The Get Down - Baz Luhrmann, 1970's, The Bronx, Netflix

Books, comics, TV, music
1

The trailer:

The pitch:

[quote]
Set in New York in 1977, this music-driven drama series chronicles the rise of hip-hop and the last days of disco -– told through the lives, music, art and dance of the South Bronx kids who would change the world forever.[/quote]

The reality:

[quote]
Over the two-and-a-half years since the hip-hop-focused project was set up at Netflix, Luhrmann went through two showrunners, numerous writers, and no small amount of strain with producer Sony Pictures Television. Production of the 12-episode season, the first half of which premieres Aug. 12, went well over the original budget of about $7.5 million per episode and wound up costing at least $120 million overall, with New York state tax incentives factored in, according to sources.

That makes “The Get Down,” Luhrmann’s first TV series, among the most expensive in history.[/quote]

[quote]
The ballooning budget and shifting creative direction sparked tension among Luhrmann, Sony TV, and Netflix. Sources say Sony TV execs advocated installing yet another seasoned showrunner to help get the spiraling costs under control, but Netflix balked at any move that would have diminished Luhrmann’s day-to-day role.[/quote]

[quote]
The skyrocketing budget was the biggest source of disagreement between Sony and Netflix. But Netflix had the ultimate say because it shouldered the burden for a significant portion of the overages. The show was originally budgeted for 13 episodes, but wound up at 12. Luhrmann directed the first installment, which runs about 90 minutes.

Under the standard terms of Netflix’s license deals with outside studios, the streaming service pays all production costs plus a premium to allow the studio to see some profit, given that Netflix controls all rights domestically and in key international territories for years to come, even after a show ends production.

Usually that premium is around 30% of production costs. But because “Get Down” had been such a hot property when it was shopped, Netflix boosted the premium to as high as 60% of the costs, according to sources. The overages that racked up did wind up eating into some of Sony’s profits.[/quote]

2

I sure hope it’s not another Vinyl.

3

I can confirm that it’s not another Vinyl. I watched most of it (5 out of 8 episodes) over the weekend.

Since this focuses on the street-level minority experience of the musical change-up in the 70’s, the characters are a lot more sympathetic. Instead of drug-fueled assholes fighting over money, it’s essentially good kids trying to move up in the violent hellscape of 1970’s New York. It’s hyperreal - not like The Warriors - but very Baz Luhrmann.

I can also say that I have no idea where $120 million went. It’s well-produced, but I don’t see $120 million on the screen.

4

I was trying to figure out why this glanced so hard off me this weekend, and now I know: Baz Luhrmann.

This thing is an amazing shambling wreck of a show, one that lurches violently through absurd tonal shifts from naturalistic, gritty scenes to absurdly stilted dialogue and wooden performances that lead into musical numbers. It’s a fascinating thing to watch for a while, but then I realize I’m gawking at it, rather than absorbed in it.

Which is, yeah, Baz Luhrmann in a nutshell.

5

Yeah, that’s fair. It’s Baz Luhrmann given $120 million and a lot more than 2 hours to indulge himself. Buyer beware.

6

One of my favorite Ebert lines is the one about how a Baz Luhrmann movie is like being trapped in an elevator with a brass band.

7

After reading Telefrog’s original post in this thread, it makes a lot more sense to me, and I think I’m going to go back in for the sheer spectacle of it all.

At various times, this project seemed to want to be: an extremely stylized musical as history, a very real-feeling biopic of the era, a riff on the TV show Empire, and a shout of music that Baz Luhrmann find’s entertaining. And, within a half hour of an episode you’re likely to get all of those things, presented jarringly buttressed against one another. “Guess what kind of show we thought we were making during this dialogue sequence?” (If the dialogue sequence goes along for long enough, there may be more than one answer.)

8

And even at that, it’s still everything Chi-Raq wanted to be. We’ve been loving how ludicrous The Get Down is, even if it’s really uneven.

9

My ADHD addled brain is perfect for Baz Luhrmann films. This show is no different. Great music and characters. I hope it does well enough to continue after part 2.

10

I’m through episode four and I am loving this beautiful mess of a show. Being a huge Baz Luhrman apologist probably helps (Gatsby was crap, though).

The tonal shifts for Jimmy Smits’s character make sense but it can be more jarring with a character like Cadillac. Acting is just okay to bad across the board, but I love the vibe and the integration of the music. The modern day rap concert can be pretty flat at times.

Basically it’s quite a mixed bag that is enjoyable if you buy into the characters and the concept.

11

Don’t watch unless you’ve finished the first half

Wife and I finished last night and as a child of the 70s I really liked the show despite its obvious flaws. Zek had me with his poem he recited to his teacher in the first episode.

12

I watched the whole first half last night. The common complaint about the first episode (long, rambling, slow) is legit, but once the storylines are all reasonably well grounded it’s the shit.

The tonal dissonance isn’t quite as ridiculous after the first episode, and honestly it works for me as kinda seeing things through Zeke’s eyes. Shao is nowhere near the “superhero” Zeke thinks he is at first, but as the flashy cool older boy, yeah, his Pumas are always impeccable.

I think the writing is what it ultimately made it land for me. Each storyline has genuine movement to it, the characters grow (or change at least, heh), they make choices that feel honest, and it all works. And man, most of the casting is inspired. Yeah, Jimmy Smits is borderline cartoony, but it works. And the musical numbers are all fantastic.

Strong rec from me at the end of the day. Especially if you’re into hip-hop at all.

13

Goodbye. No third season.

14

After really warming to it by the end of the first half, I thought the second half was pretty disappointing. Especially the penultimate episode, which I just hated. It seemed to lose its way musically, too. The original songs were totally anachronistic by the end.

15

Yeah, the second half of this series wasn’t nearly as good as the first.

In fact, if you really are interested in the time-frame of this show, I would recommend watching Hip-Hop Evolution on Netflix instead.

16

Aw, bummer. Oh well, a ton of new stuff is hitting Netflix so crossing this off the list isn’t so bad.