Hollywood movies transition from silents to talkies in Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” as decadence and extravagance are all the rage in the 1920s showbiz milieu embodied by Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Tobey Maguire.“Babylon” production designer Florencia Martin is no stranger to recreating a certain period in Los Angeles.
For Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza,” it was the 1970s: “I’m telling the story of the story of the suburbs of America, of the San Fernando Valley and Ventura Boulevard,” he said then.For the Netflix film “Blonde,” based on Marilyn Monroe’s life, Martin used locations that were “cookie cutter” America, symbolizing the perfect wife and perfect house as Monroe seemed to crave that type of post-war stereotype in her marriages while continuing her career as an actor.
“The locations are simple and understated,” Martin says, adding that many were real-life locations frequented by the Hollywood star.
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