Producers JOHN BATTSEK (Restrepo) and CHARLES STEEL (The Last King of Scotland) chat about their new movie, FIRE IN BABYLON, a big-screen documentary charting the supremacy of the West Indies cricket team in the late 70s and 80s.
**FIRE IN BABYLON is in UK cinemas from 20 MAY
MMM: What order did the cricketers you interviewed come on board?
Steel: They all played hard to get! It was about getting Clive [Lloyd] and Viv [Richards] on board, really. There were lots of different discussions, everyone wanted to talk different deals, and some people would argue that some people’s contribution in the film was bigger than others.
But we talked to Clive, and he talked about what the team was like and about its equality. So, it was decided that everybody, in terms of financial contribution, would be on the same level. And once that was decided, it was like a co-operative, everyone decided to come in.
Battsek: I’ve made a whole bunch of these sports-oriented films, and it’s tough. One of the hard parts of making these films is that you have to chase the people you revere… you want them to go, ‘you want to make a film about me? I’ll do whatever you want, whenever you want.’ But it’s not that easy, it’s really hard work.
MMM: What’s behind that reluctance to tell their story, do you think?
Battsek: I guess they don’t realise that we’re trying to make much more than a bog-standard sports documentary. We’re trying to make something that’s the definitive telling of their story. And I suspect they’ve all been interviewed a gazillion times and it’s like ‘yeah, really, you want me to do another interview?’ So I think there’s a significant element of that. With the cricketers, I think it was predominantly that.
MMM: What sort of response has the film had in the West Indies?
Battsek: Well, it was the first time I’d ever been to the West Indies, which is ironic as I’d always wanted to go to watch cricket and I never got to, but the reaction there was fantastic to the premiere of the film. Chris Gayle came along and was profoundly moved by it and thought it was inspiring. We wanted to make a film that could show across the West Indies and could hopefully inspire a new generation of West Indian cricketers. It’s premiered now in various islands, and old and young players have been coming and tweeting about it, and the reaction’s been fantastic.
MMM: What do you think it is about sports docs like Fire in Babylon that make entertaining cinema?
Battsek: Well, nothing makes good cinema if it doesn’t have a great story. And what you get naturally with sport is great drama. When you combine charismatic and appealing characters with a great storyline and the inherent drama that comes with the sport, it’s a great backdrop. And then you have the period that it’s set, so you can have great music, which forms part of what makes the film feel more cinematic and the music in our film is definitely a character in the film.
MMM: Did you ever consider making the film as a drama rather than a documentary?
Steel: Not rather than, but following on from this possibly. A few people have talked to us and we’re considering the idea.
Battsek: After the London Film Festival last year there was much furore because the film played amazingly well there, and suddenly there were amazing conversations about whether we might do it as a drama as some sort.
Steel: It’s compared to the Magnificent Seven, bringing together these disparate characters, all quite individual. So we’ll see.
