Brooklyn Babylon
6 /10 1 Votes
Initial DVD release May 22, 2001 Duration Language English | 6/10 IMDb Genre Drama, Music, Romance Production Canal+ Country USAFrance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date August 17, 2001 (2001-08-17) (USA) Cast Similar movies Related Marc Levin movies |
Brooklyn babylon 2000
Brooklyn Babylon is a 2001 film directed by Marc Levin, and a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet and the Song of Solomon, set in the backdrop of the Crown Heights riot, starring Black Thought of The Roots.
Contents

Brooklyn babylon
Plot summary

In Brooklyn's Crown Heights, where West Indian Rastafarians and other Blacks live next door to the Jewish Chabad community, ethnic tensions are high. After a minor car crash, the headstrong Judah and other Jewish men who patrol the neighborhood as vigilantes confront Scratch, a mouthy hustler. Passengers in the cars make eye contact: Sol, a hip-hop musician, songwriter, and artist (Scratch's friend), and Sara, who is betrothed to Judah but wants to go to college and be on her own. Over the next few days, while Scratch and Judah's conflict escalates in violence, Sara and Sol connect in ways that echo Sheba and Solomon.
Production

Brooklyn Babylon was the second made of Levin's late nineties hip-hop trilogy, which began with Slam, a searing prison drama starring Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, and Bonz Malone. The third installment was 2000's Whiteboyz, a black comedy about white farm kids in Iowa who want to be black rappers, starred Danny Hoch, Dash Mihok, Mark Webber, and Piper Perabo.
Cast
Roots members Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, James "Kamal" Gray, Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, and Kyle "Scratch" Jones played other members of The Lions, and Roots beatbox artist Rahzel served as the film's narrator.
Festivals
The film was entered in the Slamdance Film Festival, Valenciennes Film Festival, and Agen American Indie Film Festival. Marc Levin was nominated for the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.
Reception
Brooklyn Babylon received mixed reviews by critics, earning an 50% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 26 on Metacritic.
References
Brooklyn Babylon WikipediaBrooklyn Babylon IMDb Brooklyn Babylon themoviedb.org