Babylon: The real meaning behind Damien Chazelle's title

The title of Damien Chazelle's new film, Babylon, has a deeper meaning that may have something to do with the ancient city's biblical significance.

Damien Chazelle's latest film, titled Babylon, highlights the film's deep meaning and perspective on the film industry. Featuring an all-star cast including Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Diego Calva, this 3-hour epic follows multiple artists in the decadent world of 1920s Hollywood. Try, and succeed in a time of upheaval in the industry. What's more, Babylon is one of the most anticipated films of the year following the success of Chazelle's other films, including Whiplash and La La Land.

The film's mixed messages about the nature of Hollywood - both producing immortal stars and tearing them apart - dovetail with Babylon's early divisive reactions. Audiences were genuinely divided on the film, and not just because of its lengthy run. Some viewers thought the movie was a mess—inconsistent and overly chaotic—while others felt the same aspects were deliberate and deliberate. Yet digging through the chaos, one can find possible answers hidden in the film's title and the symbolism it cites.

How Babylon Connects To The Bible

The city after which Babylon is named is the capital City of the Babylonian Empire in Mesopotamia. In the Bible's book of Genesis, the famous Tower of Babel was built there. From this place, God scattered people across the earth and confused their languages. Babylon is related to the Hebrew word Balal, which means to mix and mix. Over time, Babylon has become a symbol of an evil city that has fallen from God.

Although Babylon is not based on a true story, Hollywood and the ancient city's historical setting play a major role in creating the film's meaning. In the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse, Babylon became an unmistakable symbol of doom, and to many, Babylon may be considered the infamy of the Roman Empire. Yet despite all these things, the real city of Babylon had an immeasurable cultural impact on the ancient world. In short, both Babylon and Hollywood, at least in this metaphorical sense, are conceived of as places that evoke both the highest highs and the lowest lows—extreme excesses and inevitable doom.

Why Hollywood Is Damien Chazelle's Babylon

There is no doubt that Babylon is well aware that Hollywood is what people call Sin City. The film, in its Investigate the history of Hollywood in an attempt to create unparalleled energy and intensity. The story is filled, frankly, with debauchery, partying, and bohemianism in the urban film industry. Margot Robbie's character in Babylon has countless moments of drug use and debauchery.

What makes Babylon's message even more interesting, however, is its ongoing reverence for filmmaking amidst the chaos. At multiple points in the film, Brad Pitt's character passionately argues that film is "high art." All of the film's central characters seem eager to acknowledge that they are part of something larger than themselves, something important.

Babylon occurred during a period of major change in the film industry: the transition from silent films to films with sound, or "talkies". Many characters who try to climb the Hollywood ladder face ups and downs. Hollywood veterans are being replaced by newcomers, and the whole machine is running carefree. People remember the Tower of Babel - people were brought into the construction of a massive project before being driven out, lost and confused.

What Babylon's Title Says About The Movie Industry

The end of Babylon provides one of the greatest clues about Babylon The significance of the film in this regard. In this scene, Diego Calva's Manny, years after his exit from the film industry's apparent relentless chaos (boom and bust), heads off to a movie theater to doze off alone. He is woken up by dialogue claiming that the first sound film, The Jazz Singer, was the "problem" of things.

In an emotional moment, Manny reflects on his place in filmmaking - an industry that is constantly dying and being reborn. The scene features abstract colors and a montage of frantic rhythms from iconic films, all the way up to James Cameron's Avatar. In the end, Manny shed cathartic tears.

Nearly every major Damien Chazelle film is tied in some way to a broad discussion of art. In an interview, Chazelle noted why it was important to him that Babylon was both "ruthless and beautiful." From the point of view of this story, the film industry (and possibly even the control of capitalism more broadly) is bigger and grander than all of us, but still chews you up and spits you out, rather than A second thought that continues to influence the next generation of artists and audiences. The energy and coded symbolism of Babylon provides a chaotic, funny and thought-provoking take on the splendor and horror of the Hollywood world.