Babylon

LOVE I don't think I'm very good for you I want to preface by saying this is genuinely my favourite movie except that I decide my favourites based on comfort value and most rewatches. Damien Chazelle describes it as, It is a love letter to cinema and a hate letter to Hollywood. The plot follows the rise (and fall) of actors as they transition from silent films to talkies in 1920s Hollywood. There are many sub-plots that come with each character’s individual storyline but that’s the main idea. The central themes are of hope, ambition, stardom, depravity, love and loss. I loved each and every theme so much and the tapestry they created when woven together with such beauty by Chazelle. I love the characters so much I don’t know where to begin. Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) was such an important figure of the movie showing the reality of the cyclical nature of relevance for Hollywood actors. He had an inability to process his feelings which he avoided through womanizing and alcoholism until his inevitable suicide. Conrad was mainly based on John Gilbert who was a prominent Hollywood actor during the silent film era but was defined by the controversy of his conflicts with studios and alcoholism. Brad Pitt’s performance of Jack shed light not only to the flawed nature of the Hollywood industry but to the overlooked issue of mental health especially in the context of men. Margot Robbie poured life into embodying Nellie Laroy. Initially the role was intended for Emma Stone but she declined due to scheduling conflicts. It’s difficult to comment on whether she would have presented a better performance when it was executed phenomenally regardless. When rehearsing for the role, Robbie said she looked towards Clara Bow for inspiration. Nellie’s character is messy and reckless which is largely to be attributed to her troubled upbringing. In that same regard Clara Bow, a Hollywood actress of the 20s, grew up in poverty with a sexually abusive father and a mentally disturbed mother. She thus began her rise to stardom via modelling at the age of 16 before getting acting contracts. Her life was quite tragic, it’s worth researching on. Clara Bow is also the title of the final track in the soon to be album The Tortured Poets Department. Margot Robbie’s words in regards to Clara Bow, Clara’s parents never got a birth certificate for her because they had already lost two children and they were sure she wouldn’t make it through childhood. As I read this, the character of Nellie really started to make sense to me. I imagine she always felt like she was on borrowed time every day that she was on the planet, so she went all out every day. She also method acted for a while through hosting parties as often as possible and eliminated the idea of peace in this context from her life (temporarily). Genuinely though I think aside from the exaggerated allure of Hollywood that was necessary for entertainment, Nellie’s such an authentic person I found myself deeply relating to her in more ways than one. Manny was a brilliant character as well, Diego Calva conveyed so much emotion through a mere gaze I hope he gets cast for romance movies in the future. Also even though they did not work out, I think that if Nellie worked through the commitment aspect they would be perfect for each other in a yin-yang way. Lastly, the only other character I’m choosing to individually describe is James Mckay (Tobey Maguire). His character was haunting, the second Maguire’s face appeared on-screen, Babylon shifted in trajectory and temporarily became a horror movie. The supporting characters were also wonderful with Lady Fay bringing life to the film and characters like Irv having been actual producers in old Hollywood (Irving Thalberg) and ofcourse Chazelle’s wife, Olivia Hamilton having a small role as Nellie’s first director. As usual Damien Chazelle delivered with the cinematography. It was so beautiful to watch especially the initial dance scene in the orange/red allure. He also hired the same choreographer as in La La Land and a lot of the filming locations were reportedly challenging to create since old Los Angeles had to be created first then the studios within and then the fictional movie sets. In Chazelle’s words, You’re talking about sets within sets within sets. I loved the editing and had no issue with the pace which is remarkable given that the runtime slightly exceeds three hours. There is a 2 hour informal version of the movie filmed in rehearsals on Damien Chazelle’s phone (I would pay millions to watch it). The sound design was otherworldly. Chazelle’s collaborations with Justin Hurwitz are always marvelous. The soundtrack especially Manny and Nellie’s theme and Voodoo Mama were so beautiful and captured the essence of the time period the film was set in. also the usage of the song Singin in the Rain really helped me in redirecting my association of it with a Clockwork Orange to something more pleasant, Babylon (and I should watch the original movie sometime). The symbolism was well-developed with the title in itself being symbolic of a place where depravity and evil lies. It is evident that Chazelle dislikes the conventional idea of Hollywood and what it promotes and uses the title as a more straightforward means of social commentary. Damien Chazelle’s directing style is revolutionary. I adore his signature camera panning shots and his casting and vision as a whole. It took him 15 years to write the script for this film given that he had to conduct tons of research on Hollywood in the 20s. The script amounted to 220 pages in its final draft. Being set in the 1920s, the film is meant to depict what life was like when films began transitioning. On the surface it seems like something revolutionary and worth celebrating yet the film’s depiction of the reality of this time proves otherwise. It shows how actors lost relevance and jobs and spiraled into a state where substance abuse or suicide seemed to be the only option. Unfortunately, Babylon did not receive the praise that it deserves with a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a box office that did not cross $100 million despite the production budget being $110 million. It did not receive any major Oscar nominations but did win Golden Globe awards for its score and production/costume design.