Basquiat

Starring:Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Jean-Claude La Marre, Parker Posey, Elina LÃ¶wensohn, Paul Bartel, Courtney Love, Tatum O'Neal, Chuck Pfeiffer, Rockets Redglare, Esther G. Schnabel, Jack Schnabel, Lola Schnabel
Director: Julian Schnabel
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

In his writing and directorial debut, Julian Schnabel's film Basquiat depicts the life of graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, a.k.a. SAMO, and the turbulent period from the late 1970s to 1988, as his life was catapulted into fame and notoriety. As Jean-Michel's work gained favorable attention from New York's elite art community, he went from a street punk living in a cardboard box to the first black artist to succeed in the all-white dominated art world. Tony Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright does a brilliant job portraying a man tortured by self-doubt and thoughts of suicide, struggling to survive and be acknowledged as an artist. The film's use of dreamlike imagery and rhythmic pace tells the story from the perspective of Jean-Michel's eyes as he manages to "float" through relationships and gallery showings, until his impending death in 1988 from a heroin overdose. Brimming with talent, the film also stars David Bowie as pop-artist Andy Warhol, Michael Wincott as poet Rene Ricard, and many others, including Gary Oldman, Benicio del Toro, Dennis Hopper, and Courtney Love. --Michele Goodson

Description

BASQUIAT chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of the gifted and charismatic young New York artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as he emerged from the streets of the East Village to become an internationally renowned sensation.

Customer Reviews:

SAMO'S WORLD.......2007-07-03

As everthing i've ever read about Jean Michel has told me, he wasn't quite this personable but i suppose since this was done by a dear friend of JMB's then it is only fitting that Jeffrey Wright's portrayal be a bit more "In the Sunshine". I have been intriqued by JMB since that first time i seen this movie. This wasn't even tradgic because JMB never really changed his habits in this movie. All great artists seem to be here today gone tommorow...This movie seemed to give a real good look at the ever different world of an artist...espcially one connected to the who's who of this times art world. David Bowie is entertaining as Andy Warhol...Benicio Del Toro is just good in every movie he's in and A brief appearance by Christopher Walken seemed to add bit of humor to this tale of a young artist who had the world at his feet but was too stoned and paranoid to care about it. I love his art but one has to admitt that all the great one's are more then "different"...they walk in different sunight then we do. For instance...(in the movie) money meant nothing to JMB, drugs were like coffee to him and he was alarmingly carefree about most things. In this portrayal of Jean Michel Basquiat, Jeffrey Wright really seemed to hurt in the scenes regarding JMB's relationships, both romantic(Claire Forlani is very convincing as JMB's steady for most of the movie) aswell as with his friends. JMB didn't trust a lot around him. The one message that came clear to me was that Jean Michel longed to be excepted as an"ARTIST"...not a "BLACK ARTIST"...he didn't see color and it angered him and hurt him at the same time a the fact that the world saw him as a black man/artist. He was called the "Eddie Murphy" of the art world and SAMO(He graffitied this name ...short for "samo s - - t")...to me he was a brilliant artist who invited me into the world of art and showed me some of the tradgic ways that talent can be thrown around...wow, to be gifted like that...This is an insightful look into the life of Jean Michel Basquiat...American Artist

Interesting.......2007-01-30

The story of Jean Michelle Basquiat is probably pretty typical of a NYC artist during the period when Andy Warhol was famous for being famous. It touches lightly on the idea of art being a commodity and important only if "the right people" think it's important but nothing is concentrated on enough to make this anything more than a mediocre film. Not the art scene at the time,not the artists, not Basquiat's relationships and certainly no insight into his art. Actually, that's probably better left unknown. It has some historical merit but alot of the characters seem cliche even though they are supposed to be real people. And, I'm not sure what movie alot of reviewers were watching but David Bowie as Andy Warhol is atrocious. He is completely unbelievable and does what looks like Bowie might have done if he was trying to imitate Warhol for some friends.It's an unpolished one dimensional performance of a major character. The movie was of interest to me just to see what a "famous artist" was really like and how they became famous. Pretty standard though. More hype than talent.

Great film.......2007-01-09

This film has a lot of info concerning the life of Basquiat I found that the film gave me a visual of who he was and the people who surrounded him.It made it so much clearer.

Absorbing . . ........2006-10-16

Biopics, as a rule, so oversimplify and sentimentalize their subjects that it's rare to find one that presents a plausible picture of a life actually lived. To have lived such a brief life, as young Basquiat did, may seem to come to the aid of the 90-minute filmmaker, but that this story of a brilliant New York street artist comes across as believable at all is a testament to the performances, the script, and the direction. The only thing really missing in this film is an appreciation of Basquiat's works themselves. Maybe you leave that for the Learning Channel.

