Babel (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Writers (WGA):

Guillermo Arriaga (written by)
Guillermo Arriaga (idea) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

If You Want to be Understood...Listen

Plot:

Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.

Plot Keywords:

Rifle | Morocco | Mexico | Wedding | American

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 27 wins & 75 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Richard Jones
Cate Blanchett	...	Susan Jones
Mohamed Akhzam	...	Anwar
Peter Wight	...	Tom
Harriet Walter	...	Lilly
Trevor Martin	...	Douglas
Matyelok Gibbs	...	Elyse
Georges Bousquet	...	Robert
Claudine Acs	...	Jane
André Oumansky	...	Walter
Michael Maloney	...	James
Dermot Crowley	...	Barth
Wendy Nottingham	...	Tourist #1
Henry Maratray	...	Tourist #2
Linda Broughton	...	Tourist #3
Jean Marc Hulot	...	Tourist
Aline Mowat	...	Tourist #5
Liliane Escoza	...	Tourist #6
Lynsey Beauchamp	...	Tourist in Morocco (as Lindsey Beauchamp)
Michel Dubois	...	Tourist #8
Shirley Dixon	...	Tourist #9
Patrick Lebre	...	Tourist #10
John O'Mohoney	...	Tourist
Mary Mitchell	...	Tourist #12
Edward Lyon	...	Tourist #13
Robert Fyfe	...	Tourist #14
Abdelaziz Merzoug	...	Waiter Casbah
Omar El Mallouli	...	Bus Driver
El Hassan Ait Bablal	...	Old Man in Car
Sfia Ait Benboullah	...	Anwar's Grandmother
Hammou Aghrar	...	Doctor - Vet
Mohamed Ait Lahcen	...	Sheik
Ali Hamadi	...	Moukadem
Lhacen Znin	...	Store Owner
Mustapha Amhita	...	Mohammed
Mohammed Amal El Koussi	...	Mohammed's Friend #1
Mohamed Nait Addi	...	Mohammed's Friend #3
Mohammed El Bouamraoui	...	Mohammed's Friend #2
Rahmoune Abdelhalim	...	Mohammed's Friend #4
Soukayna Ait Boufakri	...	Yamile
Youssef Boukioud	...	Police at Anwar's #1
Khouyael Houssein	...	Police at Anwar's #1
Alex Jennings	...	Ken Clifford
Commandant Mesbah	...	Helicopter Pilot
Timothy Peter Buxton	...	US Army Medic #1
Dr. Mohammed Ourjdal	...	US Army Medic #2
Aimee Meditz	...	Reporter - US News (as Aimée Meditz)
Mohammed Bennani	...	Moroccan Doctor
Boubker Ait El Caid	...	Yussef
Said Tarchani	...	Ahmed
Mustapha Rachidi	...	Abdullah
Driss Roukhe	...	Alarid
Wahiba Sahmi	...	Zohra
Fadmael Ouali	...	Yasira
Zahra Ahkouk	...	Jamila
Abdelkader Bara	...	Hassan
Ehou Mama	...	Hassan's Wife
Rida Taya	...	Abdullah's 2-Year-Old Son
Salah Mezzi	...	Moroccan Police Officer
Mohamed Atkliss	...	Moroccan Police Officer
Adriana Barraza	...	Amelia
Elle Fanning	...	Debbie Jones
Nathan Gamble	...	Mike Jones
Gael García Bernal	...	Santiago
Monica del Carmen	...	Lucia
Rosa Reyes	...	Comadre
Robert 'Bernie' Esquivel	...	Luis
Damian Garcia	...	Lucio
Barbarella Pardo	...	Amelia's Daughter #1
Úrsula García	...	Amelia's Daughter #2
Cynthia Montaño	...	Patricia
Maripaz Lopez	...	Patricia's Mother
Santiago Lizarraga	...	Tambora Band
Ismael Gregorio	...	Tambora Band
Pedro Sillas	...	Tambora Band
Enrique Garcia Contreras	...	Tambora Band
Fernando Montes Avila	...	Tambora Band
Luis Avila	...	Tambora Band
Eugenio Jara Reynoso	...	Tambora Band
Pedro Cuota	...	Tambora Band
Romeo Echeverria Jimenez El Gitano	...	Musician
Guadalupe Quintero	...	Wedding Band
Mariano Quintero	...	Wedding Band
Eluterio Higuera	...	Wedding Band
Pascual Montaño	...	Wedding Band
Efrain Gonzalez	...	Wedding Band
Claudia Silvia Mendoza	...	Patricia's Grandmother
Norma Samarin	...	Patricia's Aunt
Polo Nuño	...	Jacinto
Jose Campas Agiñaga	...	Amelia's Grandfather
Miguel Maldonado Tinoco	...	Amelia's Father
Rosa Campos Maldonado	...	Amelia's Mother
Emilio Echevarría	...	Emilio
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Officer at Border Crossing
Aaron D. Spears	...	Officer #2 (as Aaron Spears)
Jamie McBride	...	Bill - Border Patrol
Michael Peña	...	John - Border Patrol
Ivor Shier	...	Helicopter Pilot
R.D. Call	...	FBI Interrogation Officer
Rinko Kikuchi	...	Chieko Wataya
Kôji Yakusho	...	Yasujiro Wataya
Yuko Murata	...	Mitsu
Kumi Ohkawatsu	...	Teammate
Miyuki Tamada	...	Teammate
Hirotaka Nabeya	...	Referee #1
Kazuya Senzaki	...	Referee #2
Takanobu Imaizumi	...	Referee #3
Koji Yoshida	...	Volleyball Coach
