Babylon (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
I find it humorous when I hear people say that this country has never been worse with regards to lack or morals & human depravity. They must not be privy to how the world ran thousands of years ago, no less Hollywood in the 1920s before the strict Hays Code was enforced {saying such words as "pregnant" onscreen was a big no-no}. People back then were not holier-than-thou and, to think otherwise is a joke. Director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land, First Man) takes it upon himself to let us know just that in 'Babylon', his sprawling 3 hour long condemnation of the Tinseltown of old; but so, too, is it a wild celebration of cinema. Even the Title of this film suggests that Hollywood was as barbaric in its infancy as that bestial biblical Mecca.
This wild & crazy ode to movies revolves around various fictional characters as the film world slowly transitioned from silent movies to "talkies". The year is 1926, and after we meet our 1st protagonist, Manny Torres (Diego Calva), in a gross-out comedic opening {elephant dung, anyone?}, we are literally THRUST into a wholly debauched party thrown at the mansion of a studio mogul. The booze is flowing, the drugs are snorted, no one minds being naked, & sex acts - of assorted varieties - are rampant. Manny works as a low-level asst. for Bob (Flea), who works for the mogul, and he has just delivered said elephant to the mansion for the outlandish party's grand finale. Also in attendance is Hollywood's biggest silent film star & playboy, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), talented black musician, Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), & sultry lesbian cabaret performer, Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li).
At the other end of the spectrum is scantily clad beauty, Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring actress & troubled soul who, with Manny's help, crashes the party. She just knows she's a star {"It's written in the stars!"} and, when a young actress upstairs overdoses, Nellie gets her chance when she is plucked out of the crowd to be the woman's replacement. She shows up the next morning at the movie set where multiple films are simultaneously being shot; gossip/film columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart, doing her best Hedda Hopper) chronicles the zany activities. While Jack - who now hires Manny as his assistant - shoots a historical epic with a temperamental German director (Spike Jonze), Nellie successfully shoots a western under the direction of Ruth Adler (Olivia Hamilton, Chazelle's wife).
Time passes, her star rises, & so does Manny's as he ascends through the ranks of the studio system. Chazelle's story jumps from one character to another, including black musician Sidney Palmer, who has made it big, yet still faces debilitating racism; and Lady Fay Zhu, whose stock plummets once Hollywood decides that galavanting around as a sultry lesbian is a no-go for more discerning audiences. And with the advent of "talkies", Nellie & Jack Conrad struggle. She turns to gambling & incurs mounting debts. And Jack endures his 1st Hollywood "flop". While Manny & Elinor St. John look on, these other characters are faced with precipitous falls from grace that many actors face once their star dims ... but the movie industry churns on.
Chazelle explores the no-holds-barred hedonism of the Roaring Twenties as the film industry transitions from silent films to talkies & the tame Production Code of the '30s. It's not a perfect film. Maybe too outrageous, at times. Perhaps it needn't be 188 min. long. But I was never bored. 'Babylon' is over-the-top fabulous: Justin Hurwitz's frenzied jazz score, Linus Sandgren's gorgeous camerawork, Mary Zophres' magnificent costumes, some luscious set designs, & the incredible sound work kept me on the edge of my seat. Despite him showing the grim underbelly of 1920's Hollywood - where people serve as replaceable parts in an ever-turning wheel - there is no denying Chazelle's adoration for all things "movies". One of my favorite dialogues comes from Elinor St. John, who bluntly explains to one character that they will eventually be forgotten ... but movies will live forever on celluloid.
Nellie is a one-note Hellcat character, but boy is Margot Robbie electrifying in her portrayal. Diego Calva is appealing as our soulful conduit in this story. I kinda thought he did little more than stare blankly at the screen more often than not early on, but he really brings it in the final 45 minutes. Li Jin Li mesmerizes as cast-aside Lady Fay Zhu. Brad Pitt is perfect as the suave, womanizing, boozy Errol Flynn type of megastar and, I actually thought he was the most affecting character in the film. And Tobey Maguire is thoroughly creepy as a casino owner whom Nellie owes big $$ to. Manny turns to him to save her, but what should have been a basic payment drop becomes a terrifying excursion as Maguire drags him DEEP into one of the most grotesquely fetishized underworlds you could imagine. My mouth was agape.
