Photo courtesy Sony Classics
In an American movie industry saturated with over-the-top action blockbusters, paint-by-the number romantic comedies, and pretentious art films, can a simple, intelligent comedic drama rise above the din?
Aaron Schneider, an accomplished cinematographer (“Kiss the Girls”, “Simon Birch”) making his full-length feature film directorial debut this month with “Get Low,” sure hopes so.
“Get Low,” a 1930s period piece starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek, is inspired by the true story of Felix “Bush” Breazeale, who attracted national attention and a huge crowd when he threw himself a living funeral party in 1938 in Roane County, Tennessee.
Played with ferocity and heart by Duvall, Felix Bush is a backwoods recluse whom people have accused of doing all kinds of dastardly deeds. Of course, the truth is a little more elusive than the rampant rumors flying around town. Meanwhile, Murray plays an opportunistic funeral home director looking to cash in on Felix Bush’s bizarre funeral plan, which includes the unveiling of a long-held secret.
“Honestly I can’t think of many people who wouldn’t enjoy the film,” Schneider said in an interview with On Tap. “It’s funny and it’s fun to watch. But it’s not a movie that comes at you. It’s the kind of movie that asks you to curl up by the fire and read a good book.”
Schneider’s path to the director’s chair on “Get Low” is the stuff that Hollywood dreams are made of, but his success didn’t happen overnight. After graduating from film school, he began working on movie sets and eventually became a trusted cinematographer. About a decade ago, after some success working on feature films, he pulled his life savings out of the bank and decided to make a short film adaptation of the William Faulkner classic “Two Soldiers.” Long story short: the film won an Academy Award in 2003.
“We lucked out – we ended up getting nominated and on the big night they called our name,” Schneider recalled. “That created the opportunity to secure an agent and start the process of finding a (full-length) movie to make. I spent a good year or two learning about the world of getting movies off the ground.”
Schneider quickly found that in Hollywood – much like in Washington – simply talking about something doesn’t mean it’s going to get done. He spent two years in meetings that went nowhere before figuring out how to get the movie produced by himself.
“Part of the education for me was learning about that part of the business,” Schneider said. “In the end if you want something done, you do it yourself.”
Once he secured a script, Schneider said he was gratified at the level of interest he received from actors.
“The idea of working with someone like Robert Duvall was a huge draw for me and a huge opportunity for any filmmaker,” he said. “It was an opportunity to create a wonderful mythical iconic character and then put a real life iconic character into that role. That’s pretty hard for any director to resist.”
And of course, once legendary funny man Bill Murray came on board the cool factor – and the fun – shot through the roof.
“He’ll tell you that the more fun he has the better his work is,” Schneider said. “He brings a boom box to the set to play his music. It probably dates back to the ensemble work he did on Saturday Night Live. The more fun you have with the people you’re working with the more fun shows up on screen.”
Schneider said all of the veteran actors who worked on the movie inspired him to “bring my A game so I didn’t let them down.”
“They were all very good to me as a first time director,” he said. “Obviously they’ve all been directed by the greats, but they were very easy to work with.”
So, what is this peculiar little movie, “Get Low,” anyway? Schneider said it can’t really be put into a typical Hollywood box.
“People often ask me is it a comedy or a drama, and the best answer I have is that it’s a folk tale – it’s life,” he said.
“Get Low” opens in DC area theatres on August 13th. To watch a trailer visit www.sonyclassics.com/getlow.