Saki Kito	...	J-Pop Hostess
Tomomi Kosugi	...	J-Pop Waitress
Noemi	...	J-Pop Waitress
Rika Watanabe	...	J-Pop Waitress
Ran Saotome	...	J-Pop Waitress
Sanae Miura	...	Kumiko
Kazunori Sasaki	...	Young Man
Ryoji Takiguchi	...	Shocked Young Man
Shoushi Nakasone	...	Young Man's Friend
Jun Tanaka	...	Young Man's Friend
Masayuki Ishii	...	Young Man's Friend
Yoshiyuki Yagisawa	...	Young Man's Friend
Hideto Onishi	...	Young Man's Friend
Hiroshi Yazaki	...	Young Man's Friend
Zengo Matayoshi	...	J-Pop Special #1
Koji Morisawa	...	J-Pop Special #2
Sumire Matsumura	...	Receptionist
Kyoko Saito	...	Mother at Dentist
Hazuki Saito	...	Daughter at Dentist
Yu Tanabe	...	Son at Dentist
Kentaro Tokuhiro	...	Patient
Kiichiro Kawauchi	...	Patient
Shigemitsu Ogi	...	Dentist
Tose Fukuda	...	Nurse at Dentist's
Satoshi Nikaido	...	Det. Lt. Kenji Mamiya
Kazunori Tozawa	...	Det. Hamano
Junichi Hayakawa	...	Doorman
Nobushige Suematsu	...	Haruki
Shinji Suzuki	...	Takeshi
Reina Makino	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Ayako Masagaki	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Yurie Okada	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Erika Okada	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Mika Yokoyama	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Kimi Unno	...	Chieko's Girl Friend
Kazuma Yamane	...	Kazuma
Hideaki Kunieda	...	Haruki's Friend
Keita Kanegae	...	Haruki's Friend
Tomohiro Higashi	...	Chieko's Boyfriend
Onbou Miura	...	Chieko's Boyfriend
Daiki Inoue	...	Chieko's Boyfriend
Shinichi Osawa	...	Club DJ
Noriko Yamamura	...	Dancer - Club
Motomi Kobayashi	...	Dancer - Club
Akira Matsuda	...	Bartender
Shizue Yamamoto	...	Wife
Kaoru Mihira	...	Chieko's Teammate
Ayaka Kotake	...	Chieko's Teammate
Natsumi Hayashida	...	Chieko's Teammate
Maki Kuraya	...	Chieko's Teammate
Kana Harada	...	Chieko's Teammate
Sayaka Shimizu	...	Chieko's Teammate
Ai Takahashi	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Sumie Kobayashi	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Yoko Iwasaki	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Eri Terada	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Reina Aoki	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Naoko Kato	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Ikumi Muramatsu	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Keiko Nakamichi	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Miyuki Kido	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Fumie Takama	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Miki Watanuki	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Aki Yanagisawa	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Megumi Watanabe	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Hanako Komatsu	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Fumie Kikuchi	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Hotomi Nakajima	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Miyuki Aoki	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Yuko Raihon	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Hosana Ueyama	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Erika Nakaya	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Sachiyo Yamashita	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Kaori Shimizu	...	Babel Volleyball Girl
Yuta Hori	...	Tap Dancer
Ikken	...	Tap Dancer
Takayuki Matsumoto	...	Tap Dancer
Maro	...	Juggler
Marie Machida	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Namiko Hatori	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Yurako Takano	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Kiyomi Ensou	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Ikue Takada	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Yoshiki Wakura	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Yosuke Morita	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
Yuji Inanobe	...	Member of the Theatrical Company
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yoshi Ando	...	Japanese man (uncredited)
Masami Kosaka	...	Japanese Guy (uncredited)

