This post is part of the Modern Classics series, spotlighting movies released since 2000 that have already earned a place among the all-time greats.
Babylon is the fifth film from director Damien Chazelle, telling the sprawling story of an ambitious set gopher (Diego Calva), a rising starlet (Margot Robbie), and an aging leading man (Brad Pitt) as movies were just transitioning to sound in early Hollywood.
Key Moment
It’s the magic of moviemaking sequence, where the stars somehow align to create a couple of perfect cinematic moments: Calva’s Manny Torres delivering a camera to set and Pitt’s drunken actor Jack Conrad pulling it together just in time to get a fleeting golden hour shot; and—simultaneously (on another set)—Robbie’s upstart Nellie LaRoy crying in close-up, eliciting just the right amount of tears to wow everyone and become a star.
Killer Line
“Everyone shut up!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! SHUT -- THE -- FUCK -- UP!!!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! Is that clear, Llloyd?!! Is that good for fucking sound?!! Now if anyone stops this scene again, I will shit on you!!! I will shit in your mouth, I promise you!!! Then we are GOING AGAIN!!! CAMERA AND MOTHERFUCKING SOUND!!!”
Standout Player
There’s a couple people in the running here…
Margot Robbie — I previously wrote that this is her best movie. I stand by that. She goes all in here, making the material work in a way not every actor can. Her performance-in-a-performance scenes are particularly impressive.
Tom Cross — Cross edited this movie and, goddam, if he didn’t earn his paycheck. He previously worked with Chazelle on Whiplash (for which he won an Oscar) and La La Land (for which he was nominated) and I think his work here eclipses both of those movies. This is a long movie with a lot happening and Cross makes it whir by.
But the final answer is…
Damien Chazelle — This is a writer-director on fire, stuffing everything he’s ever seen or wanted to see in a movie on screen. From long, continuous takes to quick cuts to montages, he’s conducting a symphony of chaos here—and somehow manages to pull it off. Not everything works, but even its imperfections are part of its charm. This is a directing feat of the highest order.
Big Picture
Whatever you might think Babylon is going in, it’s probably not that. While it was sold as a prestige/awards movie, it’s much more of a comedy—and one that goes to some crazy, gross, and unexpected places (which is what makes rewatching it so much fun).
The movie is essentially a series of wild extended sequences (think Boogie Nights if different iterations of the firecracker scene happened every 20 minutes) stitched together by the narrative arcs of the three main characters (and the tale of Hollywood as a whole). Here is my ranking of those sequences…
6. The Ritzy Party
Jack, Manny, and Nellie converge at a high-end Beverly Hills “party” at a time when things are looking down for most of them. For Nellie, in particular, the party is a chance to restore her troubled, low-brow image. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well (with a finale that is reminiscent of a famous sequence in Stand By Me).
5. The Tunnel
In an attempt to help Nellie pay her debts, Manny meets a strange underworld character with a disturbing cackle (played by an actor who doesn’t appear on screen much these days). The sinister fellow and his henchman (played by Ethan Suplee of Boy Meets World and Mallrats fame) take Manny into a tunnel in Los Angeles with different floors (some would say circles of hell) populated by oddities—people chained up, wild animals, circus acts. Not surprisingly, the visit to this hellscape ends in violence.
4. The Snake Fight
Probably the most bizarre (and maybe, story-wise, unnecessary) of the sequences in the movie, this one involves Nellie’s quest to see first her father and then anyone fight a snake. It’s a goofy setup that ends with an even goofier (and pretty hilarious) final payoff. Robbie is a blast in this sequence, which exemplifies the movie’s go-for-broke attitude.
3. The Opening Party
The bash at a wealthy studio executive’s hilltop mansion that kicks off the movie sets the tone for everything to come. The first image we see inside the house is a woman peeing on a man’s chest. This is followed by massive amounts of sex, drugs, and depravity—as well as a live elephant storming the halls. There’s also a full jazz band, a dwarf, a 500-pound woman wrestling two men, a drug overdose, and just about anything else you can think of (and lots you probably can’t). Basically, it seems like a hell of a party.
2. The Magic of Moviemaking
This is the sequence referenced in the killer moment above, taking us on set and on location where hundreds of people swirl around working to get movies made. But before we get to the magic, we get the madness. There’s a band of violent skid-row extras who want to renegotiate their pay. There’s a wild-eyed director who has destroyed 10 cameras filming a battlefield scene. There’s Jack, stuck in his tent waiting for his scene, deciding to have one drink which then leads to 10 more. And there’s Nellie, randomly chosen to replace an actress who overdosed and surprising everyone with her acting chops. It’s crosscrutting done to brilliant effect—building tension and momentum before finally giving us the orgasmic release of two spectacular scenes forever captured on film.
1. Filming with Sound
An extension of the previous sequences, but this one more focused, more stressful, and far funnier. Nellie gets her first shot in a starring role, which also just so happens to be one of the first movies the studio has made with sound. This leads to botched take after botched take on a set with no air conditioning while the studio heads are eagle-eyeing the whole thing. The sequence is an anxiety-inducing roller coaster with a fantastic Robbie performance at the center and a killer punchline at the end.
While not all of these sequences are equal, every one of them takes a big swing and, like the movie itself, goes out of its way to entertain the hell out of us.
Quick Takes
Released on December 23, 2022 (just in time to qualify for yearly awards), Babylon flopped at the box office—earning $65 million worldwide on a reported $80 million+ budget. While the film earned three Oscar nominations (for original score, costume design, and production design), it was not recognized in any of the major categories. Critics and audience scores for the movie on Rotten Tomatoes both sit below 60% (in “rotten” territory), though appreciation for the movie has grown in recent years (those that get it, get it).
Emma Stone was originally cast in the role of Nellie LaRoy, making this a reunion for the La La Land star and director. But Stone dropped out shortly before filming began due to “scheduling conflicts”, opening the door for Robbie to play the part. An interesting side note to this is that Robbie was reportedly in the mix for the role of Mia in La La Land before it went to Stone (and she won an Oscar for it).
Alright, let’s get to the movie’s Achille’s heal: Manny. This is not a movie without its flaws—and Manny is its biggest flaw. It’s not necessarily Calva’s fault, he’s just not given much of a character. We never feel like we have a strong sense of his emotions or motivation and that, unfortunately, makes for a black hole at the center of the movie. If his arc had been stronger and he was given more to do than stare dewey-eyed, there’d be an easier entry point into the movie.
I'm always here for Babylon love! Truly one of the most underappreciated films of the century. Damien Chazelle just brought the sauce for this!
I'd have to say that my favourite scene from the whole film is the opening dance montage. That soundtrack just tickles my soul in such a unique way.
I admit I skipped this one but perhaps I need to add to watch list to form my own opinion.
Margot Robbie is plenty to convince me.