# Babylon

> 2022 film directed by Damien Chazelle

**Wikidata**: [Q107119206](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107119206)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_(2022_film))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/babylon

## Summary
Babylon is a 2022 American epic period comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. The film explores the rise and fall of multiple characters during Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies in the late 1920s.

## Key Facts
- Directed by Damien Chazelle, who also wrote the screenplay
- Released on December 23, 2022, in the United States
- Produced by Paramount Pictures
- Runtime of 189 minutes (3 hours, 9 minutes)
- Budget of $80 million
- Box office gross of $28.55 million worldwide
- Rated 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and 61/100 on Metacritic
- Stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo, and Jean Smart
- Genre classified as drama film, period drama film, and historical drama
- Country of origin: United States
- Production companies: Paramount Pictures and Marc Platt Productions

## FAQs
**What is the plot of Babylon?**
Babylon follows multiple characters during Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies in the late 1920s, depicting their ambition, excess, and eventual downfall in the entertainment industry.

**Who are the main cast members?**
The film stars Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy, Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad, Diego Calva as Manny Torres, Jovan Adepo as Sidney Palmer, and Jean Smart as Elinor St. John.

**What was the film's budget and box office performance?**
Babylon had a production budget of $80 million but grossed only $28.55 million worldwide, making it a box office disappointment relative to its budget.

**What critical reception did the film receive?**
The film received mixed reviews, with a 56% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 61 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

**What historical period does the film depict?**
The film is set during Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies in the late 1920s, specifically around 1926-1932.

## Why It Matters
Babylon matters as a cinematic exploration of Hollywood's golden age and the industry's transformative period from silent to sound films. The film serves as both a celebration and critique of Hollywood's excesses, ambition, and the human cost of fame. Directed by Damien Chazelle, known for his work on La La Land and Whiplash, Babylon represents a significant artistic statement about the entertainment industry's history and its cyclical nature of creation and destruction. The film's ambitious scope, star-studded cast, and lavish production design make it a notable entry in the canon of Hollywood-centric films that examine the industry's mythology and reality.

## Notable For
- Damien Chazelle's most expensive and ambitious film to date
- Lavish production design recreating 1920s Hollywood
- Exploration of Hollywood's transition from silent to sound films
- Star-studded ensemble cast including Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie
- Three-hour runtime allowing for epic storytelling scope
- Mixed critical reception highlighting its divisive artistic vision
- Box office underperformance despite high-profile talent
- Period-accurate depiction of early Hollywood's excesses and moral ambiguity
- Original screenplay rather than adaptation
- Examination of themes including ambition, fame, and the price of success

## Body
### Production and Development
Babylon was written and directed by Damien Chazelle, marking his fourth feature film following Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), and First Man (2018). The project was developed by Paramount Pictures, with production beginning in 2019. The film was produced by Marc Platt, Matthew Plouffe, and Olivia Hamilton, with Chazelle serving as producer as well.

### Cast and Characters
The film features an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy, an ambitious actress navigating Hollywood's transition to sound, and Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad, a popular silent film star struggling with the industry's evolution. Diego Calva plays Manny Torres, a Mexican immigrant working his way up in Hollywood. The supporting cast includes Jovan Adepo as Sidney Palmer, a jazz trumpet player, and Jean Smart as Elinor St. John, a gossip columnist.

### Historical Context and Setting
Set between 1926 and 1932, Babylon depicts Hollywood during one of its most transformative periods—the transition from silent films to "talkies." This era saw the industry's rapid technological evolution, the rise of new stars, the fall of established ones, and the changing nature of filmmaking itself. The film captures both the glamour and the dark underbelly of early Hollywood, including its excesses, racism, and the ruthless nature of the entertainment business.

### Technical Specifications
The film has a runtime of 189 minutes (3 hours and 9 minutes), making it one of the longer mainstream releases of 2022. It was shot on 35mm film, consistent with Chazelle's preference for traditional filmmaking techniques. The production budget was $80 million, reflecting its period setting, large cast, and elaborate production design.

### Critical Reception
Upon release, Babylon received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 56% approval rating based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of 6.1/10. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 57 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." The film's reception was characterized by praise for its ambition, performances, and technical achievements, while some critics found its length and tonal shifts challenging.

### Box Office Performance
Despite its high-profile director, star-studded cast, and substantial budget, Babylon underperformed at the box office. The film grossed approximately $28.55 million worldwide against its $80 million production budget, making it a commercial disappointment. This performance was particularly notable given the film's release during awards season and its positioning as a prestige picture.

### Distribution and Release
Babylon had its world premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on November 14, 2022. It received a limited theatrical release on December 23, 2022, followed by a wide release on December 25, 2022, in the United States. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, which had been developing the project with Chazelle for several years.

### Genre Classification
The film is classified across multiple genre categories in film databases and catalogs. It is primarily categorized as a drama film, but also falls under the subgenres of period drama film and historical drama. These classifications reflect its setting in a specific historical period and its focus on dramatic storytelling rather than action or comedy, despite containing comedic elements.

### Production Companies
Babylon was produced by two main companies: Paramount Pictures, the American film studio and subsidiary of Paramount Global, and Marc Platt Productions, the production company founded by producer Marc Platt. Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912, has a long history in Hollywood and was an appropriate partner for a film about the industry's early days.

### Cultural Impact and Legacy
While Babylon's box office performance was modest, the film has contributed to ongoing discussions about Hollywood's history, the nature of fame, and the entertainment industry's cyclical patterns of creation and destruction. Its ambitious scope and willingness to examine both the glamour and the darkness of early Hollywood have positioned it as a significant, if controversial, entry in the canon of films about the film industry itself.

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