Babel [Blu-ray]

Probably the best movie that Brad Pitt has ever acted in, though all of the acting is superb. Some of the work of the young child actors in this movie is astonishing. This extremely serious, but completely engrossing film draws you, by its ever-more-fateful twists and turns into the lives of three completely disparate families, who, though separated by enormous cultural differences and vast geographic distances, are yet linked by a single ghastly tragedy, and by their own familial conflicts. An amazing piece of cinematic art that owes much of its greatness to the vision of its director, Alejandro Gonzales Innarritu. Very definitely a "must see."

I've seen Babel three times now, and I am always entertained. The central theme is the accidental shooting of an American tourist. Brad Pitt,and Kate Blanchett are very moving as a couple trying to find their way after the loss of a child to SIDS. While Pitt, and Blanchett are arguably the biggest stars in this production - they do not have the majority of screen-time. The movie is split into four stories really - the American tourists, the young Moroccan family that owns the rifle used in the shooting, the American couples children being watched by their Mexican care-giver, and finally a deaf Japanese teen grieving her mothers death. The various perspectives are woven together around the hunting rifle, and how it came to be in the hands of the young Moroccan boy. This movie reminds me a lot of Crash - the way the story is told from different perspectives. If you enjoyed crash you will like Babel. There are many morals here, and different viewers will likely draw different morals. Having traveled a great deal I am always struck by how Americans simply don't believe they are susceptible to accidents when traveling to remote locations. That is not the biggest message of this film, but like I said each viewer will find a moral they can sink their teeth into. Beautiful scenery, and excellent acting. I take away one star because I am not a fan of the hand-held camera technique.

Babel is a wonderful film. The impetus for all the action is the gift of a high-powered rifle owned by a Japanese hunter to a poor Moroccan man. This affects the lives of his poor family, an American couple vacationing in Morocco, the deaf-mute daughter of the hunter in Tokyo, and the children of the Americans being cared for by their Mexican nanny. Told as a non-linear narrative, this film probably confused many. Babel is the greatest cinematic creation of Alejandro González Iñárritu before his triumph with Birdman (winner of the Oscar for Best Picture). Babel is a triumph of filmmaking! (And as in the Tower of Babel, the film at a deeper level, the film concerns the barriers of language.)

Babel is about a series of interconnected stories that occur across the globe. There are some Arab kids who are sheep farmers in Morocco, an American couple vacationing in that country, their kids who are in California that get taken to Mexico by their nanny, and then a deaf girl in Tokyo. The movie constantly shifts back and forth between the different characters. It turns out to be a tragedy as one bad thing after another befalls the cast.The first thing that hits you about Babel is how ambitious it is. A man gave a riffle to a farmer whose kids shot a woman involving people from three countries. Of course it also takes a while to understand what exactly the movie is trying to do. The writing alone makes this a very good film although it’s definitely not for everyone. Some will get lost at the start and not be able to keep their interest as a result. People should stick with it because it really makes an intricate painting of how people’s lives can be touched across the globe.C

The most disturbing movie I ever loved. Truly about bad, very bad, and terrible things happening to good people, for no particular reason. They are not evil people, they don't deserve what happened. Well some made some VERY BAD choices, but who knew it would turn out like that, I mean really! Truly the "rarefied high art" of movie making - the interconnection of story lines, the sequencing of material - OUTSTANDING. There is a sense of redemption (or something) at the end, but I think maybe I projected that, because I needed it to not be so heavy. Great movie. Definitely not for everyone.

This has to be one of the worst movies I've ever forced myself to endure. It dragged along so badly I almost wore out the 'skip ahead 10 sec' button. I think with better editing it could have been a snug 45 min film instead of the plodding 2 1/2 hrs. The child nudity was totally unnecessary. They could have left out the Japanese plot altogether and it would have been a much better story. I'm glad it was a freebie thru Amazon Prime. Watch World War Z if you want to see a great Brad Pitt movie. I think he did this one just to pay the bills.

Babel is a story of the consequences of people's decisions and life's events. If you're looking for an easy watch, this is more riveting and at times disturbing. But there are lessons and redeeming qualities at the end of this realistic story. Good acting, some excellent cinematography, and a musical score that is both ethnically appropriate and minimalistic when it is called for. Not sure why the Amazon rating was lower. I disagree wholeheartedly and was glad I took the time to view Babel.

totally disgusting. I kept waiting for a plot - something to make it worth watching. There were some exciting scenes but the whole Japanese part was pointless and disgusting. Not worth the 3.99 I paid or the time spent. the stupid boys with the rifle; the little boy masturbating and peeping at his - sisster? Come on people - how about a rating here.

