Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” offers a bold exploration of Hollywood’s metamorphosis in its earliest years. Weaving together the lives of film stars and production executives from the silent movie era to the age of talkies Babylon offers much to history buffs through its narration of possibly fictional events intertwined in the wild tales of creators of cinema. With a runtime exceeding three hours, I watched it in two sittings, but nevertheless found it compelling and engrossing.
Babylon struggled at the box office but nonetheless is an audacious film. It is obscene and grotesque but stands valiantly and is not for everyone.
Margot Robbie stands out for me with her fiery performance of rage and unrequited love alongside Brad Pitt, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo, Tobey Maguire, and Li Jun Li.
Diego Calva offers much justice to his breakout role in Babylon while Jovan Adepo does a splendid job translating the pain of a black artist in a white power structure. Li Jun Li delivers a stunning performance in her role inspired by the life and career of Chinese American actress Anna May Wong. Tobey Maguire finally manages to shed his spider suit to take on the role of a sadistic and brutal villain while Brad Pitt gets to be Brad Pitt doing Pitt stuff.
Again “Babylon” isn’t for everyone. It’s Chazelle’s tribute to Hollywood even though a question remains if Hollywood will entrust him with a budget again.
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