Babel (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Writers (WGA):

Guillermo Arriaga (written by)
Guillermo Arriaga (idea) ...

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

If You Want to be Understood...Listen

Plot:

Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.

Plot Keywords:

Rifle | Morocco | Mexico | Wedding | American

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 27 wins & 75 nominations

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Richard Jones
Cate Blanchett	...	Susan Jones
Mohamed Akhzam	...	Anwar
Peter Wight	...	Tom
Harriet Walter	...	Lilly
Trevor Martin	...	Douglas
Matyelok Gibbs	...	Elyse
Georges Bousquet	...	Robert
Claudine Acs	...	Jane
André Oumansky	...	Walter
Michael Maloney	...	James
Dermot Crowley	...	Barth
Wendy Nottingham	...	Tourist #1
Henry Maratray	...	Tourist #2
Linda Broughton	...	Tourist #3

Also Known As:

Babel (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

France | USA | Mexico

Language:

English | Arabic | Spanish | Japanese | Japanese Sign Language | Berber | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R (certificate #42677) | Sweden:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Norway:15 | Denmark:15 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18 | Iran:18+ | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:16 | South Africa:16 (LN) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:18 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL | France:U | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Czech Republic:15 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Azabu-Juban, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The color red is prominently seen in all four segments of the film. For example, Yussef, the Moroccan boy who accidentally shoots Susan, wears a red jacket that says "Morocco" on the back, while Amelia wears an elaborate red dress, causing her to stand out; Chieko frequently uses a red pen to write notes to people who can't understand sign language, and the seats on Richard and Susan's bus are red.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Mexican lady is lost in the desert with the kids, she decides to stop under a tree so the kids can rest. At this moment, one can clearly see that the women is barefoot. Once she talks to the boy and starts walking away (leaving the kids behind) one can see that she is wearing shoes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hassan: It's almost new. Three hundred cartridges. The guy who gave it to me said you can hit as far as three kilometers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tu Me Acostumbraste

That damned tower of ours

I admire Gonzalez Inarritu's balls and his talent of course. He opens himself up for a barrage of criticism and ridicule but at the end his genius wins. I saw the film months ago and I still think about it. I haven't seen it again because the recollection is so powerful and I don't want to mess it up by seeing it again intentionally. The Mexican woman with the white kids in the desert has become part of my nightmares. What an enormous thing for a movie to accomplish. I'm giving it a 10 and not because I "like" the film so much but because I saw myself coming to the conclusion that the film is a masterpiece all on my own. It inspires respect. Christ! I can't believe I'm saying that but I am and I'm meaning every word. In a way it reminds me of Bunuel's "Viridiana" a film that I hated so much it has become one of the most important films of my life. Go figure. To be disturbed. I mean deeply disturbed is a strange experience and I suspect that it has to do with being confronted by the truth.