I watched this recently, and absolutely loved it. Even if hip-hop is not your thing, the acting and the singing (most notably that of Herizen Guardiola, who plays the character of Mylene Cruz) and the cinematic techniques of Baz Luhrmann are all worth a watch. The Get Down is a Netflix series consisting of 11 episodes, produced by Baz Luhrmann and is set in the Bronx in 1977. It follows the lives of a few young teenagers in the era of disco and the genesis of Hip-Hop. Baz Luhrmann (of Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet and The Great Gatsby fame) is an amazing story teller, with a truly visionary use of cinematic techniques, multiple story lines and music.
The Get Down is historical fiction showcasing the musical, economic, political and sociocultural climate of the Bronx in 1977. Disco was fading and giving way to the sound and voice of the underground- namely hip-hop. Instead of using violence, rival gangs battled each other with beats, rhymes, break-dancing and of course graffiti as art work. It is musical genre that took over the world. The rappers Grand Master Flash, Nas, DJ Herc also collaborated with Luhrmann to really give this show authenticity.
I grew up with hip-hop in the days before it turned into gangsta rap, so for me this reminded of my childhood. And oh dear, those disco songs!! Disco was before my time but my older siblings listened to it, so also a trip down memory lane for me. Jimmy Smits, Jayden Smith (Will Smith's son) Justice Smith, Herizen Guardiola, Shameik Moore to mention a few, are all outstanding in their acting. Nas does the contemporary raps for adult Zeke. Outside scenes were filmed in Queens with archived actual footage from the late 70s used as well.
Here is a trailer for the first half of the show which was released in August last year (second half was released this month:
https://youtu.be/usv442G6H8A
Here is Zeke's poem which moved me to tears:
https://youtu.be/a0j2sQoqkQw
One of my favourite scenes (could only find this in low res and in black&white) is when Jackie comes up with a song for Mylene, and Zeke raps in between:
https://youtu.be/m0SnTgwJyHw
And here is Mylene's voice in all its glory:
https://youtu.be/idDycf-E98Q
The Get Down is historical fiction showcasing the musical, economic, political and sociocultural climate of the Bronx in 1977. Disco was fading and giving way to the sound and voice of the underground- namely hip-hop. Instead of using violence, rival gangs battled each other with beats, rhymes, break-dancing and of course graffiti as art work. It is musical genre that took over the world. The rappers Grand Master Flash, Nas, DJ Herc also collaborated with Luhrmann to really give this show authenticity.
I grew up with hip-hop in the days before it turned into gangsta rap, so for me this reminded of my childhood. And oh dear, those disco songs!! Disco was before my time but my older siblings listened to it, so also a trip down memory lane for me. Jimmy Smits, Jayden Smith (Will Smith's son) Justice Smith, Herizen Guardiola, Shameik Moore to mention a few, are all outstanding in their acting. Nas does the contemporary raps for adult Zeke. Outside scenes were filmed in Queens with archived actual footage from the late 70s used as well.
Here is a trailer for the first half of the show which was released in August last year (second half was released this month:
https://youtu.be/usv442G6H8A
Here is Zeke's poem which moved me to tears:
https://youtu.be/a0j2sQoqkQw
One of my favourite scenes (could only find this in low res and in black&white) is when Jackie comes up with a song for Mylene, and Zeke raps in between:
https://youtu.be/m0SnTgwJyHw
And here is Mylene's voice in all its glory:
https://youtu.be/idDycf-E98Q