Directed by
Alejandro González Iñárritu

Writing credits (WGA)
Guillermo Arriaga		(written by)
Guillermo Arriaga		(idea) and
Alejandro González Iñárritu		(idea)

Produced by
Ahmed Abounouom	....	line producer: Morocco (as Ahmed Jimmy Abounouom)
Steve Golin	....	producer
Alejandro González Iñárritu	....	producer
Norihisa Harada	....	line producer: Japan
Jon Kilik	....	producer
Tita Lombardo	....	line producer: Mexico
Ann Ruark	....	co-producer
Kay Ueda	....	line producer: Japan
Corinne Golden Weber	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Gustavo Santaolalla

Cinematography by
Rodrigo Prieto

Film Editing by
Douglas Crise
Stephen Mirrione

Casting by
Gigi Akoka
Gemma Hancock
Hervé Jakubowicz
Francine Maisler
Juliette Ménager
Yôko Narahashi
Marc Robert
Sam Stevenson

Production Design by
Brigitte Broch

Art Direction by
Rika Nakanishi

Set Decoration by
Yoshihito Akatsuka

Costume Design by
Michael Wilkinson

Makeup Department
Alessandro Bertolazzi	....	key makeup artist: Morocco
Jean Ann Black	....	makeup artist: Mr. Pitt (as Jean Black)
Hiba Boukili	....	assistant hair stylist: Morocco (as Hiba El Boukili)
Nicola Clarke	....	hair stylist: Ms. Blanchett
Raul Covarrubias	....	additional hair stylist: Mexico
Marco Antonio Garcia	....	makeup artist: Mexico (as Marco Antonio García Munguia)
Giorgio Gregorini	....	key hair stylist: Morocco
Khadija Hamdan	....	assistant hair stylist: Morocco (as Khadija Hamdane)
Elvia Felix Herrera	....	assistant hair stylist: Mexico (as Elvia Felix)
Souad Khattabi	....	assistant makeup artist: Morocco (as Souad El Khattabi)
Jim Knell	....	production photographer: Captive Audience Productions
Rebecca Lafford	....	makeup artist: Ms. Blanchett
Vera Mitchell	....	hair designer: Brad Pitt
Alfredo Mora	....	chief makeup artist: Mexico
Steve Painter	....	prosthetics supervisor
Steve Painter	....	special makeup effects artist
Darren Robinson	....	prosthetics senior technician
Maribel Romo	....	chief hairdresser: Mexico
Bouchra Sakhi	....	makeup artist
Juan Carlos Trujillo	....	hair stylist: Mexico (as Juan Carlos Trujillo Trinidad)
Greg Cannom	....	age makeup: Brad Pitt (uncredited)
Harvey Lowry	....	director of operations: makeup effects department (uncredited)

Production Management
Ahmed Abounouom	....	production manager
Moncef Belam	....	production team
Alejandra Cárdenas	....	production supervisor
Alex Corven Caronia	....	production supervisor
Marco Giacalone	....	second unit manager
Michael Tinger	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shinichiro Asakura	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Mouhssine El Badaoui	....	second assistant director: Morocco
Kenichi Fukuyama	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Toshitaka Furuike	....	fourth assistant director: Japan
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon	....	second unit director
Fumitsugu Ijuin	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Ippei Ishibashi	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Daniel Jacobs	....	second second assistant director: Mexico
Kazumasa Kobayashi	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Mauricio Lule	....	first assistant director: second unit, Mexico (as Mauricio Lule Camacho)
Mauricio Lule	....	second assistant director: Mexico (as Mauricio Lule Camacho)
Shinya Masuda	....	second first assistant director: Japan
Fumiaki Nojo	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Kensuke Shiga	....	second assistant director: Japan
Joaquin Silva	....	second assistant director: Morocco
Mariana Silva	....	second assistant director: Mexico
Sebastián Silva	....	first assistant director
Sadahiro Sonoda	....	third assistant director: Japan
Yuho Tadano	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Ali Tahiri	....	first assistant director: Morocco
Tetsuhiko Tsuchiya	....	additional assistant director: Japan
Julian 'Chico' Valdez	....	additional second second assistant director: Mexico
Takuma Yoshimi	....	first assistant director: Japan

