- Network: HBO
- Series Premiere Date: Sep 11, 1993
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Stunning. [9 Sept 1993, p.C1]
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Both an engrossing medical whatdunit and a modern American tragedy...It hurtles forward with the urgency of a murder mystery and ends with the suddenness of a nightmare.
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The film is certainly a virtuous, star-studded message movie. It's also a docudrama, with all the attendant questions about the fictionalization of facts. But it transcends that by being complicated, intelligent and vibrant. Without a trace of sentimentality, it is very moving. [8 Sept 1993, p.49]
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Hip deep in all the chicken droppings about the movie, you would hardly know that it's a damn good movie. [9 Sept 1993, p.109]
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Enthralling, must-see television. [10 Sept 1993, p.6EV]
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Swift pacing energizes the movie, and Schulman writes compelling scenes for the large cast. Many actors, who have only one scene to make an impression, meet the challenge splendidly. [11 Sept 1993, p.G1]
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Even a hobbled rendering of And the Band Plays On adds up to tough and uncommonly courageous television. Excessive tinkering has left the pacing of the film sluggish in spots, but the story is never less than compelling.
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It's an ambitious and engrossing combination of mystery story and medical drama - and a powerful reminder that docudramas can be more than true-crime sleaze. [11 Sept 1993, p.1E]
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Suffers from excessive ambition, but only through the best of intentions. [10 Sept 1993, p.E-1]
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A fine film but one lacking an emotional punch commensurate with its subject. [10 Sept 1993, p.N-1]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 4
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Mixed: 0 out of 4
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Negative: 0 out of 4
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Oct 31, 2018
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May 15, 2017