FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Babel [DVD] [2006]

Babel [DVD] [2006]
enlarge	Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment (UK) Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy Used: £0.83 as of 22/11/2009 23:58 GMT details You Save: £19.16 (96%) New (38) Used (62) Collectible (2) from £0.83 Seller: green city Rating: 117 reviews Sales Rank: 4354 Format: Anamorphic, PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 138 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5014437918239 ASIN: B000M8MW6A Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Release Date: May 21, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


Similar Items: 21 Grams [DVD] [2004] The Good Shepherd [DVD] [2006] Blood Diamond [DVD] [2006] The Last King Of Scotland [DVD] [2006] Notes On A Scandal [DVD] [2007]


Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, IBabel/I is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on IAmores Perros/I and I21 Grams/I) 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 IBabel/I 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, IBabel/I is it. I--Sam Graham/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 117 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...24 Next » Doesn't get much better March 10, 2007 2cleverbyhalf (somewhere in the future) 11 out of 13 found this review helpful Quite simply a brilliant film which tackles a number of very difficult topics extremely well. While staying within the boundaries of 'acceptable' mainstream filmaking, Babel manages to deal intelligently with alienation, culture, the nature of humanity, stupidity, the warped western view of the rest of the world and the stark fact that we're all only weeks away, or in some cases days away, from our comfortable worlds collapsing. Given the amount of drivel that passes for cinema, the fact that this film even got made is a small glimmer of hope for the future. br /P.S. Don't let anyone take a adversely critical intellectual or moral stance against this film. They're the worse kind of snobs and should be ashamed. br /P.P.S. Anyone who describes this film as 'boring' probably hasn't the capacity to sit still for 10 minutes. WELL I REALLY ENJOYED THIS FILM September 23, 2007 C. A. Williams (uk) 11 out of 13 found this review helpful I am famous for getting 10 minutes into a film and then I am away with the fairies, fast asleep. However I was wide awake for this film and agree with some of the other reviewers that it is a 'thinker'. No great fan of Brad Pitt previously but after seeing this film think I could become one. br / br /Although fast paced and you certainly need to keep watching it clearly shows how one event can snowball and have far reaching consequences. br / br /See it and judge for yourself. It certainly gave me food for thought. Great! February 19, 2007 Bookworm (Switzerland) 14 out of 17 found this review helpful I haven't seen any of the other films by this director so I can't really compare but personally, I can quite understand why it's been nominated for the Oscars next Sunday. Although a bit long, it was not at all boring - fantastic photography combined with a realistic story linking three different parts of the world and leading you to sit on the edge of your seat throughout the film wondering whether the outcome really will be what you expected. Fantastic performance by Brad Pitt and the other actors. If you like good 'intelligent' films that make you think about life and the impact of one thing on another in our 'globalised' world, this is a must. Gripping and entertaining film January 21, 2007 L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland) 10 out of 12 found this review helpful "Babel" is an exquisitely constructed film similar in structure to the outstanding "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams". Four separate stories run in parallel to each other as lives cross at random over three continents.In Africa a random shooting links together the lives of Moroccan goatherds and American tourists, in Japan a deaf-mute girl struggles to attract the opposite sex following her mother's untimely death while in America a Mexican nanny has to face the music after things go wrong when she brings her young charges over the border for her son's wedding.The acting is superb throughout and the story is rich in humanity and realistically filmed.The best film of 2007 to date. The Tower of Babel March 25, 2007 prisrob (New EnglandUSA) 16 out of 20 found this review helpful br /"The Bible says God was angry when man tried to reach heaven by building a tower (later named Babel); he stopped the work by devising different languages that made understanding impossible. Babel came to mean noise and miscommunication In the years richest, most complex and ultimately most heartbreaking film, Inarritu invites us to get past the babble of modern civilization and start listening to each other." Peter Travers br / br /A bus in the mountains of Morocco rounding a curve and a tourist is shot. A Mexican child care worker in San Diego trying to find someone to care for her young charges so she may attend her son's wedding in Mexico. A young woman in Tokyo, learning to live with her silence. Two young goaltenders in Morocco shooting at random wondering how far the bullet will travel. All four of these stories of parents and children coming together, what do they mean? br / br /Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga; are interpreting the concept of Babel to the way we live now. In our daily lives we are threatened by terrorism, our race, language and religion all come to the fore. The disparity between rich and poor are too great for us too ignore. The film centers on the lives of these four families, and how they come together is often confusing. But, hang in there and you will be richly rewarded. br / br /Brad Pitt is an actor you have not seen before. Tough, gritty and at the same time loving and anxious. Cate Bkanchette has a role that requires more facial and body expressions to tell her story. The two young goaltenders and their families living their lives of quiet isolation. The Japanese father recovering from the death of his wife and his daughter, Rinko Kikuchi, living her life in silence and sign language. The Mexican woman lovingly caring for her two young American charges and finding Hell with the Border Patrol. All compelling and fascinating characters. br / br /"This is a serious movie overflowing with memorable acting, unforgettable images, searing tragedy, unexpected humor and an eloquent plea for international understanding. And while it's by no stretch of imagination light entertainment, it's fundamentally a more optimistic work than either "Amores Perros" or "21 Grams." Lou Lumenick br / br / br /The communication and lack of it, terrorism, loves and lives of the families all in crisis, and terribly flawed. This is the world we live in. The fear of all is common to us all. The poverty is felt by many and recognized by few. The violence is an everyday part of life. The isolation that we feel from one another. This marvelous film speaks to us all. It is visually stunning, the photography is overwhelming at times, the view from the Moroccan mountains versus the view from a Tokyo high-rise. The dirty desert of Mexico and the arid desert of Morocco. It is all witnessed by the viewers of the film. We are led through a maze that comes together in an ending that is unsettling. We will ruminate about this film and its meaning. We will discuss with friends and family. In the end we will all have a little better understanding of the world we live in, at least a peak . Highly, Highly Recommended. Prisrob 3-26-07 br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 117 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...24 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.