Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 3/21/2023
Rating: R
Film Grade: B+ (I reserve the right to change this upon further consideration or subsequent viewings.)
The Story: It’s 1926 and Hollywood is printing money making silent movies for a newly enraptured audience. This budding empire is leading to loads of excess: Drugs, alcohol, debauchery, and decadence. Nothing in moderation.
Things are on the verge of dramatic change, though, as the technological breakthrough of adding sound to moving pictures threatens to revolutionize the industry. And that’s where we find ourselves, following an ensemble cast of characters whose stories intertwine over roughly the next decade.
As doors are slammed shut for some, others discover new opportunities.
My Take: I’m not an expert in the era of silent films, so my perspective is limited to what was studied in a film history class so many decades ago, which mostly dealt with Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Birth of a Nation. Beyond that, there’s the general knowledge of how few of the silent-era stars were able to make the transition to talkies. And then there were the scandals, perhaps the best exemplified by Fatty Arbuckle.
With that out of the way, I don’t think historical fidelity is vital to the movie’s intent or purpose, so I’m not going to delve into that aspect.
The period is presented as a both a playground for the rich and depraved juxtaposed with glimpses of squaller and despair. The various characters we meet (and there are a lot of them) run a wide gamut. There’s an aspiring starlet, a rugged heartthrob, bit players, directors finding their way, a variety of general laborers, a gossip columnist, and all manner of executives, some actively engaged, some only there for money, prestige, and the associated perks, and still others that exist only to feed off of them.
All of them need to find their own paths through the future that is coming at them faster than they’re able to absorb. At the same time, morality has entered the picture, with the public casting a judgmental eye on the questionable lives of their newly adorned cultural icons. Some adapt quickly, some not at all.
This cast his huge; it’s stated in the extras that there were over 100 speaking parts. There are stars like Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, along with other known actors such as Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire, and some that are lesser known, like Lukas Haas, Jeff Garlin, and Ethan Suplee.
Director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) handles them all masterfully, but one of the problems the film has is that most of these characters aren’t really likeable, so it’s hard to feel sorry for them when they create their own problems out of a lack of self-awareness.
There are a couple of exceptions here, the biggest is Diego Calva, playing the part of Manny Torres, an energetic go-getter who’s looking for a way into the movie business because he can see how much it means to the public. His charismatic portrayal really stands out, even in that large cast, and I really hope he gets more quality roles in the future.
This is not an easy movie to watch. While it’s over three hours long, the frantic energy keeps it from dragging or getting bogged down, but it’s filled with a draining nihilistic darkness. Even as it hoists up movies as an uplifting experience for the audience, we’re shown a cutthroat system that is fueled by drugs, money, and all manners of physical excess. Choices are presented that deal with desperation, integrity, and ambition, and too often the wrong ones are picked.
The movie is a hard R, and some will be put off by that, but after the fourth or fifth scene of rampant debauchery, it becomes less shocking and one becomes almost numb to it. Well, that is until later, when we’re taken through multiple levels of a metaphorical hell, where the movie utterly reaches its lowest level of depravity. There’s a sprinkling of humor throughout the movie, usually of the dark variety, prompted by the intentional absurdity of a situation, which helps relieve some of that heaviness.
Going beyond that, it will take some time to fully digest the movie because of its thematic richness. There’s a conversation about two thirds into the movie that spells out Hollywood’s humanist vision of immortality, which begs for both deeper examination and counter thoughts.
It also posits how change affects an industry. While the film is centered on the transition to sound, it doesn’t stop there. There’s color, 3D, stereo, 3D, surround sound, digital, and 3D again. The next step may very well be AI, and this film may prompt some viewers to pause and give it some thought.
Also discussed is the value of movies as art. Are they high art? Can they even be high art? If a movie has mass appeal, does it make it any less worthy of consideration? Arguments are made from both sides, and it’s films like this that can further add to that discussion.
Video: This is a dark movie, in both thematic tone and picture. It may be my setup, but there was a lack of definition in darkest scenes that I was unable to correct with settings on either my projector or player. It didn’t have a negative effect on our viewing, though, and there was a skillful use of various color pallets to fit different shots depending on the feelings needed. The set design is highly-detailed, with layers of opulence fitting the movie’s setting, all of which are lovingly captured for us to absorb.
Audio: While this is a Dolby Atmos title, sound primarily comes from the front three speakers. To verify, I muted all of the bed layer speakers and just listened to the tops. To my surprise, I had a difficult time finding any scenes that used top speakers at all, even ones that cried out for them to be engaged. I did find one where both the tops and wides were active, just to verify it wasn’t a setup problem on my end.
With that caveat, one of the true stars of the movie is the jazzy soundtrack. Enveloping, lively, arresting, and crisp, it fits the era perfectly, and propels the action. Both my wife and I thought it was outstanding, and as of this writing, the two-CD set is available on Amazon as a pre-order for the low price of $13.29. Order placed!
Special Features: This movie came in an absolutely gorgeous SteelBook case, as illustrated by the picture at the top of this review. I’m normally happy buying the standard edition of a movie, but with quality packaging like this, I can certainly see the appeal of these limited editions; it’s stunning.
In addition, there is a short Blu-ray with all the extras that are worth watching for more insight:
- A Panoramic Canvas Called Babylon
- The Costumes of Babylon
- Scoring Babylon
- Deleted & Extended Scenes
Final Verdict: A big thank you goes out to David Vaughn for asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing this title. Normally I only get to watch the Netflix Blu-ray version of a movie, so this was a genuine treat for me. Thanks, David!
When this came out it was described by some as a love letter to the silent film industry, which I can’t understand. At best, it’s a love/hate examination of a machine that is always marching forward while chewing up people and either digesting them or spitting them aside. It’s not afraid to dwell and expose a filthy underbelly, even as it glorifies the resulting work.
This isn’t a feel-good movie, and it’s hard to give it a general recommendation. I can’t say that it was enjoyable in a fun sense, but I’m glad to have watched it. It offers a glimpse at a bygone time, one that so many of us appreciate for what it’s given us. At the same time, it also offers up a lot to contemplate and think about.
While watching the movie, I wasn’t sure where I’d come down on it, but I’d have to say that the ending epilogue really won me over. There’s a montage that ties together so much of what the movie was trying to say that really connects with an audience that loves movies, and it touched me in a way that the rest of the movie never quite managed to. A welcome and necessary catharsis after the preceding spectacle.
If you don’t go into this expecting a light, fun romp, it’s likely to meet or exceed your expectations. That said, it may also have limited replay value due to its length and overall dark tone.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS420 Reference Series D-Ila Projector with 4K eShift4
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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