Babylon is a movie solely to exploit and enjoy the times of the silent to the talkies era of filmmaking. There was a simple art to silent films, and director Damien Chazelle reflected this comically yet beautifully in this tragedy-filled story of the world of film.
Four characters show us what exactly this world was all about. Now was this film extremely fictitious? Yes. Very much so, but the way these people moved to the passion of film keeps Babylon grounded.
Manny (Diego Calva), amidst a raging party full of artists, singers, dancers, actors– and swingers, bumps into Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring unknown actress who hopes to make it big one day. There’s an instant connection between the two, but their aspirations take the front seat when Nellie gets a lead role in a silent film and Manny winds up on a movie set, helping iconic movie legend Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt). Meanwhile, a black trumpet musician, Sidney Palmer ( makes his rounds in the musical realm.
Babylon is heavily motivated in keeping these characters interesting. However, it still excels in long cinematography shots and outlandish action, comedy, and hints of romance– we get to understand each character’s motivation truly.
Manny wants purpose, Nellie wants to be a star (she is a star, as she claims), Jack Conrad lives and dreams of acting, and Sidney Palmer enjoys playing his trumpet no matter the scope. Now there are a few gripes about these characters. Manny’s character could be more dimensional. For as much screen time as he gets, there’s still something missing from his character arc. He’s blindly in love with Nellie from the start, yet we don’t earn it too much. More scenes between the two at the beginning of the movie would have made more of the grand dramatics of the tragic ending.
As for Margot Robbie’s Nellie, she does a fantastic job, as always! The problem? Robbie continuously plays the same characters over and over. A New Jersey girl who has anger issues and is a little crazy (or a lot). Sound like anyone she’s played before? Cough, cough: Harley Quinn or Naomi Lapaglia, anyone?
Brad Pitt’s character was drab. Some of his scenes were great additions to show the actual effects on big-name stars between silence and talkies, but for as long as this film is, we don’t get inside the mind of Conrad. So why does his arc end the way it does? Yes, his career is over, so that’s easy to make that connection, but to see Conrad’s emotional and physical breakdown would make his ending more heartbreaking.
I wish we got more of Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo). It felt like Chazelle just tacked his character at the film’s last minute. Li Jun Li as Anna May Wong was a killer on screen, and like Jovan Adepo, we don’t get enough of her character. These two actors are POC representatives– dare I say, are these characters only here to appease the audience?
Babylon is a film for movie buffs. Meaning if you watch this movie, you have to be aware of the mechanics of the filmmaking process. As of 2022, the way movies are made rigorous, but nothing like in the past. Everything was so brand new, the first sound, first time in color, first movie stars, first drama queens, so there was room for failure because there was nothing to compare to except live theater. The world viewed films and theater in different realms because of the lack of formalness behind the scene of the craze roaring 20s.
What elevated Chazelle’s vision was the ending. Manny went into the movie theater in the 1950s. His world flashed before his eyes as the film industry began to recycle and recycle, yet amplified the artistry behind movie-making. Everything tied together so magically. Films are art– visually– musically– and soundly made. And as the world changes, so do the industry. Of course, there will always be Jack Conrad and Nellie Laroy, as they resemble actors from the past to the present. Now, this world is oversaturated by fame from every avenue of social media and reality television. But one thing remains the same— movies never die.
Rank: 4/5
Babylon is getting a bad reputation simply for the hectic and overexploitation aspects, yet critics and viewers are missing the movie’s themes. Renewal and fast pace changes. From start to finish, Babylon is a nonstop craze, a pure reflection of how quickly films have changed over time. It’s only been under a hundred years since talkies became the norm, and now look where we are.
To displace these highly intense sequences with Margot stealing every shot with her exceptional skills would be a crime! Babylon is a hilarious historical storytelling that every movie lover will enjoy.
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