Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Babylon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 19, 2019

Franco Rosso's "Babylon" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new interviews with actor Brinsley Forde and composer Denis Bovell; the short film "Dread Beat and Blood"; archival audio commentary; and more. The release also arrives with a 10-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Mike Rubin and and technical credits. In English/Jamaican Patois, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Note: The text below was initially used for our review of the first Blu-ray release of Babylon that Icon Home Entertainment produced in 2009. Obviously, since then a lot has changed on the home video market and some observations about it are no longer accurate.

Film distributors have not been kind to British Independent Cinema from the early ‘80s. If you put aside some of the more prominent works by Mike Leigh and Ken Loach that have been successful at important film festivals around Europe and Asia, there are probably only about a dozen or so independent British films that you would be able to track down on DVD. The British Film Institute (BFI) and Optimum Releasing (via StudioCanal) have been attempting to change this sad reality, but it will probably take a long time until we can finally say that there is enough on the market for film buffs to explore.

British Black Independent Cinema from the early '80s is even less represented on the market. Indeed, the few films that made it to VHS are nowadays only accessible through film libraries at large academic institutions. Also, these releases are typically of average to poor quality, which means that viewing the films that are on them could be quite a frustrating experience.

Considering this seriously depressing state of affairs, I was enormously surprised to see Franco Rosso's cult film Babylon transition to Blu-ray. In fact, initially I assumed that there was a press error and the film was getting only a DVD release, which is why I then reached out to Icon Home Entertainment to get a clarification. However, an upcoming Blu-ray release was instantly confirmed.

Babylon became a cult film for a number of particular reasons. First, it really was the only black British film during the early '80s to speak to its audiences with a voice that they could understand and trust. Its story focused on a group of young black men from Brixton -- Blue (Brinsley Forde), Beefy (Trevor Laird), Spark (Brian Bovell), Lover (Victor Romero Evans), and Wesley (T-Bone Wilson) -- who had to overcome the same issues many minority groups in the UK were struggling with. Written and directed by two white men -- Franco Rosso and Martin Stellman -- Babylon also featured an explosive soundtrack which helped tremendously its promotional campaign. This is how I discovered the film, through a music promotion of its soundtrack that was done by an independent radio station that kept playing the popular tracks by reggae legends Aswad, Michael Prophet, and Yabby U. (The soundtrack also features original music by Denis Bovell).

Rosso's film also managed to accurately capture the social and class tensions that were running high in the UK at the time. It has a very casual sense of humor that can be a bit misleading, but ultimately the film touches upon violence, segregation, and social injustice in much the same way as John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood did on this side of the Atlantic. I actually have a theory that years later, after Boyz n the Hood got really big, plenty of people recognized this similarity and consequently introduced it to an entirely new generation of viewers.

Rosso and Martin Stellman's script is a bit rough and some parts of the narrative do not connect particularly well. As a result, from time to time it certainly feels like the film does not have a chosen direction and essentially switches into ‘autopilot’ mode. On the other hand, the raw fluidity that emerges from it gives it a borderline Cassavetes-esque vibe which actually ends up strengthening its authenticity. It is a unique project for sure, and really a piece of history that should not be missed.

Babylon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Babylon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber and Seventy-Seven.

The release is sourced from the same restoration that Chris Menges supervised and Icon Home Entertainment used to produce this Region-B release of Babylon in 2009. I like it a lot ten years ago, and I still do. I think that a higher resolution master could improve how some nuances are exposed in darker areas, but the visuals are already very pleasing. The color grading job is also convincing, promoting a good range of solid and healthy primaries and equally nice and healthy nuances. Image stability is good. Finally, there are no debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Babylon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English/Jamaican Patois DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles for the main feature are provided.

The audio is clean and stable. However, the dialog in this film is not easy to follow without subtitles because the slang can be quite challenging for someone that isn't used to it. Depth is very good. During my initial viewing of the film I felt that there are areas of it where dynamic intensity could be better -- mostly where the music becomes prominent -- but the original mix likely has some native limitations.

Babylon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Dread Beat and Blood - Franco Rosso directed this short documentary about Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson in 1979. Color. 1.37:1. In English, not subtitled. (46 min, 1080p).

• Brinsley Forde - in this new video interview, Brinsley Forde remembers how he was offered to play the character of Blue and discusses the era in which Babylon was made, the music scene and how it is presented in the film, and Franco Rosso's working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber/Seventy-Seven. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Denis Bovell - in this new video interview, composer Denis Bovell remembers how he was presented with the opportunity to score Babylon and discusses the type of harmonies and tunes he used. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber/Seventy-Seven. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Q&A Session - this archival session with cast and crew members was recorded at the BFI Southbank in 2008. It was also included on the Region-B release of Babylon. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 480/60i).

• Restoration Featurette - a short featurette about the 2008 restoration of Babylon that Chris Menges supervised, with before-and-after comparisons. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Theatrical Trailer - U.S. theatrical trailer for the restoration of Babylon. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Teaser Trailer - U.S. theatrical teaser trailer for the restoration of Babylon. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Music Video - music video for Vivien Goldman's "Laundrette" (1981), starring Goldman and Archie Pool. Directed by Mick Calvert. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Franco Rosso, Martin Stellman, Brinsley Forde, and Gavrik Losey. It features plenty of information about the production of the film, its scoring, the on-location shooting, and cult status.

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Mike Rubin's essay "Babylon Reborn" and technical credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Babylon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It feels a bit surreal to have this lavish release of Franco Rosso's film Babylon from Kino Lorber Repertory and Seventy-Seven. In the old days, I was able to see the film only because a friend who is a big music collector had managed to obtain a copy of it from overseas. This was actually the reason why I was so surprised to see it restored and released on Blu-ray so early, while the high-definition format was still growing -- it had an underground reputation but was very, very hard to track down. A legit U.S. release was long overdue and now the film has been treated as an important cult classic, which it actually is. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.