Babylon or a classic in the making

Whilst it first premiered in 2022, the epic period piece comedy Babylon didn't arrive to Croatian theatres until a few days ago. As soon as I saw it was playing yesterday I immediatley jumped at the opportunity and bought a ticket. And I don't regret a single thing about it.

It's a beautiful ode to, not only classic early Hollywood, but to films in general, showing them as an artform they truly are and the people who make it possible: the crews and he viewers. As a film fan I was delighted to see how lovingly Chazelle treats this era of history and shows that movies have impact and meaning to generations to come.

Why do I feel like it's a classic in the making?

It's a special feeling I get with a movie. When I'm just glued to the screen, feeling myself entranced by every scene and moment. After such movies I can't immediatley stand up from my chair and my first words after seeing it are something along the lines of Holy shit. This only happened once before, with the 2016 scifi flick Arrival. Whilst the critical reception wasn't all that positive, some other classics (for exampleThe Shinning, Psycho and Fight club) recieved this treatment upon their release as well and are regarded as some of the greatest pieces of cinema ever made. Now is this the greatest movie ever made? Not by a long shot, but it has all of the right ingrediants to become a cinematic classic.

Let's break down why it exactly works in my opinion...

The Writing

The movie was marketed as a comedy drama so it must suceed equally in being taken seriously as well as being comedic. Fortunatley it suceeds in both angles. The jokes (even when they're as simplistic as the poop joke at the very beggining or Brad Pitt's character falling from his balcony into a pool) always land and never overstay their welcome. The serious scenes also pack a punch, from characters dealing with the world around them changing so quickly to getting into peril through their own egos. My favorite scene has to be the final scene where Manny, our main character, goes to a movie theatre and through a montage of clips from various cinematic milestones he realises he was a truly a part of something that matters (alluding to his conversation with Nellie at the start of the film). It's hands down one of the most beautiful and emotional moments I've seen in anything ever. This one scene perfectly captures the beauty of cinema as an industry and artform and the hundreds of years it took for it's development. An emotional and thought provoking ending.

The Setting

One of my favorite settings for a any piece of media is vintage Hollywood. Doesn't matter which genre or which specific decade, but the place's old glamour, whose beauty can be found through all of the chaos of sex, drugs and related debaucheris. It's the perfect combination of messed up and glamourous. Many great pieces of tv and cinema came from that, from Netflix's miniseries Hollywood (one of the best things they ever did if you ask me) to Tarantino's alternate history flick Once upon a time in Hollywood (one of my favorite films of all time). It was a place and a time when madness and outrageousness seemed like completley regular occurences and this film portrays that brave new world of ideas and passion in a blaze of glory.

The Characters

An aspiring young man who wants to be a filmmaker, a washed up actor at the end of his career and a star of pornographic silent films make up the main trio of our leads. We've seen a lot of these characters and archetypes in movies and tv shows before, sure, but the performances of Diego Calva, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie respectivley bring them to life in a way that feels both familiar and new to audiences. Chezzele's writing elevates it in the highest regard.

The Pacing

Whilst the movie is 3 hours long there is never a dull moment, nor did I feel like I was falling asleep. It knows when to slow down and allow more emotional and heartfelt scenes to sneak in and it knows when to throw in quick wacky shenanigans. The shere insanity of some scenes is broken by quiet and somber moments, and the mood is quickly elevated by more comedic scenes.

The Soundtrack

At the end of the day Justin Horowitz's magnificent score is what truly brings the film to life. It invites you in with it's avant garde style and charm to joing the magnificently chaotic dances and acrobatics of our leads, making even the slightest motion visual brilliance. If I had to single out a single piece of music that works the best, I would say it's Vodoo Mama used during the opening party sequence because it perfectly captures the fell of the era.

Do I reccomend it?

A thousand times yes. If you're a fan of movies this is an unforegettable experiance and a beautiful ode to filmmaking as an artform that evokes so many emotions in the viewer. It's a fantastic piece of filmmaking on every level and I hope it gets more recognition in the near future.