You know, the trajectory of the story becomes slightly less interesting as it goes; but culminates in a fascinating, if tragic finale about stardom's hideous failures ... as well as the grand joys of 100+ yrs. of movie-making. The snap-crackle-pop of the proceedings keeps things flowing, even when things slow down or become dire. Loaded with decadence, vulgarity & passion, 'Babylon' blew me away as an ambitiously messy, yet intoxicating cinematic blast.
This wild & crazy ode to movies revolves around various fictional characters as the film world slowly transitioned from silent movies to "talkies". The year is 1926, and after we meet our 1st protagonist, Manny Torres (Diego Calva), in a gross-out comedic opening {elephant dung, anyone?}, we are literally THRUST into a wholly debauched party thrown at the mansion of a studio mogul. The booze is flowing, the drugs are snorted, no one minds being naked, & sex acts - of assorted varieties - are rampant. Manny works as a low-level asst. for Bob (Flea), who works for the mogul, and he has just delivered said elephant to the mansion for the outlandish party's grand finale. Also in attendance is Hollywood's biggest silent film star & playboy, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), talented black musician, Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), & sultry lesbian cabaret performer, Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li).
At the other end of the spectrum is scantily clad beauty, Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring actress & troubled soul who, with Manny's help, crashes the party. She just knows she's a star {"It's written in the stars!"} and, when a young actress upstairs overdoses, Nellie gets her chance when she is plucked out of the crowd to be the woman's replacement. She shows up the next morning at the movie set where multiple films are simultaneously being shot; gossip/film columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart, doing her best Hedda Hopper) chronicles the zany activities. While Jack - who now hires Manny as his assistant - shoots a historical epic with a temperamental German director (Spike Jonze), Nellie successfully shoots a western under the direction of Ruth Adler (Olivia Hamilton, Chazelle's wife).
Time passes, her star rises, & so does Manny's as he ascends through the ranks of the studio system. Chazelle's story jumps from one character to another, including black musician Sidney Palmer, who has made it big, yet still faces debilitating racism; and Lady Fay Zhu, whose stock plummets once Hollywood decides that galavanting around as a sultry lesbian is a no-go for more discerning audiences. And with the advent of "talkies", Nellie & Jack Conrad struggle. She turns to gambling & incurs mounting debts. And Jack endures his 1st Hollywood "flop". While Manny & Elinor St. John look on, these other characters are faced with precipitous falls from grace that many actors face once their star dims ... but the movie industry churns on.
Chazelle explores the no-holds-barred hedonism of the Roaring Twenties as the film industry transitions from silent films to talkies & the tame Production Code of the '30s. It's not a perfect film. Maybe too outrageous, at times. Perhaps it needn't be 188 min. long. But I was never bored. 'Babylon' is over-the-top fabulous: Justin Hurwitz's frenzied jazz score, Linus Sandgren's gorgeous camerawork, Mary Zophres' magnificent costumes, some luscious set designs, & the incredible sound work kept me on the edge of my seat. Despite him showing the grim underbelly of 1920's Hollywood - where people serve as replaceable parts in an ever-turning wheel - there is no denying Chazelle's adoration for all things "movies". One of my favorite dialogues comes from Elinor St. John, who bluntly explains to one character that they will eventually be forgotten ... but movies will live forever on celluloid.
Nellie is a one-note Hellcat character, but boy is Margot Robbie electrifying in her portrayal. Diego Calva is appealing as our soulful conduit in this story. I kinda thought he did little more than stare blankly at the screen more often than not early on, but he really brings it in the final 45 minutes. Li Jin Li mesmerizes as cast-aside Lady Fay Zhu. Brad Pitt is perfect as the suave, womanizing, boozy Errol Flynn type of megastar and, I actually thought he was the most affecting character in the film. And Tobey Maguire is thoroughly creepy as a casino owner whom Nellie owes big $$ to. Manny turns to him to save her, but what should have been a basic payment drop becomes a terrifying excursion as Maguire drags him DEEP into one of the most grotesquely fetishized underworlds you could imagine. My mouth was agape.
You know, the trajectory of the story becomes slightly less interesting as it goes; but culminates in a fascinating, if tragic finale about stardom's hideous failures ... as well as the grand joys of 100+ yrs. of movie-making. The snap-crackle-pop of the proceedings keeps things flowing, even when things slow down or become dire. Loaded with decadence, vulgarity & passion, 'Babylon' blew me away as an ambitiously messy, yet intoxicating cinematic blast.