Babylon: The Transition Between Movies and Legends
Babylon (2022) directed by Damien Chazelle is not simply about the shift from silent movies to ‘Talkies’ in Hollywood. The film, rather, is an ambitious, chaotic and self-destructive dream. It features wide ranging stories and intoxicating energy, which illustrates remarkable characters, including in fictionalized form some real people from the Golden Age of Hollywood. One of them is of immense importance: the figure of Nellie LaRoy, whom Margot Robbie plays with an outstanding, explosive talent, and Jack Conrad, which is performed by Brad Pitt. The characters are not only dramatic, also, they are living reflections of real people, archetypes of culture and personal struggles of the stars themselves. Nellie LaRoy: Hollywood Ashes and Fire Margot Robbie’s Nellie LaRoy character is one of the most recognizable dreamers in Hollywood history as a consequence of reckless ambition and fiery magnetism. LaRoy is in some part inspired by 1920’s It Girl, Clara Bow, which goes to show the immense courage of women during that time, forces themselves into the world of Hollywood and leaving stardust where ever they went.
The inspirational failure of Nellie is captivating. Nellie’s, in particular, is a case of sheer determination at work. Her defiance of the odds is evidence of her staggering charisma. The very charm that drives her to the top ultimately turns on her. Her confidence, borderling on hubris, was not suited for the industry’s evolving ‘refined’ chaotic. The emotional and the professional scars left on her after the ‘addiction, scandal, and societal rejection’ phase were ruthless.
In true life, Margot Robbie was fascinated by the blank and glam surface of Nellie. They were born of the same world, and Robbie has worn her share of scars in the world dominated by men. The ‘critically acclaimed’ is far more pejorative to a woman. There’s a twinge of melancholy in her success, as it fashioned her as Nellie — a woman of relentless ambition in a world ready to drag her through very unforgiving systems.
The frame of ‘Nellie’ is also the shadow of Clara Bow. Robbie is said to have trained for the role using Bow’s old, silent films on repeat as well as recordings of her voice. The old-style film gesture ‘talking’ during the silent period was ‘to the audience’. Self-contained during shoots packed an enormous emotionally charged reward. She defied boundaries set by her enthralled audience. Filming required her to act out a well-documented fight sequence with a prop snake, or ‘the snake fight’ as it has come to be known. Blurred boundaries of a character and the performer left both in an equally enthralling state of shock. It was not an act being performed, rather, Nellie was birthed out of Robbie.
Jack Conrad: The king who outlived his throne
In contrast to Nellie, who is more of a ‘firebrand’, Jack Conrad is the devastating Hollywood star whose kingdom is collapsing. Brad Pitt’s Jack is a cross between Jack Conrad and John Gilbert, the silent film ‘Romeo’ whose career went down the drain as soon as the ‘talkies’ came around. He epitomizes the terrible rash of the downfall of the stars. The downfall of these stars is especially prominent to the ones who, at one point, were on the peak of their career.
The downfall is even more of a tragedy due to the fact that Jack’s character has to experience the greatest shift. Initially, Jack starts as a character who has everything. He transitions effortless, and with poise, from lover to lover at different parties. The narrative convinces us that he is indeed a man fully aware that he is indeed a man who is adored. But as soon as the ‘talkies’ arrive, everything he has worked for starts to fall apart. During the silent film era, characters were able to ‘talk’, but were silent themselves. The fall from the peak of one’s career is inevitable, and commencing the terrifying downfall without any dignity is the most frightening part.
Nellie LaRoy: A Shooting Star Made of Fire
Pitt’s personal life, we would argue, adds a haunting resonance. A global superstar in his own right, Pitt has, over the decades, endured scrutiny from… the peak of his career, all the way to tabloid controversies, and the merciless reality of aging in an industry that worships youth. Playing Jack gave Pitt an opportunity to live these experiences and internalize them in a way that his performance feels almost autobiographical. The weary smile, the flickers of self awareness, the slow acceptance of fading relevance… those are not only Jack’s emotions: those are also Pitt’s.
