Babylon by Damien Chazelle
A frightened and angry snake spills its intestines on the mani of a poor worker… So it begins Babylon In elephant feces and California dust. Notice for cheer fans! From 1920s Hollywood, from Damien Chazelle’s Dream Factory (La La Land) first intends to show us what is behind the scenes and the darkness of destinies behind the glittering images.
His city of Babylon is more a “gateway to the gods” than a place of festivities and debauchery. After the hilarious introduction, the spectator is immersed in a bacchanalia given by a cinema tycoon in front of a drunken hedonistic crowd. To the sound of a jazz orchestra, the camera pans between the bodies. In the midst of the chaos Manny met Nellie Laroy. One of those girls who are attracted by the lights of the city, she is sure to one day take a place among the chosen ones. The third protagonist Babylon Jack Conrad, already shining in the seventh art heavens, boldly displaying his wispy mustache and slicked back hair, is a mix of Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks.
The rest of the plot is nothing new. Previously told by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly in Let’s sing in the rain It is the story of glory killing him, moving from silence to speech. But before the fall, the ascent. For Manny and Nellie, it’s all going to run through a day on the movie sets. Damien Chazelle doubles down on his ingenuity, working his camera from a western into a worthwhile movie
