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BasquiatRating:
Release Date: 03 September, 2002 Retail Price: $19.99 OUR Price: $17.99 You SAVE: $2.00! Cast: Complete Cast (16 total) |
Basquiat Reviews
The hell an artist goes through....
I read the previous reviews, and I have to say... as an artist in NYC, this is my absolute favorite film of all time. Yes, it portrays Basquiat as a self-indulgent drug-induced brat. There are those who will understand. There are those who live this. There are those who know what it means to struggle. But for those who are artists, this movie will touch something that no film has ever touched upon in such an intense way. The struggle for success is mixed with the struggle of being successful. The world comes crashing down on you and there is ultimately no way to escape it. It happens to celebrities... it happens to artists... it happenes to anyone in the spotlight who actually has something to say to the world. The casting for this film is brilliant. I would love to talk to each and every actor and actress to find out their personal reason for being a part of this film. I feel there is so much there that isn't being said. A film like this puts to shame most contemporary films that feel the need to spell everything out and reiterate in montages. I watch this film again and again... and each time I see a different film. I may not be the typical audience. But man... what an expererience to watch this film as an artist in NYC.
A review from someone who was there.
I went to the School of Visual Arts from 1977 - 1981, during the time that Basquiat "attended" school there, or it would be more accurate to say during the time that Jean Michel hung out at SVA's lounge and painting classes while never actually paying to attend class. Either way, the film perfectly captures both sides of the NYC art scene of that time -- the struggling artist and the world of Soho's elite. The film has a great musical score that includes music of the day and other art school favorites. There are also some wonderfully accurate character portraits like David Bowie's Andy Warhol, Parker Posey's Mary Boone and the more obscure, but right on target, Benicio Del Toro's accurate portrayal of your average NYC (SVA, Parsons The New School) art student. The film also does an affective job of capturing the atmosphere of the late night 80's East Village parties and Soho openings and the way Warhol stepped in and out of the scene mingling with the young talent all too eager to mingle back with him. Jeffrey Wright plays Basquiat with a more Mickey Mouse-like flair than Jean Michel really had. I remember him as a loner, a little dark and more brooding, if not angst ridden at times. (My guess is this is how Wright choose to make Jean more presentable to a motion picture audience.) Anyway, the film as a whole is a heartfelt portrait from a colleague and friend Julian Schnabel, an 80's fine art painter known for his paintings involving broken dinner plates who later became a motion picture director and directs this portrait of his friend Basquiat. If you're looking for a love letter to Jean, then this film is for you.
More Customer Reviews (25 total)
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