See Hear podcast Episode 4 - Babylon
Welcome to Episode 4 of See Hear podcast, the show dedicated
to music-related film
Bernie Sticky chose this month’s film, Franco Rosso’s
“Babylon” (1981). Blue (Brinsley Forde from reggae band, Aswad) is a
second-generation Jamaican living in Britain. Like Jimmy the mod in
Quadrophenia, he’s surrounded by circumstances that make him question where he
belongs. Like any teenager he wants to break away from his parents’ values and
who appear to have forsaken their own identity to assimilate in Margaret Thatcher's England. He
lives in a society that is often hostile and racist, either casually or from
the organised police or National Front. The one event he can hang his hat on is
the Sounds System he has put together with his friends the Ital Lions crew,
preparing for a competition against the Shaka crew.
There are a lot of serious questions and reflections going
on in this film, and yet it never feels oppressive. Blue’s circumstances can be
quite dire, yet the buoyancy of the reggae music and the friendship of the Ital
Lions never drag the mood down. Bernie,
Wendi, Tim and Maurice discuss the film, as well as the events leading up to
and following these circumstances in real life. The film was made less than a
year from the infamous Brixton riots. In hindsight, the events of “Babylon”
almost seem like a warning.
The
discussion was stimulating and we hope you join us. You can download or
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