Product Details

• Actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Mohamed Akhzam, Peter Wight
• Directors: Alejandro González Iñárritu
• Writers: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo Arriaga
• Producers: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ahmed Abounouom, Ann Ruark, Corinne Golden Weber, Jon Kilik
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007
• Run Time: 143 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (389 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000MCH5P4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,562 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Babel" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, Babel is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on Amores Perros and 21 Grams) weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet Babel isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, Babel is it. --Sam Graham

Beyond Babel

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Why We Love Cate Blanchett

Stills from Babel (click for larger image)

Product Description

In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace.

In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost – lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves – as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love.

In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages – and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Kôji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel’s take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Not The Significant Document Of Our Time It Hopes To Be--But Riveting Drama Nonetheless, December 9, 2006

By	K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Babel" is the latest narratively and chronologically twisted epic from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. This is getting to be a specialty of his. He weaves different plots and characters together in unlikely ways hoping to surprise and enhance the dramatic affect of his storytelling. It brought him wide acclaim for his breakthrough "Amores Perros" a funny and thrilling ride for man and dog! The device was a bit more unnecessary in "21 Grams"--but that smaller film ended up being my choice for the best acted film of its year. But now he takes his skill and technical prowess to his biggest canvas yet.

"Babel" is set in Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the United States. We follow the interlocking stories of a Moroccan farming family, a couple of American tourists, a disaffected and deaf/mute Japanese schoolgirl, and a Mexican maid and her two American charges. One bullet brings all the stories together. As one of the tourists, Cate Blanchett, is accidentally shot--the repercussions are felt around the world.

This is an ambitious picture, and I do believe the narrative framing and structure enhance the overall experience. From a technical standpoint, there is not much more you could ask for--this is an awesome achievement. From editing, score, screenplay, cinematography and art direction--"Babel" is propelled to the short list of great studio films this year. The acting is uniformly excellent. Brad Pitt as Blanchett's husband and Rinku Kikuchi as the Japanese girl have been singled out repeatedly (and are likely Oscar contenders), but everyone here is in top form. This is heavy drama, and I can understand why that scares some people away--but the payoff is worth it. It is harrowing and unpleasant at times, but riveting and emotional throughout.

"Babel" is clearly a film made with serious intentions--and I'm not entirely sure it's as successful as it hopes to be. The philosophical implications, the biblical allegory, the effort to document the state of the world, the examination of a disaffected society, the randomness of the universal ties that bind, and the commentary at the lack of communication and understanding in the world--it's all here! There are certainly individual moments within "Babel" that will strike a chord, and it's definitely an intelligently made film, I just don't necessarily think that it is as "significant" as some make it out to be. I admire that it tries to deliver a social commentary without being "preachy"--but it moves perilously close at several times (times where 2 seconds of rational thought and explanation could have resolved something--but people were more villainous than understanding). Ultimately, though, I must embrace "Babel" as great adult filmmaking and powerful drama. About 4 1/2 stars from me--I'm rounding up for the sheer scope and ambition present. KGHarris, 12/06.

28 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Babble, April 25, 2007

By	P.K. Ryan "The Ryan Identity" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I rarely write negative reviews on here but this film was like a train wreck. 'Babel' is yet another incarnation of the whole tried and true "east meets west," "we're all really the same," international thriller imbued with social commentary genre. Now I don't really have a problem with this per se, but it seems like these days people are so desperate for this type of film that they accept almost anything that is put out there. From the previews, 'Babel' reminded me a lot of 'Syriana" which I thouroughly enjoyed. But ultimately, although I think 'Babel' had a lot of potential, it's convoluted story line and weak dialogue ruined it for me.

There were several scenes that I found to be absolutely pointless and the film could have easily cut thirty minutes out of it's lengthy 140 minutes without a negative effect. It probably would have actually improved the flow of the film. I did find the stories of the deaf Japanese girl and the two little Morroccan kids to be very touching but even in some parts of that I found myself asking out loud, "what the hell is going on?" There were way too many instances of the viewer left waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never drops. And the part with the Mexican nanny who brings the kids to Mexico just plain irritated me. Now I'm sure some people will say that this is just nuance and I just didn't "get it." Yes, I get the part that the stories were all connected, yada, yada, yada, but I just felt like I was left hanging on too many aspects. For instance, why did the Japanese girl tell the cop that her mother jumped from the balcony? What did her note to the cop say? What happened to the two kids? Just little things like this where the viewer is left in the dark irritated me.

That being said, the film was not a total loss. Besides for a few momentary "flashes of brilliance," the acting was good and the cinematography was also exceptional. But ultimately the story was just way too disjointed and unfulfilling and at the end I was left feeling empty and frustrated.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Babel or Babble, January 12, 2008

By	P. Martin (BA, OK USA) - See all my reviews

A boring, rambling movie with gratuitous, graphic nudity (not involving a return benefit). I was glad I didn't buy a ticket or spend money to rent this movie either on cable or at a video store. I checked it out from the local library. Doesn't surprise me that Brad Pitt was involved, but I was surprised that Cate Blanchett chose to waste her talent on a lesser quality movie like this one. This movie does have some value and that is that I learned Babel and Babble have similar meanings and a combination of the two pretty much describes this movie:

Babel: A confusion of sounds or voices b: a scene of noise or confusion.

Babble: To utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds.