Babel
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Short description
A single gunshot in the Moroccan desert sets Babel in motion. Two boys testing a rifle they have been given hit a tourist bus, and an American woman travelling with her husband is badly wounded. Her injury forces the couple to stay behind in a remote village while help is sought, and their two young children, left at home in the care of their Mexican nanny, are taken across the border to Mexico for her son's wedding, a trip that goes badly wrong on the return. In Tokyo, meanwhile, a deaf-mute teenage girl struggles with her mother's death, clashes with her father and behaves provocatively toward those around her. The rifle's journey ties these separated lives together.
Alejandro González Iñárritu directed, working from a screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga, with Steve Golin and Jon Kilik producing alongside him. The film is the fifth of the thirteen features Iñárritu has directed, following 21 Grams and preceding To Each His Own Cinema. The large credited cast of fifty-eight includes Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett as the married couple, Adriana Barraza as the nanny and Rinko Kikuchi as the Japanese teenager.
Babel was made for about 25 million dollars and took roughly 135 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.4 out of 10 from around 328,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.2 from over 4,000. A critics' rating of 7.1 from 203 reviews places it close to the audience scores on both sites.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene with Rinko Kikuchi and her father in the car was filmed without official permission from the city authorities (due to local bureaucracy). The filming attracted the attention of the police.
- Seventeen days before filming began in Morocco, the film's authors still hadn't cast the actors. Announcements were made on local television and radio (excluding mosques) seeking actors. Over 200 people offered their services within the following 24 hours. Almost all of them participated in the filming – either in significant roles or as extras.
- Adriana Barraza gained almost 16 kg for the role of Amelia.
- Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto faced a problem while filming the scene in which the wounded Kate Blanchett's character is carried up a slope. He tried several times to get the necessary shots by walking backwards, but each time he tripped and fell on something. The director forbade the use of a 'Steadicam', insisting on handheld camera work. In the end, Prieto filmed the scene sitting on a chair carried by four people.
- Brad Pitt turned down one of the leading roles in 'The Departed' (2006) – of which he was also an executive producer – in order to participate in this film, as he had long been a fan of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s films.
- Actress Adriana Barraza actually has heart problems and has even had two mild attacks. Despite this, she herself carried her co-star Elle Fanning for two days of filming the corresponding scene in the desert.
- Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga had a falling out over the crediting of names. It began during their previous collaboration – the thriller '21 Grams' (2003). Arriaga argued that everything in cinema is interconnected, and that both he and Iñárritu should be credited as directors, while Iñárritu insisted that he alone should be credited as the director. As a result, Iñárritu did not take Arriaga with him to the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, which drew a wave of criticism.
- Rinko Kikuchi went through a year-long audition process for the role of Chieko before finally being cast.
- Filming took place from May 2nd to December 1st, 2005.
- Boubker Ait El Kaid was invited to audition for the role of Youssef (a young Moroccan boy who caused a lot of trouble with his father's rifle) after director Alejandro González Iñárritu saw him playing football in a local town square.
- Rinko Kikuchi went through a year-long audition process for the role of Chieko.
- In the final part of the film, a helicopter with the wounded Susan flies past the main attraction of Casablanca – the Hassan II Mosque.
- Cate Blanchett considered withdrawing from the project, but ultimately decided against it, tempted by the opportunity to work with director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
- Babylon is written as 'Babylon' in English. However, the film is titled 'Babel' in the original – this is the English spelling of the word 'Babylon' as pronounced in Arabic or Hebrew.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
