward to watching this DVD and was not disappointed. It brought back memories of an amzing team, many of whom were, and still are heroes of mine, and it gave glimpses of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rowena
ROOTS AND CRICKET?
I felt there should have been more cricket shown in this dvd. There is brilliant BBC footage of the test matches WI played in England and very little of it appears in the DVD. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. M. Black
Fire in Babylon
Interesting and Well worth watching. I would recommend this to all cricket lovers. I receieved this as a gift and am very pleased with it.
Published 4 months ago by matthewsafc
Interesting but would've liked to see more cricket in it
Interesting but slightly disappointed by the lack of cricket. Fascinating to hear from all the key Windies players and an insight to the social and political issues that motivated... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Wilfred
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