When Martin Scorsese lamented an evolution in cinema that was leading to a dearth of the cinematic style of yesteryear, he caused something of a stir. Increasingly, others have followed his lead, wistfully wondering if the big-budget show is limited solely to superheroes and IP movies. Ironically, many of the detractors of the MCU/Disney cinematic model are stars of said films. Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, among others, despite starring in reboots, remakes, and comic book movies, have also spoken out about a monopolization on film by the MCU et. Alabama.
Every once in a while a movie comes along to surprise you with genuine retrospective sentimentality. Top Gun: Maverick might not have been exactly what Scorsese would classify as "cinema," but its old-school approach and minimal use of CGI and singularly focused story felt like an old-time action blockbuster. The Northman didn't draw a mass audience, but it remained an impressively old-fashioned epic of 1950s Hollywood scale of bravura and European/Asian cinema brutality. Other filmmakers still have an appreciation of pre-1980s Hollywood and world cinema that permeates their work, but Tarantino and Baz Luhrmann, for example, may veer toward pastiche or over-the-top homage.
Director: Damien Chazelle
Writer: Damien Chazelle
Stars: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart
Damien Chazelle belongs to a new generation of filmmakers who seem to be looking backwards to advance cinema. Whiplash may not have suggested that it would become a bastion for reinvigorating dormant genres, like the musical (La La Land) or the historical film (First Man). Whiplash, in fact, had the hallmarks of old-school European cinema in its approach.
Chazelle shot off the starting line with an indie hit with meticulous filmmaking and an intense focus on characters, and his bumping up the budget levels seems to have sparked a move to shoot on film instead of digital. It's an expensive process, some might say lenient, but the results are hard to argue with. Film looks more dazzling to the eye, while digital can often look too clean.
If First Man went a bit under the radar, despite critical acclaim, then his new Babylon comes bolstered with additional star power. Although Ryan Gosling is undoubtedly popular, he is slightly usurped as a box office attraction by a combination of Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Babylon released its first trailer and, visually at least, the results look spectacular, while Robbie also looks like a good Oscar bet from the trailer alone.
There's something warmly old-fashioned about the style of filmmaking, even if the subject matter can go to extremes you certainly wouldn't have seen in classic Hollywood cinema. What Babylon potentially represents is a beautiful fusion of great cinema from a bygone era of Hollywood but also European cinema. The film certainly evokes a David Lean-tinged Powell and Pressburger production, but it also has Fellini and Antonioni in its DNA.
Among a number of films that the trailer evoked, Fellini's 8 1/2 immediately came to mind. First of all, it is a film about cinema. Chazelle's work focuses on the Hollywood era of the 1920s, just when the industry was reaching peaks of excess, glamor and superstar allure with silent era superstars like Chaplin. That glitter and hedonism remained for decades to come, even if on screen, the production code carefully controlled the moral standing of films.
Chazelle's trailer showcases glorious wide shots, moving shots, careful blocking, and plenty of kineticism. From the construction of the shot, it has a definite pinch of Fellini who, along with other filmmakers of the time, definitely had a lasting influence on stylistic trends.