Babylon was written and directed by Damien Chazelle (who is also known for the films Whiplash and La La Land). Babylon follows the rise and fall of multiple Hollywood stars in the late 1920s as Hollywood transitioned from silent to sound pictures. The film portrays the darker sides of Hollywood in the late 1920s and how many famous stars did not succeed with their careers once talking and synchronised sound was introduced in cinema. The film stars Margot Robbie who plays Nellie LaRoy a girl from Jersey who has a dream of being an actress, Diego Calva who plays Manny Torres a film assistant who has big dreams of working on film sets, and Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad a successful and famous silent film actor. These characters are all fictional portrayals of real-life figures from the silent/early sound era of Hollywood cinema.
This film has had very polarising views from critics and audiences, some saying that this film is amazing and perfectly showed the importance of cinema. Whereas in other reviews I saw people saying that the film was a "mess" and "all over the place", with many people not understanding the point of the montage sequence at the end. However, I loved this film. The more I think about it the more I love it. I graduated from university last year with a degree in film studies, and since then I have been working as a waitress and have been scared to start looking for jobs on film sets. But this film reignited my passion for film and made me remember why I did my degree and what I want to do with my life.
Even though I can see why some would say this film is messy at moments, as there are some confusing, and some could say 'irrelevant' scenes. However, during the whole 3 hours there was not one point that I was bored, or wasn't gripped, I actually was shocked by how quickly the 3 hours went by. The acting was amazing, Margot Robbie as always stole the show as Nellie LaRoy, clearly showing off her incredible acting talents; Diego Calva was also amazing, giving an emotional performance with heart. There was moments in this film where me, and others in the cinema were all laughing out loud at some crazy scenes which I wasn't expecting so highly enjoyed. The cinematography is also breathtaking, with beautiful close ups of Margot's one tear, wide shots of the scenery, and quick pans at the fast paced party scenes. Lastly the music was intoxicating, it really draws you into the film with the fast paced jazz music, and trumpet solos; especially for the last montage sequence where we see cinema over time.
Damien Chazelle created a fascinating film about where cinema started, with real characters who all had dreams and passions. Many people have been confused about the ending montage of this film (which I won't spoil), but this ending made me feel so many emotions about the importance of cinema, and how so much has changed in such a small amount of time. Damien Chazelle created an ending that was original and unique. I sadly think that this film is one of the most misunderstood films of 2022 and hopefully in years to come this will be one that people look back on again and realise that Damien Chazelle wrote a love letter to cinema.
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