Doco on West Indian cricket’s glory years: "The story of the West Indies' late-70s ascension from happy-go-lucky ‘calypso cricketers’ to...
Doco on West Indian cricket’s glory years: "The story of the West Indies' late-70s ascension from happy-go-lucky ‘calypso cricketers’ to world beaters…"
"Stevan Riley’s exuberant documentary is much more than just a cricket film. In fact it's such riotous fun that you won’t need to know your googlies from your bouncers to get a big kick out of it. New interviews with players such as inspirational captain Clive Lloyd, fast bowler Michael Holding and the ice cool Viv Richards bring vintage test match footage to vibrant life. Unfolding as a classic underdog tale, Riley’s film places the narrative firmly within the civil rights movement and nascent reggae-powered Caribbean nationalism.
"Steeled by colonial oppression, Lloyd instilled an uncompromising attitude in his charges, subverting the old elite and leading the Windies to strike back in historic victories overEnglandandAustraliaby the end of the decade. Though they did lose an acrimonious series in New Zealand in 1980 (not mentioned in this film, ahem), their 15-year unbeaten run remains unsurpassed." (Source: NZ International Film Festival 2011)
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91 %23 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
86 %565 reviewsAudience score rating
"So much fun that you don't really have to understand much about the nuances of cricketing to get the point."
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Salon
Salon"A treat for cricket fans who'll thrill to this nostalgic look back at one of sport's greatest teams."
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Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine"No one could watch this without being struck by the intensity of the way these men played. Here they recall those times with striking charm and wit."
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Financial Times
Financial Times"As vibrant and exuberant as the subject deserves."
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Little White Lies
Little White Lies"A riveting account of the glory days of West Indian cricket."
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Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph"Absorbing..."
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Independent
Independent"Riveting..."
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The Guardian
The Guardian"Fire in Babylon certainly has the right mood, but it seems unanchored and ambivalent to the details of its own subject."
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Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine"This triumph-of-the-underdogs tale is enjoyable in the retelling, despite its repetitious hammering of the message."
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Variety
Variety"Powerfully demonstrates how the successes of these sportsmen, in a game associated with white colonial superiority, proved inspirational in the global struggle for black equality."
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Total Film
Total Film"It all adds up to an entertaining 88 minutes, despite the film's ramshackle construction and its once-over-lightly approach to political, cultural and athletic history."
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The New York Times
The New York Times"A treat for cricket fans who'll thrill to this nostalgic look back at one of sport's greatest teams."
—Empire Magazine
Empire MagazineFire in Babylon | Details
- Runtime
- 83
- Genre
- Documentary, Sport
- Country of origin
- UK
