Damien Chazelle’s newest film Babylon, starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Diego Calva, has received mixed reactions since its December release. Some praised it as “a cinematic marvel”, while others called it “rancid and cynical”. Regardless of the varied consensus, the film tells a unique story of the early days of Hollywood.
Babylon begins in 1920s Los Angeles, telling the story of the monumental transition from silent films to “talkies” (movies with synchronized sound). The main character Manny Torres (Diego Calva), has big dreams of being part of the magical world of moviemaking, working strange jobs in hopes of working his way up. Along his journey, he meets Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a free-spirited Hollywood star in the making, and Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a successful leading man of the silent film era. The film also features a remarkable supporting cast with characters like singer/actress Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li), jazz musician Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), and columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart), all of which were inspired by real people from 1920s Hollywood.
Comparisons have been made between Babylon and the 1952 classic musical Singin’ in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly. Both films explore the drastic changes that took place within the American film industry during the transition from silence to sound. However, unlike Gene Kelly’s family-friendly musical, Chazelle takes a bolder and darker approach to portray life in the early days of Hollywood, with critics referring to it as “‘Singin’ in The Rain’ on steroids”.
Everyone’s gonna have a different take on the film. And I think they’re all legitimate.
Damien Chazelle on Babylon’s mixed reception.
Beware, it may take a while to get used to Babylon’s X-rated scenes depicting the uncensored version of Hollywood in the 1920s. This bold direction that Chazelle took has been consistently mentioned in the negative reviews of the film. However, Chazelle isn’t bothered by the mixed reactions and told Insider that “it’s good to have something that stimulates conversation and debate and a lot of fierce opinions on either side… More movies should do that,”.
Babylon is both a love letter to American cinema and a gritty representation of the reality behind the magic of movies. It is not for everyone, but for those interested in the history of Hollywood, it’s definitely worth the watch.
References
Gates, M. E. (2022, December 21). ‘Babylon’: Inside the Film and the Real People Who Inspired Characters. IndieWire. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/babylon-film-real-people-character-inspirations/mcdbaby-pa012/
Jacobs, E. (2023, January 16). ‘Babylon’ Director Damien Chazelle Responds to Negative Reviews. Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.insider.com/babylon-damien-chazelle-responds-negative-reviews-2023-1
James, C. (2022, December 16). Babylon review: ‘A cinematic marvel’. BBC. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221216-babylon-review-a-cinematic-marvel
Lowry, B. (2022, December 23). ‘Babylon’ zooms in on Hollywood’s wild old days, like ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ on steroids. CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/23/entertainment/babylon-review/index.html
Puchko, K. (2022, December 23). ‘Babylon’ review: Imagine ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ but rancid and cynical. Mashable. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://mashable.com/article/babylon-movie-review