Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Babylon is Damien Chazelle’s 1920’s Hollywood and it overwhelms on every level, from the over-the-top crazed characters to the unrelated backgrounds that take our collective breaths away. This is an extremely well-crafted film that will wow and entertain its viewers.
It took just over 3 hours to watch this tour deforce film and then it took another few hours for me to digest this film. Especially after observing an elephant defecate upon its handler and watching literally mounds of cocaine consumed, while an obese man is being urinated onto. The flourish of extraordinary background scenes brims over the top in every scene. These captivating eye-catching montages enrich this film like rarely ever seen before.
Afore I continue and deviate any further, I must say, this film was awesome, everything you would want from a splendid Hollywood romp, although this film is not for the squeamish amongst us. The plot is really a visual escapade about the trial and tribulations of the 5 main stars of the film.
The Superstar actor (Brad Pitt), the up-and-coming actress (Margot Robbie), the behind-the-scenes Production Exec (Diego Calva), the up-and-coming trumpeter (Jovan Adepo), and the alluring singer / performer (Li Jun Li). The common thread behind these characters is their adaption to Hollywood’s “next best thing”, the new era of sound in film. This is a time of ascending and descending stars and some that simply can’t shine any longer.
Special Extra Features Include:
“A Panoramic Canvas Called Babylon— The cast and crew discuss the inspiration and motivation behind the original story and development of this epic, 15 years in the making.
The Costumes of Babylon— Discover how costume design was fundamental to character development and the challenges that went into creating over 7,000 costumes for the film.
Scoring Babylon— Take a peek into Justin Hurwitz’s musical process to understand the artistry behind composing an iconic score that further elevates the film.”
