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London ““ The Modern Babylon is a film that documents London’s history from the 1900s to present day. From flappers to Teddy Boys and the beach beside the Thames to the 7/7 bombings and the reasons behind the mob violence that so often blemishes the city, you will spend two hours basking in the joyful people of the City of London, England.

Director Julien Temple clearly chose his footage carefully for its ability to convey London’s personality through the screen. The result is a lively, eclectic, and nearly-perfect documentary about the historically important city.

Temple mixes together modern and archival footage side-by-side, sometimes overlaying it with modern or electronic music to demonstrate both how much and how little London has changed over the years. While this mixing of footage and music occurs at the both the beginning and end, it disappears in the middle, which is a bit of a shame since it brilliantly contextualized the piece.

That said, the historical value of this film cannot be overstated. In order to truly celebrate something, you need to look at it holistically. The film has been crafted to portray this clearly beloved city, but it doesn’t steer clear of the London’s warts, casting an unflinching eye on its larger issues, such as racism and group violence. Viewers will leave with not only and understanding of the city’s history, but of the actions of its residents.

Is London ““ The Modern Babylon Essential TIFF Viewing?

This is an excellent film you will definitely want to catch it during the festival.

London ““ The Modern Babylon Screening Times

• Monday, September 10 at Scotiabank 1 at 7:00 PM, and
• Sunday, September 16 at Scotiabank 1 at 12:45 PM

More About This Movie

London ““ The Modern Babylon Trailer

London ““ The Modern Babylon Production Gallery

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Trista DeVries

Like most people who write for the web, I’ve been obsessed with movies since I was very young. My favourite movies are The Social Network, Easy A and Garden State, but I try to spend my time broadening my film horizons. I’m the Publisher of Toronto Film Scene and I Heart Movies, and in my “spare” time, I’m a web designer and strategist. (Gotta support my movie habit somehow…)

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