かなり評価が割れる作品で、確かに難解で単なる思わせ振りな自己満足映画とのコメントも理解できる。でも私は早送り一切無しで全ての台詞と演技をまじまじと鑑賞し、この作品の凄さに引き込まれた口だ。映画とは所詮は主観でしか語れないと判る典型例なので、このレビューが皆さんの視聴判断に役立つと嬉しい。2003年に命の重さを問うた「２１グラム」を撮ったメキシコ人のアレハンドロ・ゴンサレス・イニャリトゥ監督と盟友ギレルモ・アリアガの脚本が本作で描きたかったテーマとは、旧約聖書の「ＢＡＢＥＬ」の罰によって課せられたとされる人類の分断だ。それは言語や会話の溝から始まり、国境や民族、経済や文化の断裂として現在に至っている。本作は実に硬派な社会的問題作なのに、ヒューマン・ドラマと紹介するから観客の期待を裏切るのだ。むしろアフリカの民族弾圧や南米の貧困スラムを描いたセミ・ドキュメンタリー映画に近いのだ。舞台は三ヶ所。先ず、モロッコ旅行中に謎の弾丸に襲われるブラピとケイト・ブランシェットの米国人夫妻、そして狙撃被疑者として追われる部落家族と救助を待つ夫婦を献身的に見守るモロッコの人々。次に留守中のブラピ夫妻に代わって二人の子供達を預かる不法就労者のメキシコ人家政婦とその甥。最後に世界から最も裕福で安全な国と思われている先進国の日本で暮らす役所広司と聾唖の娘、女子高生の菊地凛子の親子。この一見すると脈絡のない登場人物達のストーリーに一貫するのが言語の壁と結果としての格差だ。娯楽も子供の遊び場もない砂漠の貧困の中で慎ましく暮らす家族に起こる不幸と、真逆にある日本での言語・感情の遮断に孤立する聾唖少女の親子に共通するのが、「文明は必ずしも人に幸福をもたらさない」だ。あらゆる便利な武器や道具、コミュニケーション手段の発展も、使い方次第で人を不幸にする。人類にとって魅力的な技術の利便性を否定するなぞ詭弁に過ぎないかも知れないが、夢の２１世紀でもあらゆる格差が縮まらない現実がそれを証明している。ブラピ夫妻の事件は瞬く間に世界を駆け巡るのに、本人達は欧米観光客の合理的価値観に早々に見捨てられ、なかなか救助されない。それでも政府レベルで動いてくれる米国人観光客とそれを見つめるモロッコ村落民からの複雑な視線はかなり象徴的だ。富と貧困がフェンスで区切られた米国とメキシコ国境を挟んで描かれる不法就労者の現実もかなり重い。彼等は奴隷ではないが、不法性を承知で安価に彼らを雇用して自分達は海外旅行に行くブラピ夫妻は実は米国人の傲慢さを象徴する。また、事件に遭遇する夫妻を人道面と政治面から報じる欧米メディアや彼らの子供達の命を最優先にする米国国境警備に対して、事件の陰で簡単に命を落とすモロッコの子供やメキシコ人家政婦の人生の軽さに、ニュースバリューに表れる先進国の歪んだ興味や価値観による落差を感じさせる。これこそがメキシコ人製作サイドから見た不満と虚しさの世界観なのだ。家族愛を大事に、成功に向けて努力する人を称賛する映画は王道に違いないが、冷徹で残酷な人の世の現実を見つめる社会性作品もやはり必要だ。商業的成功は難しいが世界には必要な此れらの作品の為に各国映画賞があると言う事すら認めなくなったら、日本人は孤立と享楽に溺れて衰退するだろう。米国に見出だされ、日本を尊敬するメキシコ人監督によるブラピと役所広司や菊地凛子への演出は、世界の子供達に影響力を発揮できる先進国なのに内向きな米国人と日本人への警告と懇願に思えてならない。ドキュメンタリー調のカメラワークと各国の豊かな景観表現を駆使した本作は、なかなか深淵なテーマを懐に忍ばせた鋭利な怪作です。

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.

One of my favourite films. It contains four intertwined stories. A strong cast ensures excellent acting. I bought this for my teenage grandchildren and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

„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.

Very enjoyable film, all intertwining stories, all very 'Shimon Peres' , plenty of plot connections you won't see coming, great fun.