Jeffrey Wright is just fine as the troubled and gifted artist who became an overnight sensation in the New York art world and then, according to writer/director Julian Schnabel (who should know) was more or less eaten alive by it. And he holds his own with a supporting cast of notables including Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Parker Posey, Benicio del Toro, and others, including David Bowie as a wonderfully sympathetic Andy Warhol. While you may take exception to the accuracy of the film, you find yourself accepting it as a portrayal of a certain kind of life that has been regarded from the beginning as larger than life - and any resemblance to Van Gogh is intended from the start. The richly varied music track, including snatches of Miles' Davis' "Kind of Blue," is also wonderful.

Rise and fall.......2006-07-06

This is a visually stunning film, very beautiful to see, which appears to capture the insanity of art world fame and fortunes.

The film opens with a young child Basquiat and his mother visiting Picasso's Gurnica, where the mother begins to cry while her son imagines a glowing crown upon his little head. It was images like this that are integrated throughout the film.

What is this film really about? Is it about the rise of a brash young outsider talent who bashes down the doors of fame but then crumbles under the spotlights? Is it about a virile and brave youth whose talents are sucked away by insider vampires of the in-crowd art world? Is it about a melancoly talented Black man who drifts into constant drug use as he becomes lost in the market place with no real compass (except Andy Warhol)? Is it about the trajectory of the hero which inevitably results in downfall and tragedy as a result of the fatal moral flaw that results in his undoing? The answer is "yes", it is all of this.

Jeffrey Wright, the brilliant actor from Syriana and Angels in America, does a super job playing Basquiat. Basquiat's creative style is reactive and compulsive, full of energy, full of chance and doodles and street drawings. It allows multimillionaires the opportuntiy to taste the funky hard vibrant streets while sitting comfortably in their park avenue apartments. Thus Basquiat became a commodity and the bidding war around him reveals the cut throat profit seekers of the art marketing world.

David Bowie is totally great as Andy Warhol. Warhol was a unique personality who actually becomes one of Basquiat's only mentors while simultaneously drawing from Basquiat's young energy. Carefully watch the scene where Warhol and Basquiat paint a large canvas together, and Warhol complains that Basquiat alters everything Warhol puts on the canvas.

Benicio Del Toro is super as Basquiat's home boy friend that finally breaks with his friend as Basquiat loses his bearings.

Parker Posey is stunning as Mary Boone, one character that does not come off well as she tries to lure Basquiat from another gallery to become her client.

Courtney Love, Willam DeFoe, Christopher Walken and others play small parts that keep the ball rolling throughout the film.

Sometimes bold talent arises from the masses, connected to this or that personality. Sometimes that personality thrives and retains their center of gravity and sometimes that personality disintegrates. This young Black man disintegrates and the social forces that contribute to that fall make for a fascinating film.

Charlie Rose with Julian Schnabel; David Bowie (August 9, 1996)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Julian Schnabel; David Bowie (August 9, 1996)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Charlie Rose with David Bowie; David Bowie, Matthew Collings, Karen Wright & Bernard Jacobson (March 31, 1998)
Charlie Rose (March 10, 1999)
Basquiat

ASIN: B000JCF30Q
Release Date: 2006-10-05

Description

Artist, Julian Schnabel, a painter and sculptor, speaks about his turn as director to create a biopic about Jean-Michel Basquiat, the talented African-American painter who died at age twenty- seven. Later, musician turned actor, David Bowie, who plays Andy Warhol in the movie, joins the discussion about Basquiat.

Average customer rating:

SAMO'S WORLD
Interesting
Great film
Absorbing . . .
Rise and fall

Basquiat [Region 2]
Starring: Jeffrey Wright , Michael Wincott , Benicio Del Toro , Claire Forlani , and David Bowie
Director: Julian Schnabel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Pollock
Downtown 81
Modigliani
Vincent & Theo (Ws Sub)
I Shot Andy Warhol

ASIN: B00009KOXS

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

SAMO'S WORLD.......2007-07-03

Interesting.......2007-01-30

Great film.......2007-01-09

This film has a lot of info concerning the life of Basquiat I found that the film gave me a visual of who he was and the people who surrounded him.It made it so much clearer.

Absorbing . . ........2006-10-16

Rise and fall.......2006-07-06

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

TV Classics Limited Edition

Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five

Hi-Life

DVD: Lost Treasure

Jenseits von Mitternacht