Fire in Babylon

Set against a backdrop of colonial history and superiority, this is a cracking documentary that depicts the rise and sustained success of the West Indies cricket team that started in the 1970s and prevailed for over a decade. Using some remarkably good quality, and well researched, archive footage accompanied by some interesting quotes from many of the (now knighted) team members, Stevan Riley brings to life a wonderfully enigmatic story of ropey pitches, of lethal bowling, of just how this "gentleman's" game ended up with just too much at stake for both the Caribbean players and their, usually, English counterparts - to take on the chin. The rivalry is well illustrated and this features an impressively comprehensive list of contributors whose insight into both sides of the game - that was little short of war, in many eyes - is enthralling. I'm a Scot, ergo I'm no great cricket lover and the sight of the English team losing is unlikely to cause me to lose sleep - but this works hard to create a balance. It demonstrates how skill and determination made these Test matches the stuff of sporting legend from both team's perspectives. This really is well worth ninety minutes of your time, regardless of your interest in the sport - it shows the emergence from empire in a positive and often victorious fashion.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A documentary by Stevan Riley, charting the rise of the West Inides cricket team during the late 1970s and early 1980s, from their humiliating defeat in Australia in 1975, which spurred them on to form an electrifying team that took on the likes of England and India, lifting the hopes of a people and a nation, from the sturdy leadership of Clive Lloyd, onto the enigmatic Viv Richards.

In documentary terms, Fire in Babylon is a relatively unremarkable effort, not playing out in any way that really breaks from genre conventions or offers anything you haven't seen before. However, the natural colour and vibrancy of the culture it's telling the story of manages to give it a real life and soul of it's own, that is in itself something different. ***

It is a good watch for a cricket fan especially. But being a documentary, using wrong facts is enough to put off a lot of people who are able to catch the inaccuracy. And this documentary does it on more than one occasion.

In one of the matches in the 1976 series between WI and India, several Indian batsman were injured and had to retire hurt! Stevan Riley uses this fact and presents that Indians were demolished in the series by a fearsome WI team (when in fact the series was 2-1 in favor of WI and India had won one of the matches on back of a record 4th inning chase of 404 that was broken only in 2003 says a lot).

A more glaring inaccuracy: Stevan uses the video footage of a 1981 incident to depict that Indians could not face WI in 1975-76 series and walked off the field declaring their innings. The video footage is of an incident in Australia when Sunil Gavaskar threw tantrums on being given out lbw (possibly incorrectly) against Lillee and was walking off with his partner in disgust!

For a documentary to depict inaccurate facts is big turn off! It would have been OK if it was some 'masala' movie but definitely not for a documentary which claims to document some true incidents.

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.

Cricket, a game so vast and important, have really lost it's way in past few decades. This documentary definitely shows the impact of cricket in colonies, and the psychology behind the sport in it's early modern days.

West Indies were champions, and this sporting lead is way bigger than many we have seen in other sports over the years. Cricket is underrated and these stories are getting the brunt of it, as they really struggle to get a reach.

As time progresses, it would be even more important to remember the colonial past as it will keep being distinct, and that will stop so many people from reaching their peak.

In the end, it's about sports, but the bigger theme is definitely human emotions, and fast bowling. Fast bowling is the most dangerous thing on a cricket field, and the sport is getting more and more difficult for them as the new ruled keep trimming the value of bowlers.

So, I believe that every cricketer, and decision maker should see this and learn the game from these legends.