5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, takes many creative risks, anti-gun

T. · March 19, 2007

I'll get the negative stuff out of the way up front: This movie has an underlying liberal agenda. The movie teaches you that GUNS ARE BAD, that people in Afghanistan are not terrorists, that USA politicians are unreliable wishy-washy attention grabbers, and that everyone involved in law enforcement is a bad guy prone to hyperactive violence inflicted on poor, innocent, unarmed poor people.Well, OK, maybe the USA politicians idea is universally accepted as true, but I wouldn't doubt it was being aimed at the current Administration, which is kind of annoying.With that out of the way, I would highly recommend that any mature, thinking, film-loving adult see Babel. It is an amazing work of creativity, especially in how it slowly reveals the interconnections that span the globe. At first it is difficult to see any connection between various story lines, and it is at first a bit jarring to have the action completely switch gears and players.However, that feeling of being wrenched from one situation to another begins to change to awe, as you start to sense the intelligence and craftiness that went into the construction of the characters, plot points, and editing.I must say that the storyline involving the Japanese girl was the most intriguing and eye-opening, and the actress playing the girl is perhaps one of the most brave I have seen. The scene in the disco near the end of her story thread was just amazing and emotionally engaging.On the topic of Brad Pitt, I thoroughly enjoy his performances -- always -- and I think he's one of the best actors working today. There are probably a lot of people who will disagree with me and say that he's just there for his looks, but ever since I saw him years ago in Legends of the Fall I have been impressed by his performances. That being said, I think he may not be the best actor for this role. I can't put a finger on it, but my gut says he's the one who is most mis-cast -- but ever so slightly.Overall, my strong recommendation to see this movie is only extended to those who are not distracted or put-off by mature subjects and nudity. You must be able to keep an open mind when you see events being portrayed in an anti-law enforcement perspective. Also, if you are unable to ignore the strong anti-gun undercurrent, then you probably won't enjoy it as much.Myself, when I watch a movie I tend to immerse myself in the story without weighing each point against my own belief system, so I can experience it the way the director intended, even though I may have strong disagreements with Hollywood writers and their social agendas. The only time I can remember finding myself unable to stay immersed in the story was in the movie, "Bridge to Terabithia," with the little 7-year-old kid saying the Bible said the other kid was "going straight to Hell", but fortunately there was nothing in Babel that was quite so outrageous that took me out of it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Some good ethnographic filmmaking along with a strong indictment of US xenophobia

F.F. · April 11, 2007

A more intelligent film than your average box office draw and more demanding of its audience.I was warned that the film was depressing, and its larger message is grim, but the way the film plunks us down in the daily life situations of two Third World and one First World, but very foreign, country, and the up-close-and-personal stay we make in each of those places, is rare in Hollywood movies.A previous reviewer dismisses the characters as "stupid people doing stupid things". What's engrossing about this film is that the characters who engage in such folly are so lovingly drawn and portrayed, reminding us that perfectly well-meaning folks can commit grave mistakes with broad repercussions due to their own lack of foresight and the irrational reactions of the larger world around them. This is a movie that makes you think AND feel. You can't help but cringe at the missteps that take the characters into disturbing places and experiences.Even more troubling is the fact that people do these sorts of things all the time. People do pack themselves into air-conditioned busses to drive through the countryside (and rejuvenate their marriages) with little or no understanding of the circumstances of life for the people they pass along the way. When they are forced to get down from the bus, it occurs to them to be scared of the locals, whom they might well imagine to be terrorists.As for the acting, while it was nice to see the box office draws of Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett, the lesser known actors were even more compelling. Gael Garcia Bernal and Adriana Barraza are terrific; Rinko Kikuchi, Koji Yakusho and Yuko Murata also put in very strong performances; and the choice to cast local unknowns in Morocco was a refreshing addition to the use of Hollywood stars.When the character of Cheiko, the angry Japanese teenage deaf-mute who seeks love through sexual advances, stands naked on the balcony of the penthouse apartment she shares with her dad, and looks out over the urban landscape of postindustrial Tokyo, the human predicament is poignantly presented. Other viewers read sexual innuendo into her father's embrace, but instead it seemed more of a father's belated and feeble attempt to comfort and protect the daughter who is fast growing beyond him into a woman.

