'Babylon' director Damien Chazelle says he shot a 2-hour version of the film on his iPhone.
Paramount Pictures' Babylon, the epic period film about the early days of Hollywood from director Damien Chazelle, is no small feat, with the project's final runtime clocking in at 189 minutes - more than three hours long. However, it was recently revealed that Chazelle actually has a much shorter cut of the film - that he shot on his iPhone.
During a pre-release press conference attended by Entertainment Weekly, Chazelle told the audience that he had fully shot and rehearsed a two-hour version of Babylon prior to the start of filming in July 2021. "It's a very tight, two-hour version of the entire movie, [filmed] on an iPhone in our backyard," Chazelle told the audience.
However, while Chazelle's two-hour cut may be a slimmed-down version of the film, the theatrical release of Babylon is anything but, and weaves an intricate tale of the behind-the-scenes stories as Tinseltown transitioned from silent films to talkies. Beyond Hamilton and Calva, the film co-stars Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, with Robbie playing young, aspiring Hollywood actress Nellie LaRoy and Pitt taking the role of grizzled veteran movie star Jack Conrad.
The box office woes for Babylon came despite the film garnering semi-decent reviews from critics. Collider's Ross Bonaime said in his review, "Babylon is often pure mayhem, but it’s the beauty of life and film itself underneath that makes this one of the best movies about movies this year, and one of the best films of 2022." However, other reactions felt differently, with critic Scott Menzel calling Babylon an "ambitious mess of a film.
Babylon is now playing in theaters. Collider's interview with Damien Chazelle can be read here, and the trailer for the film can be seen below:
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Damien Chazelle shot a two-hour version of Babylon on his phoneDamien Chazelle pushed himself to cut down the three-plus-hour Babylon to just two hours as a rehearsal tactic
Read more »
Babylon Featurette Highlights Epic Dramedy's Big Ensemble CastParamount Pictures has dropped a brand new Babylon featurette for Damien Chazelle's all-star period dramedy.
Read more »
Babylon Director Shot a Two-Hour Version, With a CatchWith most highly anticipated films, audiences wonder if there are extended director's cuts with [...]
Read more »
Pima County Health Director Cullen named next Arizona Department of Health Services DirectorDr. Theresa Cullen joined Pima County as its Public Health Director in June 2020. She'll soon conclude a tenure, largely spent providing guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and move on to public service at the state level.
Read more »
'Babylon' and the Death of the Party GirlEveryone loves a party girl — until they don't.
Read more »