Art Department
Abdellah Achir	....	architect
Yoshihito Akatsuka	....	set decorator: Tokyo
Luis Blackaller	....	graphic artist
Luis Blackaller	....	storyboard artist
Alisarine Ducolomb	....	art department coordinator
Otniel Gonzalez	....	property master
Dereck Hecker	....	assistant art director
Derek A. Hecker Diaz	....	assistant set dresser: Mexico
Nazha Kajja	....	art department coordinator
Elizabeth Keenan	....	assistant production designer
Rafael Mandujano	....	assistant art director
René Marquéz	....	property master
Rika Nakanishi	....	art department coordinator
Bernardo Trujillo	....	consulting art director

Sound Department
Robert Althoff	....	sound recordist
Steve Bartkowicz	....	sound re-recording engineer
Dana Blanco	....	sound effects recordist
Richard Burton	....	dialogue editor
Thierry J. Couturier	....	dialogue editor (as Thierry Couturier)
Sergio Diaz	....	dialogue editor
Jonathan Fuh	....	boom operator
José Antonio García	....	sound mixer
Martín Hernández	....	sound designer
Martín Hernández	....	supervising sound editor
Shawn Kennelly	....	supervising foley editor
Shawn Kennelly	....	supervising foley mixer
Laura Macias	....	foley artist
Christian P. Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Chris Minkler)
Vince Nicastro	....	foley artist
Alejandro Quevedo	....	sound effects editor
Unsun Song	....	sound re-recordist
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
Rin Takada	....	sound assistant: Japan Unit
Jon Taylor	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roland N. Thai	....	co-sound designer
Roland N. Thai	....	supervising sound effects editor
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Carlos Zamorano	....	foley artist
Nourdine Zaoui	....	assistant sound
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
James Bomalick	....	special effects technician: Morocco
Manuel Cordero	....	special effects coordinator: Mexico
Conor Coughlan	....	special effects technician: Morocco
Werner Hahnlein	....	special effects foreman: Morocco
Kevin Hannigan	....	special effects supervisor: Morocco
Michael Kearns	....	special effects technician: Morocco
Osamu Kikegawa	....	special effects coordinator: Japan
Toshio Kishiura	....	special effects coordinator: Japan
Keiichi Nishioka	....	special effects coordinator: Japan
Ruben Rodriguez	....	special effects assistant: Mexico
Mustapha Steila	....	special effects coordinator: Morocco
Keiko Sumikura	....	special effects coordinator: Japan
El Hassan Tib	....	special effects assistant technician: Morocco (as Hassan Tib)
Norimasa Usui	....	special effects coordinator: Japan

Visual Effects by
Casey Allen	....	Inferno artist: Lola Visual Effects
Mandy Arnold	....	digital restoration artist
Greg Astles	....	senior digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Darren A. Bell	....	associate visual effects producer: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (as Darren Bell)
Kris Carson	....	rotoscope artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Dominic Cheung	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Patrick Flannery	....	visual effects stills photographer
Raymond Gieringer	....	visual effects creative advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Michael Hatton	....	visual effects technical advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Chris Ingersoll	....	Inferno artist: Lola Visual Effects
Jeffrey Klug	....	systems administrator: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Lev Kolobov	....	associate visual effects supervisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Wendy Lanning	....	executive visual effects producer: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Danny Lee	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Mai-Ling Lee	....	digital artist
Sam Lee	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Margarida Leong	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Laurence Lok	....	lead compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Jason Maher	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Lon Molnar	....	visual effects supervisor: Intelligent Creatures
Thomas Nittmann	....	visual effects producer: Lola Visual Effects
Chris Nokes	....	visual effects production manager: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Brian Nugent	....	Inferno artist: Lola Visual Effects
Ciaran O'Connor	....	junior digital matte painter: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Scott Parker	....	systems administrator: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Scott Riopelle	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Geoff Sayer	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Michael Shelton	....	visual effects supervisor: Captive Audience
Vicki Silva	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Jeremy Smith	....	digital artist: Cinebyte
Colin Strause	....	2D technical supervisor: Lola Visual Effects
Greg Strause	....	lead Inferno artist: Lola Visual Effects
Mai Suzuki	....	digital restoration artist
Mehrdad Tavakkolian	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Mahvash Tehrani	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Wayne Traudt	....	3D supervisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Tim Warnock	....	digital matte painter: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Dan Wheaton	....	digital matte painter: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Edson Williams	....	visual effects supervisor: Lola Visual Effects
Linda Williams	....	digital intermediate editor
Loeng Wong-Savun	....	Inferno artist: Lola Visual Effects
Diane Wright	....	digital asset manager: Laser Pacific
Ryan Zuttermeister	....	visual effects coordinator: Lola Visual Effects

