Babylon seems to be a very divisive movie with some critics saying it is self indulgent in its themes, too long, overly graphic, etc. On the other hand, some critics say that it is a cinematic marvel, satirical love/hate letter to Hollywood, etc. I personally fall in the latter category. For a movie that is 3 hours, I felt engaged and entertained for most of it. I think that a lot of the criticism regarding the depravity and extremism showed onscreen missed the point of the film.

Nellie (Margot Robbie) at an extravagant party

Okay, so if you haven't seen the movie, you are probably a little bit confused. For context, Babylon is an R rated movie that showcases the culture of Hollywood from the 1920's. It focuses on the transition from the original silent films to short movies with audio known as "talkies". It features the rise and fall of Hollywood stars as they struggle to adapt to the ever changing, vicious film landscape. The movie does not shy away from any graphic depictions with some scenes full of drugs, sex, and violence. The opening scene of the movie is 3 guys struggling to transport an elephant to a massive party and it ends up spewing diarrhea over one of their faces as they push the car. All that said, I think it is important to clarify that the movie is not romanticizing these acts. In fact, it is entirely the opposite. It shows these things do not lead to prosperity or a fulfilling life and usually end in despair. I will concede, however, and say that one of the scenes was a bit drawn out and felt excessive. The scene I am talking about is one where two characters get coerced to go down into a tunnel system that features some extreme BDSM along with downright gruesome acts like eating a rat. So to end this part of the review, I will say that the movie is not for the faint of heart, which may make it automatically a bad movie for some people.

Nellie (Margot Robbie) in her first 'talkie'

Jack (Brad Pitt) and Manny (Diego Calva)

Now, I want to talk about some of the cinematography in the movie. This was one of my favorite movies in its use of the camera, sound, and lighting. There are some scenes where the silence or music is so crucial to the feeling you get when watching. One of the best examples of sound design in the movie is in a scene where Margot Robbie's character, Nellie, is struggling to adapt to shooting movies with sound. Her character had become extremely successful in silent movies and she had perfected storytelling through the actions of her body. However, once dialogue becomes part of movies, her character falls apart. In this scene, the director goes through an exhaustive process of re shooting the same scene with all types of hi jinks occurring like the speakers getting blown out, her character not standing in the exact correct location for the audio, forgetting her lines, and camera booth guy actually dying from heat exhaustion. And throughout all of these issues, there is either no music or a slight ringing to signify that her character is under extreme stress and the tension of the scene is brought to a maximum.

Nellie talking to the director about the sound issues when shooting a dialogue scene

Once the scene finally finishes with them getting a usable shot, the relief you feel as a viewer when the music comes back is immense. I find it rare for movies to be able to have such an effect on the viewer where the immersion and tension are so real that it feels like you are in the movie itself. There are also amazing lighting callbacks in the movie as certain scenes end and open with light bulbs in a the room slowly illuminating or dimming to signify a rise or fall emotionally. These aspects also combine masterfully with camera shots that really emphasize the emotions going through the characters. Specifically the camera work during an early scene where they are showcasing the chaotic process of shooting an early medieval movie. It jerks you, as the viewer, back and forth between the different acting stands where a whole array of different performances are being done with things like hunting, bar fights, singing, and more. It puts you in Nellie's shoes as she is being flung around between different scenes and is trying to absorb all of these production elements. Overall, all of these elements combined to form a masterful cinematic piece.

The final shot of the medieval silent film starring Jack

Finally, I do want to also touch on the story itself. It is really quite tragic and is a cautionary tale of overconfidence, greed, and personal stagnation. Each character has their own personal renaissance where they are on top, but each fall due to one reason or another. Brad Pitt's character, Jack, starts out as the go to leading man of early silent films where any movie with him in it would be an instant success. He commanded the screen and had immense fame and wealth. But eventually, he stagnated and never improved upon his skills so that by the time movies with dialog and sound came to be, he couldn't deliver his lines with any authenticity. This leads to him becoming washed up and ridiculed by the mainstream audience as a lousy actor. These factors destroy his ego and self confidence which eventually leads to his suicide. The themes for this character are even discussed within the movie itself as Jack has a conversation with a reporter trying to figure out where he went wrong. They talk about how the industry continues to move and if Jack stays comfortable doing what he's always done, he will eventually be replaced.

Nellie in a silent film

Nellie's story starts out from nothing as she shows up to the beginning extravagant party in a stolen car trying to fake an identity to get in. She gets a lucky break as the production crew for an upcoming movie lost one of the actresses. This propels her career as she is able to display immense emotion with no sound and becomes an overnight sensation and star. With new stardom, however, Nellie eventually gets into financial trouble and her career starts to tank after she cannot transition to talking films. Out of desperation, she tries to put on a false persona to fit in with the emerging Hollywood culture of posh, eccentric taste rather than unhinged depravity. Unfortunately, she is unable to keep it up and falls into a spiral where she loses her career, wealth, and connections. Eventually, she leaves her lover, Manny, in the street as she wanders off screen, presumably to her suicide. Her story follows a similar trend to Jack's with the stagnation of her talent, but hers also draws attention to the culture shift that Hollywood went through. Stars used to be able to be hedonistic and depraved off screen at their parties, but over the years, the inner circles became more posh and sophisticated. Well, they still partook in the degenerate activities, just less outward. Nellie wasn't able to adapt to this and combined with her declining skills, her career had a death sentence.

Manny (Diego Calva)

Manny's story is the most interesting of the three main characters and he is the main lens from which the viewer sees the story. He starts off as a simple contracted butler for early Hollywood parties, but quickly shows his tenacity and will to succeed. Jack notices this at the party and gives Manny a chance to see what a real movie production set looks like as Manny's dream is to work on movies. Once there, Manny gets an opportunity to show his determination as the production crew had broken their last camera and needed to get a rental from a nearby town. Manny drives to the store and barely makes it back in time for the crew to finish the movie. Over time, he moves up the rank in the movie industry to the point where he is a director and pitches stories for new movies. As he gains more influence, however, he begins to lose his emotions and empathy. Eventually, he forces a black musician that was a friend of his to use makeup to make his skin darker in order to match skin tones with the other musicians. He also gains an abundance of confidence and is unable to understand why Nellie is struggling so much. In the end, he actually has a slight redemption as he goes to extreme lengths to try and help Nellie get out of a debt owed to a mobster. He leaves with her to go to Mexico with her, but is left alone at one of their stops. With the realization of the toxicity surrounding Hollywood at that point, and having his hand forced by a mob hitman, he flees to Mexico where he lives a normal life going forward. His story and actions are meant to showcase that it can be dangerous to sacrifice who you are in order to obtain success.

I think that Babylon is a fantastic movie that features intricate cinematography, compelling characters, and a story that encourages introspection. However, it is also a long movie that can drag in some overindulged scenes. It can also come off as too self-absorbed about Hollywood as it itself is being made by people within the Hollywood sphere. I will always encourage you to watch these movies and shows yourself and form your own opinion on the matter.

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