Emotionales, bildgewaltiges Leinwanddrama...

R. · April 10, 2019

„Babel“ ist ein mitreissender Episoden-Film aus dem Jahr 2006 des mexikanischen Regisseurs Alejandro Gonzáles Inárritu.Dieses zweieinhalbstündige Drama um Sprach- und Verständnislosigkeit der Menschen untereinander ist sicher ein wenig anstrengend, aber wer durchhält, wird mit einem grossartigen Film belohnt.Der Amerikaner Richard (Brad Pitt) und seine Frau Susan (Cate Blanchet) sind auf einer Reise in der marokkanischen Wüste, um ihre kriselnde Ehe zu kitten, die zu scheitern droht.Dort in den Bergen der marokkanischen Wüste hüten die Hirtenjungen Yusuf und Ahmad die Ziegenherde ihres Vaters. Um die Schakale zu vertreiben, hat er seinen Jungen das neu erstandene Jagdgewehr mitgegeben. In kindlicher Naivität schiessen die Jungen auf den weit entfernten Reisebus, treffen zufällig Susan und verletzen sie schwer. Richard steht plötzlich mitten in der Wüste alleine da und versucht, verzweifelt um das Leben seiner Frau kämpfend, Hilfe zu organisieren, was aufgrund der sprachlichen Barrieren gar nicht so einfach ist.Zu Hause in Kalifornien entschließt sich ihr Kindermädchen Amelia (Adriana Barraza) die beiden Kinder unerlaubt mit zur Hochzeit ihres Sohnes in Mexiko mitzunehmen. Auf der Rückkehr über die Grenze gerät Amelias Neffe Santiago (Gael García Bernal) mit einem US-Zollbeamten in Streit und lässt seine Tante und die beiden Kinder schließlich in der Wüste zurück.Unterdessen kämpft in Tokio die junge taubstumme Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) um Liebe und Anerkennung. Ihr Vater, der ursprüngliche Besitzer des Jagdgewehrs, ist nach dem Tod seiner Frau selbst verzweifelt und kommt nicht mehr an seine Tochter heran Chieko ist durch den Selbstmord der Mutter und die eigene Behinderung verunsichert, gibt sich dem Drogenkonsum und oberflächlichen sexuellen Kontakten hin um in der Gruppe der Gleichaltrigen anerkannt zu sein...Diese vier Episoden, von denen drei locker miteinander verwoben sind (die vierte nur symbolisch), beschäftigen sich jede auf ihre Weise mit dem Thema Kommunikation, hauptsächlich in tragischen Situationen. In jeder Episode sind 2 Sprachen vertreten, arabisch und englisch in der Wüste, spanisch und englisch in Mexiko und japanisch und die Gebärdensprache in Tokio...ein wirklich geschickter Vergleich mit dem Turmbau von Babel.Besonders berührt hat mich die Geschichte der Chieko. Die Szene in der Diskothek ist die stärkste im ganzen Film. Man kann erleben, nachempfinden und plötzlich sogar spüren, dass ein taubstummer Teenager einen Song von „Earth, Wind and Fire“ völlig anders wahrnimmt als man selbst.Wenn die Erde bebt, die Lichtblitze verrückt spielen. Die Musik ertönt, du die Augen schließt. Schwitzt, springst, lachst. Lebst...Der Film hat sehr viele ergreifenden Szenen. z.B...Wenn ein Junge seine Waffe vernichtet, sich seiner Verantwortung stellt. Oder einfach eine Hand eine andere ergreift. Wenn Grenzkontrollen zur latenten Demütigung werden. Oder wenn ein Veterinär notdürftig der blutüberströmten Susan, die mit schmerzverzerrtem Gesicht auf dem Boden der Lehmhütte liegt, ihre Wunde näht, während ihr verzweifelter Ehemann versucht, die ungeduldigen Mitreisenden zum Warten zu bewegen. In einem lokalen Kaff , der zum Zufluchtsort mutiert. Kultur-geschockte Touristen, die in ihrem Bus verharren, mit großen angsterfüllten Augen, denn die Nachrichten haben ja schon so viel schlimmes berichtet und sie können bei diesen hilfsbereiten Arabern nur noch potentielle Terroristen erkennen.Trotz vieler langsamer Momente wird die Geschichte nie zu langatmig oder langweilig. Und die Musik unterstützt die erschreckende Authentizität. Man ist stets mitten im Spielgeschehen...gespannt, wie es nun weitergehen wird.„Babel“ ist mit Sicherheit kein entspannender Unterhaltungsfilm, vielmehr ein mit glänzenden Schauspielern besetzter, intensiver und auch politischer Film der aber, trotz seiner schweren, bitteren Thematik alles andere als blutleer, sondern sehr emotional ist....Sehr, sehr sehenswert.