People say that, as in the case of Gilbert and Jack’s biographer Douglas Fairbanks, Pitt immersed himself in the studying of the epoch of the undreamed films. He practiced the fence of the mastered physical skills of the silent actors, and the other Jack’s subtle skills of the lowered elegance. Members of the crew pointed out that a lot of the time closed in between takes and saved his energy to allow Jack the sad one his full, unhindered expression once the camera was actually on him.
The Echo of History and Culture
What makes Babylon work are it’s characters, and particularly Nellie, are not simply characters, but rather cultural symbols. Nellie, for instance, symbolizes the flappers, the women of the 1920s who broke social standards and norms by drinking, smoking, and dancing. Jack, on the other hand, symbolizes the sad, and unfortunate demise of the kings of Hollywood, a reminder that fame, no matter how bright, will always be fleeting.
It was evident to many that Nellie’s chaotic energy foreshadowed the explosion of the internet’s ephemeral celebrities: whom ascend to the highest of heights almost instantaneously, only to vanish in the same quantifiable timeframe. It was also evident that Jack’s decline emulated the wilting stardom of the untouchable greats in the TikTok and streaming age.
Both, “hypnotic highs,” and the “sleeper moments” sent waves through the audience in insatiable hunger. Buzz was created around Jack as much as buzz was created around Nellie. Jack’s character also left the audience baffled in periods of silence as they tried to piece the story together. Being invisible to the rest of the world was the default Jack. Applause arose for Nellie’s mania as much as reverence was achieved for Jack’s despair. It was the balance of love and grief that the people felt in real life.
Mythical Backstage Narratives
The chaos of making Babylon was no less than the film itself Robbie Robbie is said to be an orderly person she went off-script during multiple scenes including the snake fight which left the crew aghast but also appreciative of her level of dedication. Robbie was ‘living’ ‘Nellie’ ‘more’ than ‘playing’ ‘her’ as stated by director Damien Chazelle.
Brad Pitt on the other hand was said to keep to himself during breaks from filming. His ‘trump card’ was ‘reflective’, as other cast members stated, and often watched old silent movies on the sets. Robbie’s on screen commotion was balanced by his indirect silence which off which, to all accounts, was the ‘perfect’ shift to the ‘Nellie’ and ‘Moe’ dilemmas in the ‘real’ world.
One of the anecdotes which fans adored the most was during the ‘controlled mayhem’ of a party scene. Robbie was able to persuade the extras to keep dancing even after ‘cut’ was said in order to maintain the energy during the ‘chaotic’ moment. That portion of the film, showing how Robbie’s enthusiasm was able to go beyond the lines of the script, was captured in the final edit.
The critics may have been polarized but the audience was clearly spellbound. The audience was captivated by Robbie’s portrayal of Nell, which many called “career-defining.” Pitt, in contrast to his co-star, is praised for the subtle vulnerability he brought to the fading superstar for which he received quieter admiration.
Which arc was more impactful, Nellie’s fiery crash or Jack’s melancholy fade? That was a question that many grappled with after watching the film. What was clear to all was that these characters felt real. They evoked the past, and at the same time represented the culture. They served as history, and at the same time as powerful performers.
Conclusion: When Fiction Reflects Flesh and Blood
Babylon isn’t solely about the Golden Age of Hollywood. It also embodies the human costs behind ambition, fame, and all that comes with change. Nellie LaRoy and Jack Conrad are the epitome of this. They are the heart and center of the film. They are icon cast characters that are accompanied with the immense real history and culture contributed with the personal battles presented by Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt.
They are also intertwining tales of timeless legends. Their stories show that there is always a dazzling rise that comes with shadows, and falls that are filled with echoes of immortality. Robbie’s combusting passion, and Pitt’s somber acceptance is what Babylon utilized to give the viewers characters that surpass the disorder, as the characters in reality, have the behavior of chaos.
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