Basquiat (1996)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Lech Majewski (story) and
John F. Bowe (short story) ...

Release Date:

9 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

In 1981, A Nineteen-Year-Old Unknown Graffiti Writer Took The New York Art World By Storm. The Rest Is Art History.

Plot:

Basquiat tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist...

Plot Keywords:

Artist | Street Artist | Friendship | Warhol | Art

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Jeffrey Wright	...	Jean Michel Basquiat
Michael Wincott	...	Rene Ricard
Benicio Del Toro	...	Benny Dalmau
Claire Forlani	...	Gina Cardinale
David Bowie	...	Andy Warhol
Dennis Hopper	...	Bruno Bischofberger
Gary Oldman	...	Albert Milo
Christopher Walken	...	The Interviewer
Willem Dafoe	...	The Electrician
Jean-Claude La Marre	...	Shenge (as Jean Claude LaMarre)
Parker Posey	...	Mary Boone
Elina Löwensohn	...	Annina Nosei
Paul Bartel	...	Henry Geldzahler
Courtney Love	...	Big Pink
Tatum O'Neal	...	Cynthia Kruger

Also Known As:

Build a Fort, Set It on Fire

MPAA:

Rated R for drug use and strong language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

Eleventh Street Production

Trivia:

Christopher Walken, Benicio Del Toro and Vincent Gallo all co-starred in Abel Ferrara's The Funeral (1996), also released in 1996.

Goofs:

Continuity: A copyright symbol on one of Basquiat's graffiti art is shown before he actually paints it.

Quotes:

[Basquiat is nailing one of his pieces to the wall]
Rene: Child, you got no respect at all... nobody taught you how to mount paintings? You know me, when it comes to a mounting, the rougher the better.

Movie Connections:

Features New York Beat Movie (1981)

Soundtrack:

Fairytale of New York

Are you a writer or a white writer?

I was able to appreciate this movie. I'm sure that it's probably not the most accurate portrayal of JMB that we can get but it's still a pretty compelling look. I think director Julian Schnabel was able to capture the essence of the '80s art world pretty well, even though I question his directorial skills somewhat. There are some really good performances here, one of my favorites being Benicio Del Toro as JMB's best friend, Benny. I thought Jeffrey Wright was really good as JMB and I think this guy is definitely gonna go places in the near future. The cameos are pretty interesting, with Dennis Hopper, Willem Dafoe, Parker Posey, Gary Oldman and Christopher Walken putting in a couple of minutes worth each. It must be noted that David Bowie gives a haunting performance as Andy Warhol. It's pretty creepy actually. The selection of music for the movie was taken from JMB's actual record collection and it's great stuff. It's not a perfect movie but it's moving, at the least. An interesting, if at times skewed, look at the '80s art scene and one of it's icons. RATING: ***1/2 out of *****.