This was rollicking good fun and the often sniffy reviews were annoying. It started off as if it was just going to be a luridly, slightly camp exploration of the early day of Hollywood, with the allusion to the infamous Kenneth Anger book, Hollywood Babylon embedded in the title. This was seemingly confirmed by the early, indirect reference to the notorious Fatty Arbuckle scandal, but it gradually showed itself to be quite a thoughtful, often amusing and eye-opening look at a wide range of characters with a starry ensemble cast.
A complete newcomer, Diego Calva, however, played the central character, whose slightly naïve journey through the maelstrom provided the strongest empathetic role in this film. He more than held his own with the stars, of whom Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie were particularly effective, amusing, and powerful and, finally, near tragic. The characters were all vividly drawn and the performances were likewise. I particularly enjoyed Tobey Maguire’s singularly creepy performance.
The much-criticized three-hour running time (which I was not aware of until after I had seen it) was justified and I was fully engaged for all of this time.
Good fun – and eye-opening in the accurate depiction of the craziness of the pre-Studio era at the peak of the silent era with scenes like having a full orchestra playing a soundtrack in the middle of the desert, the blithe sprinkling of asbestos flakes for snow – but also the passion of these early pioneers.
Very good fun and much recommended.