I’d been waiting for Babylon to come to screens for ages, ever since learning that the writer/director Damien Chazelle was bringing us a trip back to the early days of Hollywood, I wasn’t expecting some of the shocks and laughs from the 18 certificate movie.
Babylon is an epic 3-hour+ movie set in 1920s Los Angeles starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. It’s a tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Those of you that have been reading the articles/reviews here on Blazing Minds for a while, will have seen how much I loved Chazelle’s La La Land back in 2017. It was one of those movies that put a smile on my face right from the opening credits and I have to say that Babylon did the same.
Although I wasn’t expecting the very adult content from the start of the movie and that in the first 10 minutes, I would be laughing so hard that I could feel the muscles in my stomach pulling, all I can say is “large horse” and leave it there.
The movie knows how to shock and in the opening party that is being held for all the Hollywood starlets etc, there is so much going on that opens your eyes! From people running around naked to bodily fluids flowing in scenes of something that you would expect from the Pleasure Dome. There is even a moment when a rather large man murders a woman which you could look at as a moment of history harkening back to the 1920s silent movie star Fatty Arbuckle when he was arrested for the murder of Virginia Rappe.
Nellie LeRoy (Margot Robbie) arrives at the hilltop mansion in historical fashion in the hope to make it big in Hollywood and to rub shoulders with the directors and producers, she flirts her way through the mansion and even friends Manny Torres (Diago Calva) in the process while she goes through the various piles of white powder!
Meanwhile, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) arrives with one of his many wives that he will have and proceeds to party hard, Manny has to take him home and in the process, Manny takes the first step into Hollywood and is soon followed by Nellie as they are both arrive in the world of the silent pictures during the many films that are being shot in the hills outside Hollywood.
Over the years the three characters rise and subsequently fall throughout their careers, some more shocking than others, but as Babylon progresses through the 1920s to the 1950s we see how the effect of the change of Hollywood with the introduction of the “talkies” affects the lives of those that made those groundbreaking silent movies.
Babylon, as I mentioned earlier, really knows how to shock you, the sex, the violence, the language and the overall feel of the world of the 1920s and takes you on a journey you may not have been expecting when you see the trailer. Damien Chazelle has brought us a movie that is not going to be to everyone’s liking and the 189-minute run time may put people off, but for me, I really enjoyed every moment of the movie. I also have to mention Tobey Maguire in his somewhat short and creepy appearance in the film as James MacKay which I loved, although be prepared for some strange and stomach-wrenching scenes shortly after his appearance.
The soundtrack from Justin Hurwitz, who also brought us the soundtracks from Whiplash and La La Land, sounds great on the cinema sound system and it does have that La La Land feel to it as the movie moves through the years.
The cinematography by Linus Sandgren (No Time To Die, La La Land) looks great, the scenes are wonderfully shot and they really have an old film-style look to them, having Babylon shot on film also helps bring it to life and I have to admit that Chazelle’s choice of film over digital really works.
Damien Chazelle has certainly brought us another movie that is certainly one of my favourites of this year (so far), I love how the characters connect and the story flows around their lives from rise to fall, there are moments that Chazelle’s writing had almost everyone at my screening laughing loudly and to mix it up there are certainly moments that shocked me and that I found very emotional.
M only regret was that I didn’t see Babylon in IMAX, but there is still time.
Sex, Drugs and Hollywood!
Movie title: Babylon
Movie description: A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Date published: January 21, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 3h 9m
Director(s): Damien Chazelle
Actor(s): Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart
Genre: Comedy, Drama, History
Summary
Babylon is a movie that shocks, delights and will have you in tears of laughter and sadness.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
