Owner Robert Isray moved the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis in the middle of the night in March of 1984. Absent from all of the equipment taken to the new city were the band insturments and uniforms. The Baltimore Colts band stayed together for years after the movement of their team, playing pretty much anywhere that would have them as a statement of desire to have the NFL back in their city. The movie chronicles the trials and tribulations of both the band and the football fans of Baltimore, including interviews with band members, politicans, and people in both the Colts and Ravens organization.
Ironically for me, this movie came out the same day as the documentary Sonicsgate, a detailed synopsis of the recent loss of the Sonics here in Seattle. Obviously, I am very biased in comparing the two, but for me, where Band falls short is in capturing the despair and the anger. Don't get me wrong, it is a great story, but it needs to be reinforced. Sonicsgate features in depth interviews with Brian Robinson (co-founder of Save Our Sonics) and Sherman Alexi (novelist and ex-season ticket holder) that are really the heartbeat and the voice of the fan in the movie. Perhaps because Baltimore now has a top notch franchise, it was more difficult to capture that aggrevation in the ESPN flick. Bring NBA back here and I know I will feel a hell of a lot better.
Despite my somewhat mixed reactions to The Band That Wouldn't Die, it is a very good story and a documentary that is worth watching. If you aren't following the "30 for 30" thing on ESPN, I think you should be.
Football Movie Marathon Rankings
1. Brian's Song
2. Knute Rockne All American
3. Varsity Blues
4. The Band That Wouldn't Die
5. Invincible
6. Two For the Money
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