Stunts
Gerardo Albarrán	....	stunt coordinator: Mexico (as Gerardo Moreno)
Cedric Proust	....	stunt coordinator: Morocco
Joel Proust	....	stunt coordinator: Morocco

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Baumgartner	....	gaffer
Juliette Castanier	....	second assistant camera
Murray Close	....	still photographer
Martin De Chabaneix	....	second assistant camera
Joseph Dianda	....	key grip
Trevor Holbrook	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Oscar Inzunza	....	electrician: Mexico
Gilbert Lecluyse	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Garth Longmore	....	second assistant camera
Mary Ellen Mark	....	still photographer
Matías Mesa	....	Steadicam operator
Chris Milani	....	best boy eletric
Yasushi Miyata	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera, Tokyo
Yuji Nakaza	....	electric: Japan
Xavier Pérez Grobet	....	additional photographer: Mexico
Steeven Petitteville	....	first assistant camera
Imad Rechiche	....	assistant camera
Imad Rechiche	....	second assistant camera: Morocco
Bryce Shields	....	video assist operator
Leah Striker	....	first assistant camera
Masanobu Takayanagi	....	camera operator: "b" camera, Tokyo
Masanobu Takayanagi	....	photographer: Japan
Eduardo Flores Torres	....	photographer: Mexico
Taylor Tulip-Close	....	assistant still photographer
Yuji Wada	....	co-gaffer Japan unit
Jörg Widmer	....	aerial cinematographer: Morocco
Jörg Widmer	....	camera operator: "c" camera, Morocco

Casting Department
Merry Alderman	....	casting assistant
Salah Benchegra	....	extras casting
Patti Carns Kalles	....	casting: Seattle
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon	....	casting consultant
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Kimberly Mullen	....	casting: Florida
Mark Mullen	....	casting: Florida
Jalila Otky	....	casting coordinator
Katie Taylor	....	casting assistant
Alain Aswani	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Blanca Arreola	....	costume assistant
Christine Bieselin Clark	....	assistant costume designer (as Christine Bieselin)
Rebecca Hofherr	....	costumer
Kate Quinlan	....	dresser: Brad Pitt
Dana Schondelmeyer	....	costumes
Dulcie Scott	....	costume supervisor
Stacy Stagnaro	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Kenny Becker	....	color timer
Marisa Clayton	....	post-production coordinator: Modern VideoFilm
Kyle DeVriendt	....	digital film recordist
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Jamey Hopper	....	vision mixer
Yvan Lucas	....	colorist: Laser Pacific
Denise Marquez	....	assistant editor
Rodolfo Ornelas	....	post-production assistant
Eric Putz	....	telecine colorist: dailies
Keith H. Sauter	....	first assistant editor
Morio Takahashi	....	workprint timer: Japan
Matthew Walsh	....	post-production coordinator
Jade Welsh	....	editorial production assistant
Michael Hatzer	....	final color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Lynn Fainchtein	....	music supervisor
Anibal Kerpel	....	music co-producer
Anibal Kerpel	....	music editor
Anibal Kerpel	....	music mixer
Anibal Kerpel	....	music programmer
Anibal Kerpel	....	music recording engineer
Gustavo Santaolalla	....	music producer

