Babylon
A defining film of early 80s Britain, Babylon is a time capsule of soundsystem culture in London.
Raw and smoldering, Babylon follows a young dancehall DJ (Brinsley Forde, frontman of British reggae group Aswad – and fondly remembered for his role as Spring in Here Come the Double Deckers!) in South London as he pursues his musical ambitions against the racism of employers, neighbours, police, and the National Front.
Written by Martin Stellman (Quadrophenia) and shot by two-time Academy Award-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.
Dir. Franco Rosso, UK 1980, 95 mins. With Brinsley Forde, Karl Howman, Trevor Laird.
Certificate 15
Babylon is part of a film season accompanying our exhibition Reggae Bridport.
Reviews
An instant cult classic – a homegrown answer to Jamaican hits like The Harder They Come
The sharp use of location, the meticulous detailing of Black culture, the uniformly excellent performances and stimulating soundtrack command attention