Mozart in the Jungle

Here’s the embarrassing truth: I finished all 10 episodes of the new-ish TV show Mozart in the Jungle in only 2 nights. With each episode lasting only 30 minutes, I couldn’t help but marathoning: “just 1 more episode…” before realizing that it was 3 am.Whoops.

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At first, I wasn’t even that interested in the show because of its ho-hum description. But with the first episode free on Amazon, why not?

“Sex, drugs and classical music illustrate what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what occurs on stage.” (Imdb)

To give it credit, though, it was a very honest tagline because there was definitely a lot of the first two. Truth of the matter is, sex and drugs sell, as ugly a truth as it may be. However, I discovered that the show was actually inspired by oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir, “Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music“ about her professional career in the New York Philharmonic and other high-profile gigs. Hard to believe that the nicely dressed, stiff-necked professionals behind their instruments actually led a life, huh?

Once again, I got hooked onto the show because of how likeable the characters were. First of all: Gael Garcia Bernal, who plays the charming new maestro who directs the NY Symphony, Rodrigo.

Trust me, he looks even better with shorter hair later. (Source)

I was surprised to see his face on screen. In eleventh grade, we watched the movie Motorcycle Diaries in Spanish class. Guess who starred in it?

Yep, that’s right. A younger Bernal, just as handsome. (Source)

It was nice seeing him come back on screen, and even better, speaking in a language that I can actually understand! Haha.

Another deja vu moment was seeing the main character, Hailey, and wondering “where have I seen her before?”

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A quick search showed me that Lola Kirke also played one of the main activists in the film Free the Nipple. It’s like coming full circle…

The show is obviously a drama with a whole bunch of dramatic moments and storyline, but it did, in fact, renew my appreciation for classical music. I don’t know how actors pull off playing instruments (extremely well) on screen, but it sure was convincing. It was a fresh, interesting setting for a TV show since most of them nowadays are all about doctors, lawyers, or families. 😉

Now that I’ve seen the show, I am curious to read the book that inspired it. I really like to compare movies to their book counterparts (even though it’s unfair to the movie). How much of it was fiction, and how much were true to reality?

Would you watch Mozart in the Jungle (to my knowledge, only available on Amazon Prime)? Have you seen this TV show? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

P.S. My favorite book-to-movie adaptations are Gone Girl, The Hunger Games, and the Perks of Being a Wallflower.