Dvd non traduit en français

C.d. · August 10, 2024

Suite à une erreur de ma part le film est bien traduit en français très bonne qualitée d'image et le son est parfait et aussi pas cher à l'achat je conseille fortement de prendre des dvd les yeux fermés à ce vendeur je met la note de 5 .Babel est un vraix chef d'oeuvre un bon moment assuré

Babel

R. · November 15, 2016

Sono già in possesso di 21 Grammi e Amores Perros, conosco molto bene il cinema di Inarritu, regista molto tragico che ci mostra il disagio esistenziale e i problemi sociali che caratterizzano i popoli di tutto il mondo. Anche qui abbiamo tre storie che si svolgono in luoghi ben lontani fra loro (Giappone, Marocco, Stati Uniti e Messico) che all'apparenza non hanno alcun nesso fra di loro ma che ben presto ci faranno capire come tutto sia collegato da sei gradi di separazione. Tutto nasce da un cacciatore giapponese che durante una battuta di caccia in Marocco, soddisfatto della sua guida, gli regala il suo fucile. E da qui gli eventi precipiteranno. La leggerezza, l'ingenuità e la superficialità possono portare a serie e drammatiche conseguenze per chi vi è coinvolto. Film molto intenso e duro, ma molto coinvolgente con un ottimo cast di attori. Qualità del BD veramente molto buona sia per le immagini, sia per il sonoro con un ottimo DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. Ottimo servizio Bolo.

