BAZ LUHRMANN’S THE GET DOWN
They (whoever they may be) say we are living through a new Golden Age of television. Netflix seems to be at the forefront of that with their innovative and thought-provoking original content. From Orange Is The New Black, to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and more recently Jessica Jones, they seem to be changing the viewing and even cultural way the audience watches shows. Their influence is even stronger as the viewer can sit on their couch and binge watch hours upon hours, episodes upon episodes of their content. An activity I am familiar with.
Their most recent venture is the Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby) creation entitled The Get Down. It follows a group of young Bronx teenagers at the forefront of the musical revolution of the late 1970’s. Disco, funk and the birth of hip-hop shape the story of these kids during a very violent and scary time in New York City.
We will step into history and the world of these youths by seeing how music, fashion and art was a culture and subculture that went on to shape music, fashion and art for decades to come. It seems like they will also tackle the very true event which was the big blackout in July of 1977. It seems admittedly a lot scarier than the blackout I lived through in NYC in 2003. I never bought one of those “I survived the 2003 Blackout” t-shirts. But I digress…
Viewers like myself will possibly become nostalgic even if we didn’t live through the time. My parents moved to NYC in the 1970s and many of the images sparked memories of them telling me stories of their adolescence during this time but also how significant and important it was for the youth to escape and indulge in music. It was their means of expression, survival and hope amidst a dark and and dangerous city. If Luhrmann’s past projects tell us anything, in addition to the amazing trailer, it’s that the series will have visceral and visual aesthetics to spark emotion in even the most cynical of heart. Netflix hasn’t specified the date when the show will be available for streaming, but it will definitely be sometime this year. In the meantime, the stellar soundtrack has inspired me to download some late 70s sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zejyzr5vW3A
