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Released by: Anchor Bay Entertainment / IFC
Released on: March 8, 2016
Director: Matt Piedmont
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Will Ferrell, Carey Mulliga, Jessica Alba, Haley Joel Osment, Molly Shannon, Michael Sheen, David Spade
Year: 2014
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The Mini-Series:
“The Spoils of Babylon†is a farcical take on such '70s and '80s soap operas as “Dallas†and “Dynasty†as well as the TV miniseries in general. The fictitious creator Eric Jonrosh credited in the title is portrayed by Will Ferrell, who is braggadocios in touting his adapted novel as an epic masterpiece at the start of each episode. Ferrell appears as a corpulent, older version of Orson Welles speaking directly to the camera as he sips a glass of wine. The six-part mini-series follows the Morehouse family, which is headed by the oil tycoon Jonas Morehouse (Tim Robbins). One day circa 1931, Jonas picks up a boy alongside a road in Texas and grooms him to be part of the Morehouse Conglomerated empire. The boy is actually the narrator, Devon Morehouse (Tobey Maguire), who looks back at the events in hindsight. “Spoils†sprawls four decades, following the trials and tribulations of the Morehouse family members.
“Spoils†is mostly style and little substance. It throws every possible cinematic device at the audience. Not only does it spoof other miniseries but a variety of genres in the Old Hollywood, including the musical, sci-fi film, and epic Western. Everything about the production of “Spoils†is self-reflexive, tongue-in-cheek, indulgent, and congratulatory. Its panoply of jokes eventually wear thin. Its all-star cast seem to have fun with them but would have been better served with a wittier script.
Video/Audio/Extras:
“The Spoils of Babylon†originally aired on IFC in the winter of 2014 and is presented here in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 with an accommodation for 16x9 playback. The filmmakers deliberately mix together different film stocks from various eras so tramlines, vertical scratches, blotches, etc. are preserved throughout the presentation. The miniseries also occasionally switches from color to black and white. Overall, the transfer looks very good.
Dialogue is crisp and audible on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The surround channels are given a good workout during the World War II scenes and when pseudo period songs are performed. The program comes with optional English and Spanish subtitles. Each episode lasts about twenty-two minutes and can be played individually or altogether.
There are no special features on the disc.
The Final Word:
“The Spoils of Babylon†satirizes daytime soaps and different Hollywood genres, with mixed results. Anchor Bay's a/v presentation is top notch but doesn't offer any extras. Overall, I can't recommend this mini-series.
