Damien Chazelle shot a two-hour version of Babylon on his phone

Damien Chazelle pushed himself to cut down the three-plus-hour Babylon to just two hours as a rehearsal tactic

By Gabrielle Sanchez  |  December 27, 2022 | 9:12pm
Aux News Damien Chazelle
Damien Chazelle shot a two-hour version of Babylon on his phone
Damien Chazelle Photo: Phillip Faraone

Usually, when a director talks about a version other than the theatrical cut, it’s a longer work that fleshes out the story, including all the little tidbits the director did not want to part with in editing. However, when making the lavish and exorbitant Babylon, director Damien Chazelle challenged himself by making a two-hour cut, in his backyard, using his iPhone.

“It’s a very tight, two-hour version of the entire movie, [filmed] on an iPhone in our backyard,” the director explains in a Q&A, per Entertainment Weekly.

Chazelle shot the two-hour version with the help of his wife, Olivia Hamilton (who plays Ruth Adler) and lead actor Diego Calva (who plays Manny Torres).

“We rehearsed the whole movie in his backyard, only Olivia, Damien, and I,” Calva says. “It was a very uncommon kind of situation.”

Clocking in at 189 minutes, the theatrical cut of Babylon feels excessive—to say the least. Depending on your own reaction to the film, you may be welcoming of a shorter, less glitzy version.

Babylon goes through the ins and outs of the glamorous Hollywood era of the ‘20s and ‘30s, and the industry’s transition from silent film to talkies. In addition to Calva and Hamilton, the film stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Li Jun Li, Jovan Adepo, and Jean Smart.

When moving from the rehearsed two-hour cut to the theatrical version, Chazelle wanted to cut all of his appearances from the movie. While the La La Land director cannot be seen, he can be heard in the final cut.

“Every time someone’s laughing at a character, that’s Damien’s laugh,” Calva explains.

“I actually fought to keep Damien outside the bathroom talking shit about [Nellie],” adds Pitt. “It’s so spot on.”

 
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