The documentary portrays the rise of the great West Indian side of the 70s and 80s
By Tejas Rane
Cricket has found fans with the young and old and as with most things, filmmakers have also often been inspired by the game and have brought it to life in celluloid. However few movies manage to enthral you, even when you are unaware about the subject and Stevan Riley’s ‘Fire In Babylon’ is one such film. The movie often breaks out of the boundaries of its subject matter, to paint a larger picture. The documentary portrays the rise of the great West Indian side of the 70s and 80s, that included the likes of Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Clive Lloyd, and Michael Holding amongst others.
The film details the factors that went into making one of the most dominant cricket teams of all time, and one that remained unbeaten in a Test series for 15 years. However though the film's main subject may seem like cricket, its backbone is formed by side story of how West Indies as a country evolved, tackling issues like racial discrimination and about how the team drew morale from its people.
Though the team under the captaincy of Sir Clive Lloyd went on to create history, the same cannot be said of the team of today. Teams like Australia, South Africa and India have emerged as leaders in the game, but their dominance has been short lived, unlike the Windies who were on top of their game for a decade and a half.
A still from the movie 'Fire in Babylon'
Star players that include the likes of Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan have retired and the spirit of the Calypso Cricketers (as they are fondly known) seems to have retired too. It remains to be seen if this movie will inspire Darren Sammy and his merry men who have failed to carry on the legacy, as well as other aspiring players in the wings. Sammy must learn to inspire his men and ignite another spark, before he is left to actually 'grovel' in front of other teams.
Tag : #Clive Lloyd #West Indian cricketers #Vivian Richards #Fire in Babylon
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