Terrorism and Illegal Immigration
Although Babel isn't a particularly political movie, two hot-button issues come up in it. One of these is terrorism. When an American is shot in Morocco, nearly everyone jumps to the incorrect conclusion it was a deliberate act by Islamists, triggering responses that make the situation worse.
The other political issue touched on in the film is illegal immigration. A Mexican character who relocated to the United States without going through legal channels and worked there for many years is deported. Because the character is lovable, we are sympathetic to her plight.
About the Title
Babel takes its title from Genesis 11:1-9. The Bible story is that humankind all spoke one language until there was an attempt to build a tower to heaven. God reacted to this by making people speak different languages and scattering them across the Earth.
The film dramatizes what it means to live in the polyglot world we find ourselves in today. Modern mobility and communications have brought an interconnectedness that is unprecedented, and we all ought to work at thinking beyond our own language group and the geographic locale where we live. The character in the movie perhaps best embodying the ideal we should strive for is the Moroccan tour guide who aids the American couple in trouble.
The Only DVD Extra Is an Excellent Long Making-Of Documentary
The Babel Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD set contains only one extra of any consequence, an exceptionally good making-of documentary titled Common Ground: Under Construction Notes. It has a runtime of nearly an hour and a half, and is mostly in English and Spanish (with subtitles available in both languages).
In the documentary, director González Iñárritu expresses his thoughts about the movie. For example, he says, "To me Babel is not a film about the physical borders, because those are easy to tear down. It's more a film about the borders within ourselves. I started out doing a film about the differences between human beings, and ended up doing a film about what brings us together, not what tears us apart."
But the most interesting thing in the documentary is watching cast and crew at work in Babel's fascinating locations. They filmed in one of the world's most arid and inhospitable places, El Pinacate in the Sonora Desert, and it's not surprising that actress Adriana Barraza suffered heat stroke doing repeated takes there. On the other hand, they shot the festive wedding sequence in Tecate, Mexico, where Gael García Bernal claims he found himself a girlfriend. The volleyball game was shot in Ishioka, Japan, and because of the many deaf people in the sequence, a red umbrella would be raised to signal "Action." There's also footage from Taguenzalt, Morocco, where we meet the nonprofessional child actors and the Palestinian woman who served as their acting coach.
DVD Details
Below I've listed the details for the Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD set containing Babel.
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Number of Discs: 2
Disc One:
Feature Film (2 Hours 23 Minutes)
Widescreen (1.85:1), Color
MPAA Rating: R for Violence, Some Graphic Nudity, Sexual Content, Language and Some Drug Use
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
English 2.0 Surround
French 5.1 Dolby Digital
English Subtitles
Spanish Subtitles
Theatrical Trailer
Disc Two:
Common Ground: Under Construction Notes (1 Hour 28 Minutes)
Widescreen (1.85:1), Color
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
English and Spanish Dolby Digital
English Subtitles
Spanish Subtitles
French Subtitles
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