if you want to be moved...watch this film

M.R.N. · August 20, 2007

Alejandro Gonzalez Innarritu is a director who must be obsessed with the number three. In his directorial debut he gave us the triple plot strand of Amores Perros, showing the fallout surrounding a particularly brutal car crash, and followed it up with 21 Grams, the triple plot strand that shows the effect of death on three people. Now, with Babel, it is almost as if he has completed his trilogy focussing on three, being another triple plot line involving the events that lead up to and follow a tragic accident.Concerning itself with the accidental shooting of American tourist Susan (Cate Blanchett) in Morocco, Innarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga have given us yet another movie that deals with human relationships by demonstrating that even the most unlikely event can link people. Susan and husband Richard (Brad Pitt) are suffering marital difficulties and have come to Morocco to re-connect, but seem to be doing anything but, so it is only when Susan is shot that they both realise what they have. Meanwhile, their children remain blissfully unaware what has happened to their mother and are being looked after by their Mexican nanny Amelia (a great performance by Adrianna Barraza). Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond everyones control, Amelia is not going to be able to attend her own sons wedding in Mexico, so in a decision that you know is going to come back to haunt her, she takes the kids with her, a decision that will have dire consequences for all involved. And in Japan, the daughter of the man who originally owned the rifle used in the shooting Chieko (a deeply deeply affecting turn by Rinko Kikuchi) is coming to terms with her mothers death, her estrangement from her father and her own deafness. The single shot that links all these individuals is the focus of this deep and ultimately very moving film.This is a film that looks deep into the heart of the human condition and ultimately decides that no matter what we might think, we are all flawed in some way. Dealing with cultural divides, whether they be wealth (contrast the tourists with the Moroccans), ideological (again, the tourists undisguised fear when they wind up in a strange village as Pitt desperately tries to find some help for his badly injured wife), social (Chieko's anger when a boy she likes doesn't want to talk to her after he realises she is deaf, eliciting the line "they think we are some kind of monsters" to her friend) or racial (the American border guards treatment of Amelia), the film is a plea for tolerance and understanding, with some moments of genuine warmth (in particular the role played by Anwar (Mohammed Akhzan), a tour guide on the bus that Richard and Susan are on and the only person who really helps him, wanting nothing in return). The acting is uniformly excellent, with Pitt and Blanchett managing to elicit some very tender scenes from the most awful conditions, and Gael Garcia Bernal as Santiago, Amelia's nephew is his usual excellent self. But if the acting plaudits must go to anyone, it should be Rinko Kikuchi as Chieko, a girl who is so desperately unhappy that she can no longer deal with the world around her.The triple plot line is deftly handled (wouldn't expect anything less), and whilst the narrative jumps back and forth in time, thereby demanding a commitment from the viewer, it is not hard to follow and is a rewarding experience because of the attention you are forced to give to the film. Coupled with some of the most beautifull cinematography I have ever seen (the night shots of the Chieko's home city, the breathtakingly beautiful shot of a helicopter coming in to land) and some genuine insights into what makes us human (the final scene between Richard and Anwar is moving because no words are spoken or needed), this is not a film that will leave you with a "happy" ending, but it will leave you with the feeling that the characters have reached an understanding, both with each other and with themselves.

An old favourite in high-def

R. · June 14, 2014

I've always loved this film, and in high-def it works just as well, with the extra edge that extra clarity can bring. The film itself, with its multiple and non-chronological timelines that are all interlinked, is exemplary storytelling, and the overarching premise of humanity's confusion in the face of so many languages and cultures is likewise well portrayed. The story begins with a gift from a wealthy man to a poor man on another continent that in turn cuts into the lives of people from a third place that then has ramifications (deportation) for a person from a fourth culture.The apparently "random" sequencing is anything but, and the storytelling succeeds because in your efforts to sequence the events "correctly" and figure out cause and effect, you are building the narrative for yourself and in doing so, you get the insights that the director was after all along. Eminently re-watchable on so many levels, this film succeeds across the board, getting into the cultures it touches (not just national, but child/teen culture and rich & poor alike) in a meaningful way and making the characters all gloriously vulnerable and real. Even the couple holidaying to rebuild their relationship in the aftermath of a child's death - screened by their Western ideas of appearances, conceits, and vanities, become vulnerable and human (again) with oddly tender moments and a sense of the rebuilding that adversity can bring.What got to me most was that all the protagonists are in some way good, even if they do things that are wrong (or illegal) - I could see why they arranged their lives in the way they did and the necessities they were driven by and the compulsions they were responding to. I've always felt a tie to films such as this (and The Mission) where terrible things happen but the conscience (even of the darker characters) is a common thread. I keep mentioning "human" because this is to me an intensely human film, and it is a story I'm glad I was told. Always liked it, always will.I also liked the political aspect of the ending, where "the media" and "the politicians" get involved to twist (and in some cases delay) the events that have unfolded to suit their own ends - wonderfully underplayed and thus not moralising or preaching - which sets the seal on why we sometimes find the world so hard to understand.The Blu-Ray version is generally good, although in some interiors later in the film there is a graininess that caught me by surprise after the clarity thus far. The overall greatness of the storytelling overrides technical concerns so far as I'm concerned - and it may even be that the treatment of these interiors was intentional, since by this time the film is re-entring the so-called "real world" that seems by all accounts to look at the world through a distorted and compromised lens. Inarritu's lens is thankfully clear.