Babylon
| Director | Franco Rosso |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
| Country | Italy, UK |
| Runtime | 1h 35m |
| Language | English |
| Format | DCP |
| TMDB | View entry |
Synopsis
Franco Rosso’s incendiary Babylon had its world premiere at Cannes in 1980 but went unreleased in the U.S. for “being too controversial, and likely to incite racial tension” (Vivien Goldman, Time Out). Raw and smoldering, it follows a young dancehall DJ (Brinsley Forde, frontman of landmark British reggae group Aswad) in South London as he pursues his musical ambitions, battling fiercely against the racism and xenophobia of employers, neighbors, police, and the National Front. Written by Martin Stellman (Quadrophenia) and shot by two-time Oscar® winner Chris Menges (The Killing Fields) with beautifully smoky cinematography that has been compared to Taxi Driver, Babylon is fearless and unsentimental, yet tempered by the hazy bliss of the dancehall set to a blistering reggae and lovers rock soundtrack featuring Aswad, Johnny Clarke, Dennis Bovell, and more.
Listed at AFS
Archived on the AFS site between Tue, Mar 18 2025 and Wed, Nov 19 2025, across 2 captures. These dates are inferred from Wayback Machine captures and may not be accurate.