Much of the new movie “Babylon” takes place during the bumpy transition from silent movies to talkies in late 1920s Hollywood, paying particular attention to how it affects the fortunes of veteran silent movie star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) and driven up-and-coming starlet Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie). It’s a familiar dynamic, explored in movies like “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) and “The Artist” (2011), among others, and at first it seems like what writer-director Damien Chazelle brings to the table for this retelling is sheer muchness: This is a more decadent, vulgar, drug-fueled version of Hollywood, with a lot of influences from the past 25 years of on-screen debauchery and hopped-up style.
‘Babylon’ Rebuts the Idea That Movie Stars No Longer Exist in a Surprising Way (Commentary)
Damian Chazelle’s star-packed epic, in a roundabout way, addresses our complicated relationship to movie stars