Transportation Department
Hicham Regragui	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Hiam Abbass	....	acting coach
Richie Adams	....	title designer: main and end titles
Lucy Amador	....	production accountant: Mexico
Mohamed Atbir	....	production assistant
Jose Manuel Ballesteros	....	craft service coordinator
Jeremy Bau	....	assistant location manager
Steve Beeson	....	controller
Jinane Ben Zaida	....	assistant production coordinator
Géraldine Bergé	....	assistant to cast
Luis Eduardo Carreola	....	technician: 3CP
Jan Cerwonka	....	studio teacher (as Jeannette Cerwonka)
Houssna Choukri	....	second script supervisor
Nigel Clay	....	production consultant
James Cutting	....	close protection officer
Alice Ding	....	production assistant
Blake Dow	....	photo double
Maureen Duffy	....	completion guarantor
Saida Elidrissi	....	production secretary
Marina Filippelli	....	assistant to line producer
Marina Filippelli	....	production translator
Damien Fitzpatrick	....	helicopter supervisor
Christina Foundation	....	production office coordinator
Katsumi Furuhashi	....	production accountant
Edgar Gallaga	....	set production assistant
Fiona Garland	....	assistant production coordinator
Luisa Gomez da Silva	....	assistant production office coordinator
Desmond Griffiths	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Yari Hernandez	....	assistant: Alejandro González Iñárritu, USA
Patrick Heyerdahl	....	on-set production assistant
Jim Jaffe	....	product placement
Elyse Jerry	....	assistant: Mr. Steve Golin
Hiromi Kamata	....	key production assistant
Fay Kato	....	adr voice
Jim Knell	....	assistant: MUFX producer
Peter Madamba	....	script researcher
Jennifer Malloy	....	assistant: Mr. Steve Golin
Emilia McCarthy	....	photo double
Christian McWilliams	....	location scout
Eriko Miyagawa	....	script supervisor: second unit
Zoe Morgan	....	script supervisor
Abdessalam Ngadi	....	location manager
Rosalba Nogueda	....	assistant: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico
Sandra Odelga	....	production coordinator
Joel Proust	....	animal wrangler: Morocco
Zeiddy Silva Ríos	....	office production assistant
Marie-Hélène Riverain	....	production office coordinator
Ivor Shier	....	helicopter pilot
Kazuko Shingyoku	....	script supervisor: Japan
Daniel Trainer	....	key production assistant: Los Angeles
Fernando Guzman Villegas	....	location assistant
Héctor Villegas	....	key set location assistant
Allen Wong	....	first assistant accountant
Thierry Zemmour	....	supervising location manager
Noel Davis Poyner	....	publicity intern (uncredited)
Carlos Tadeo	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Yessenia Torres	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Alfonso Cuarón	....	special thanks
Carlos Cuarón	....	special thanks
Rodrigo García	....	special thanks
Brad Grey	....	thanks
Sean Penn	....	special thanks
Carlos Reygadas	....	special thanks
Guillermo del Toro	....	special thanks
Naomi Watts	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Paramount Vantage (presents)
• Anonymous Content
• Zeta Film
• Central Films
• Media Rights Capital

Distributors

• Nordisk Film Biografdistribution (2006) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Paramount Vantage (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Independent Films (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Bioscop (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• GAGA Communications (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• GAGA Communications (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Mars Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2006-2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2006) (Greece) (all media)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2006) (Romania) (all media)
• Shaw Organisation (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Sponge (2007) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Studio Canal (2006) (France) (all media)
• TOBIS Film (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Viva Films (2007) (Philippines) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Intelligent Creatures (visual effects)
• Lola Visual Effects (visual effects)

Other Companies

• ARRI Rental  Arriflex cameras (as ARRI Rental Deutschland GmbH)
• Aoi Promotion  production services: Japan
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Avon Studio Transport  transportation
• CLA Studios  sound stages
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Concord Records  soundtrack
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints
• Dune Films  production services: Morocco
• East Co  Japanese television footage courtesy of
• FotoKem Laboratory  color (as FotoKem)
• Gamma & Density  on-set color correction
• Hollywood Rentals Productions Services  production lighting: Mexico (as Hollywood Rentals)
• Imagica  film lab: dailies (Japan)
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Inup Company  production coordinator
• Kurosawa Film Studio  production lighting: Japan
• Laser Pacific Media  digital intermediate (as Laser Pacific)
• Media Distributors Film Source  emergency additional film source
• Media Rights Capital  funding
• Modern VideoFilm  dailies telecine
• Moroccan Movie Systems  production lighting: Morocco
• Otto Nemenz International  cameras: Mexico
• Packair Airfreight  international logistics
• Panavision  cameras: Japan
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Pivotal Post  HD services
• River Road Creative  main and end titles
• Scarlet Letters  end title crawl
• Todd-AO Radford  sound mixed at
• Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)  Japanese television footage courtesy of
• Tokyo Location Box  film commission
• United Performers' Studio  extras casting
• Z Film  production services: Mexico
• Zenith Trust  production consultant
• Ztrackz  sound editing services

