Fire in Babylon (2010)

Documentary, Sport /
7.7/10
69/100
91% – Critics
86% – Audience

Fire in Babylon Storyline

During much of the late 50s and throughout the 60s, the West Indies Cricket Team put up outstanding displays of both batting and bowling the world over, but were never exactly the undisputed best like England or Australia. All of this changed quickly enough when after clinching the 1975 World Cup under Clive Lloyd, West Indies travelled to Australia and were beaten miserably 5-1, with pace legend Dennis Lillee making a mockery out of the famed Caribbean batting line-up. Lloyd replicated the same formula and having beaten India 2-1 with pacers like Michael Holding and Andy Roberts at his disposal with the same strategy, travelled to England in 1976. However, English skipper Tony Greig still considered the scheme a fluke and stated in an interview that he “intends to make the West Indies GROVEL”. Fuelled by what they deemed was racism from a South Africa born Englishman, Lloyd’s battery wrecked havoc, winning the series 3-0. From there on, there was no looking back, with the likes Joel Garner, Colin Croft and a refined Malcolm Marshall too joining the squad, West Indies defeated each and every opponent in the path, paving way for future greats like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, as West Indies from the start of 1980 till 1995 literally ruled world cricket, something no other team in the history of any other sport has ever accomplished till date.

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Fire in Babylon Movie Reviews

a fascinating, revealing and accessible documentary.

In the late 60’s, the West Indies cricket team was regarded as something of a joke, and their pathetic on field performances were greeted with the derogatory term “Calypso Cricket.” They also had to deal with prejudice and racist taunts on the sporting field. The team reached a low point in the 1975 Test tour of Australia when they were comprehensively thrashed. Determined to turn their image around captain Clive Lloyd began to rebuild the team. By the end of the 70’s the West Indies had become virtually invincible, and for fifteen years they dominated the sport like no other team, remaining unbeaten in Test matches during that period. Fire In Babylon is a real story of the triumph of an underdog against the odds. It places the rise of the West Indies team against a broader social, cultural and political background – South Africa was in the grip of the brutal apartheid regime, England suffered race riots, and the Caribbean itself was scarred by civil unrest. The documentary looks at the civil rights movement, the country’s drive to seek independence and shake of its colonial roots, the move towards freedom, unity, and pride, and how the achievements of the cricket team on the field reflected this turbulent period of social change. The film also looks at the development of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket and how it forever changed the face of cricket. Writer/director Stevan Riley (Blue Blood, etc) obviously has a passion for sports-based documentaries. Here he draws upon a wealth of deftly edited archival material; and there is plenty of cricket action, especially in the marvellous footage of their fast bowlers besieging the opposition batsmen. There are also interviews with a number of famous figures including Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and fast bowler Michael Harding, who talk candidly about the resurgence of the West Indies team. And there is a reggae-flavoured soundtrack too! Even if you do not particularly like cricket, this is a fascinating, revealing and accessible documentary.

Entertaining and Important Cricket Documentary

It was a privilege to attend the World Premiere of this new documentary at the 2010 London Film Festival. Director Stevan Riley has made an exhilarating piece that describes the events which led to the West Indies cricket team rising from also-rans in the early 1970s to a fearsome, all-conquering force by end of the decade, and at the same time becoming cultural icons who inspired a generation of black people still struggling to emerge from a history of slavery and oppression.

The story is told entirely from the West Indians’ point of view, and in their own words – this is not so much a discussion as a celebration of an inarguably glorious period of sporting history. The list of contributors is a cricketing hall-of-fame roll call: Richards, Lloyd, Holding, Roberts, Greenidge, Haynes, Garner and more are joined by other significant names from Caribbean culture. All are hugely entertaining orators who could easily have kept this relatively short production going for another 3 hours.

This is a film that should appeal to cricket fans, sports fans, and those not remotely interested in sport. A film full of entirely new interviews and perspectives will please the already-initiated, but the wider significance of this cricketing success make it accessible, and vital, viewing for everyone.

These men wanted revenge and boy did they get it! Great stuff.

When i was growing up , the West Indies were the greatest cricket team in the world. I remember the great Viv Richards smacking the ball all over the place and the ” Blackwash” tour of 1985 when The West Indies thrashed us 5-0 but i wasn’t aware of the history of what happened years before then.

Fire in Babylon is a fantastic documentary film that charts the history of how and why these fantastic sportsman remain legends in West Indian sporting and cultural history.

This is the story told from the point of view of the players and some West Indian musicians and famous personalities. It’s a mixture if interviews interspersed with some fantastic old footage.

These men had a grudge and not just a cricket grudge. They wanted revenge for history and i don’t think the English realised it – in fact i know we didn’t.

A group of people like these come along once in a lifetime and “Fire In Babylon” documents what they did perfectly.

Great Stuff.

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