Watch Fire in Babylon

Fire in Babylon is a 2010 documentary film that captures the rise of West Indian cricket in the 1970s and 1980s during the era of apartheid and racial tension. The film highlights the struggles the West Indian cricket team went through as they tried to claim their spot as the best cricket team in the world. The documentary opens with the civil unrest and apartheid in South Africa, and how the West Indian cricket team decided to boycott playing against South Africa until they abolished this discriminatory policy. The film then sets out with the objective to document the journey, struggles and eventual triumph of the West Indian cricket team during their peak years.

The film illustrates how the West Indian team's success wasn't a sudden happening, but a result of years of training, persistence, hard work, and a passion for the sport. Viv Richards, Michael Holding and Clive Lloyd, widely considered some of the greatest cricketers of their time, are shown as the driving force and backbone of the team during this era.

What follows is a riveting account of the battles and hardships the West Indian cricket team faced, and their eventual success in the cricketing world. The film incorporates archived footage of the matches, commentaries, and interviews with the team members to give the audience a glimpse of how the team prepared for each match, their thought process, and the camaraderie between them.

One of the key themes running through the documentary is the celebration and pride of West Indian culture. The team was made up of players from various Caribbean countries, and the film highlights the importance of the culture and heritage of each of these countries. The team was not just representing their countries, but an entire region and community, and the documentary does a great job of showing how these cultural aspects became the consistent force and binding factor for the team as they rose to the top.

The film takes us through their journey with key matches recounted such as the thrilling victory against England in 1976, the defeat against Australia in the 1975 World Cup, and the famous "blackwash" of England in 1984, where West Indies won a five-match series without losing a single match.

Another aspect that the documentary touches on is the racial tension that the West Indian team faced during their travels around the world. They were often singled out for their skin color and treated differently from the other cricket teams. Yet, through sheer determination and resilience, they managed to put all that aside and focused on their cricket. The documentary captures how through their determination and passion for cricket, the team won the hearts of cricket fans all over the world.

Overall, Fire in Babylon is a captivating documentary that showcases the West Indies cricket team's relentless journey to become the champions of the cricketing world. It highlights the struggles, the grit and determination, and the immense pride they had in representing West Indian heritage and culture. The documentary is a testament not just to the team's achievements but their place in history as one of the greatest cricket teams ever.

Fire in Babylon is a 2011 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7 and a MetaScore of 69.