Also Known As:

Babel (France)
Babel (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Babel (Poland) [pl]
Babel (Greece) [el]
Babel (Germany) [de]
Babel (Canada: French title) [fr]
Babel (Brazil) [pt]
Babel (Croatia) [hr]
Babel (Denmark) [da]
Babil (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Paabel (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

France | USA | Mexico

Language:

English | Arabic | Spanish | Japanese | Japanese Sign Language | Berber | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | USA:R (certificate #42677) | Sweden:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Norway:15 | Denmark:15 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18 | Iran:18+ | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:16 | South Africa:16 (LN) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:18 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL | France:U | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Czech Republic:15 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Azabu-Juban, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Actress Adriana Barraza, in real life, has had a long history of heart problems including two minor heart attacks. Despite this, she still insisted on carrying co-star Elle Fanning around in the desert for the two days of filming of Amelia walking in the desert with Mike and Debbie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The tour guide's badge which is around his neck inside the village house disappears when he goes outside.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hassan: It's almost new. Three hundred cartridges. The guy who gave it to me said you can hit as far as three kilometers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Iguazu

Excellent, bloody; well-communicated film

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel weaves four disparate and seemingly unrelated tales into a distinct, gritty narrative about the importance of communication - and what can happen when it goes awry. The movie is oftentimes difficult to watch, with ultrarealistic cinematography and gutsy, honest performances from its entire cast, particularly Oscar-nominated actresses Adriana Barraza (Amelia) and Rinko Kikuchi (Chieko).

Told nonlinearly, the movie describes the travails of a troubled married couple with a tour group in Morocco, played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Something in their past has driven them apart, and to help deal with the problem they have taken a trip together. Meanwhile, the sons of a shepherd fight over who's the better shot with their new rifle and fire a blast at the couple's tour bus, critically wounding Susan (Blanchett).

Richard (Pitt) calls home in San Diego to notify the nanny of their children, Amelia; Amelia is in a bit of a bind, because she expected the parents home so she could attend the wedding of her son in Mexico. With Richard and Susan not returning soon, and with no one else available to watch the children, she takes them with her to the wedding.

In Japan, a deaf-mute Japanese girl acts out in reaction to her mother's suicide, which she discovered; the virginal Chieko becomes a huge sexual flirt, even removing her panties in a crowded restaurant to flash older boys. Chieko craves human contact but feels that the world's even more shut off to her now than ever before, and she sullenly shuns even her father's attentions.

It should go without saying that this film really isn't for everyone. It's gut-wrenchingly tough to watch at times, especially when Susan's wound is being treated. You can readily imagine how it'd be if you, an unworldly American, were suddenly in dire need of expert medical attention in a part of the world that wasn't really famed for it. That's enough to strike terror in me already, and I haven't even mentioned how Richard and Susan are awaiting help to arrive in a small, impoverished village with no running water or electricity - and only one person who can speak English to them.

How exactly these stories are commingled becomes evident as the movie progresses, but it's not all elegantly laid out for the viewer to immediately grasp; this is accomplished in part by the nonlinear storytelling. We see a scene near the end of the movie that is a mirror image of one from the beginning, except told from a different character's perspective. That's a tribute to the wonderful camera-work and editing by, respectively, Rodrigo Prieto and the team of Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone.

Barraza turns in a powerful, heart-breaking performance; at one point, she's stranded in the middle of the Sonoran desert with her two young charges clad in her dress from the wedding. Dazed by the blistering heat, Amelia cannot gain her bearings in the blazing heat, and she despairs. Then she makes a critical decision with devastating consequences.

Kikuchi is absolutely mesmerizing as the silent Chieko. Without uttering one word, she's able to convey a vast array of emotions, from loneliness to hostility to love to lust to affection. She's alternately serene and violent, in charge of and captured by her impediment. Chieko resents her father, her volleyball teammates, and most of all every so-called normal person who looks at deaf-mutes as monsters, creatures to be scorned and taken advantage of. Like Barraza, Kikuchi's role called for a difficult sacrifice: plenty of nudity.

Babel is a spellbinding, multifaceted story with towering, passionate performances by all of the leads. It's full of moxie and stark realism, and despite some minor plot implausibilities, it's a true feather in the cap for Inarritu.