Downtown 81

Starring:Giorgio Gomelsky, Bobby Grossman, Daniela Morera, Bern Nix, Bradley Field, Patrick Geooffrois, Snuky Tate, Steven Brown (VI), John Morton (XI), Coati Mundi, Saul Williams, Ann Carlyle, Chris Stein, Chica Nakanishi, Ma Chang, Betsy Sussler, Deborah Harry, Marty Thau, Elliott Murphy, George Dubose
Director: Edo Bertoglio
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Legendary painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was only 19 years old when he played the lead in DOWNTOWN 81, a striking "lost" film that chronicles the explosive early-'80s Manhattan art and music scene. Completed and theatrically released two decades later, it's the story of a charismatic artist who attempts to sell a painting amidst the rappers, junkies, strippers, models and art-world matriarchs of a pre-Giuliani Lower East Side. This vividly entertaining slice of life is also a fabulous showcase for the music of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tuxedomoon, The Plastics, DNA, The Lounge Lizards, and Basquiat's own band, Gray. Shot on location, DOWNTOWN 81 not only captures one of the most important and provocative artists of the 20th-century as he is poised for worldwide fame, but is also a vivid snapshot of a New York City that no longer exists.

Average customer rating:

An Oddity

Hard to watch...

It was Ok i think

Got. To. BE. Kidding.

a bunch of artists glorifying their scene--as they well should.

Downtown 81
Starring: Giorgio Gomelsky , Bobby Grossman , Daniela Morera , Coati Mundi , and Saul Williams
Director: Edo Bertoglio
Manufacturer: Zeitgeist Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006GF6H
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Description

Legendary painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was only 19 years old when he played the lead in DOWNTOWN 81, a striking "lost" film that chronicles the explosive early-'80s Manhattan art and music scene. Completed and theatrically released two decades later, it's the story of a charismatic artist who attempts to sell a painting amidst the rappers, junkies, strippers, models and art-world matriarchs of a pre-Giuliani Lower East Side. This vividly entertaining slice of life is also a fabulous showcase for the music of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tuxedomoon, The Plastics, DNA, The Lounge Lizards, and Basquiat's own band, Gray. Shot on location, DOWNTOWN 81 not only captures one of the most important and provocative artists of the 20th-century as he is poised for worldwide fame, but is also a vivid snapshot of a New York City that no longer exists.

Customer Reviews:

An Oddity.......2007-03-21

I thought the movie was disjointed, it lacked subject matter. Very odd.

Hard to watch..........2006-07-10

I am also a fan of Basquiat and of Schnabel's movie.

I loved watching the taped interviews of Basquiat available at MOCA-LA during the last Basquiat exhibiit. (I believe they're available on YOU-TUBE now.)

I found "Downtown 81" extremely painful to watch as I felt Basquiat was being exploited by this film maker. For me, he was "produced and directed" and painfully not himself.

It was Ok i think.......2006-03-14

pretty raw outlook in the life of Basquiat
I'm an avid fan so i have no regrets having this.

Got. To. BE. Kidding........2005-09-28

OK, Basquiat, at age 19- see the actual person. PERIOD(so wonderfully played by Wright in movie "Basquiat")What a major trainwreck of film this is.Should have stayed where it was buried. Sorry, won't waste my time to list all the many, very many reasons, already wasted my money.

a bunch of artists glorifying their scene--as they well should........2005-08-27

If you're expecting a documentary of Basquiat, you will be sorely dissapointed. If you're expecting a movie qua movie, you'll be less dissapointed, but not as much. Downtown 81 is at the very least an art film that happens to feature Basquiat, as well as the "stars" of nyc circa '79. If you have never seen films of this type you are in for a ride. Apropos of this genre, Downtown 81 is ostensibly low budget, quirky, but most of all, historical. Historical not in the sense that it is an important film, but rather historical as a document. Not since Mondo New York have i encountered a film that captures so well the feeling, mood, vibe, and color of this so very interesting period in both the underground of New York, but also the art scene. I would even add that it gives one a glimpse of life in general in what the description on the reverse of the package calls "pre-Giuliani New York"; a very different Manhatten than what we all might expect.

As both a fan of Basquiat and of Schnabel's movie, I would assume the other fans of either or both will find this film quite entertaining. Otherwise, I recommend it for anyone interested in the 80's art scene, the early nyc punk/new wave scene, or those curious about the underbelly of the nyc of this period.

Additionally, what makes this release so interesting and important are the extras, especially the segment from an early cable tv show featuring Basquiat during the SAMO years.

All in all, not a bad bang for the buck, as well as a great addition to any cd collection of one whose curiosity has been piqued by this particular time.

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