1996 Directed by Julian Schnabel
Director Julian Schnabel illustrates the portrait of his friend, the first African-American pop artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who unfortunately died at a young age and just as he was beginning to make a name for himself in the art world. Alongside the biography of Basquiat are the artists and the art scene from early 1980’s New York.
Jeffrey Wright David Bowie Dennis Hopper Gary Oldman Benicio del Toro Claire Forlani Michael Wincott Parker Posey Courtney Love Tatum O'Neal Christopher Walken Willem Dafoe Sam Rockwell Jean-Claude La Marre Hope Clarke Rockets Redglare Elina Löwensohn Paul Bartel Joseph R. Gannascoli Michael Badalucco Vincent Gallo
I have been converted to the Benicio Del Toro thirst club……..i was lost but now i am found
Maybe I need to pay more attention, but I feel like this didn't really tell me all that much about Basquiat's life? His (well, a) personality is present, and it has moments where it feels compelling, where you see a spark of someone you want to know more about. Those moments, though, never go further, and the parade of familiar faces and characters are little more than cameos that provide little context. I don't know what Basquiat was actually like, but it seems unlikely that he was so... devoid, disconnected, that his art and his life weren't somehow more strongly bound, that the experiences we see could not be somehow more connected to the art we see. The rare instances…
Viewed on DVD
Today I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario and saw the art exhibit of
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now's The Time and while browsing through the gift shop I saw the film Basquiat on display. I picked it up and watched it for the third time.
The first time was when it was released and the only name I recognized was Andy Warhol. The second time I saw it was a few years back when the work of Julian Schnable was on display at the AGO.
You can see Basquiat is director Julian Schnable's love letter to a dear friend.
Film 46 of The December Project
Biopics are a terribly underrated genre. But Basquiat won't be an example if I want to argue that.
Okay, I pretty much only watched this because of David Bowie (playing Andy Warhol). And I'm a philistine about messy, unpretty abstract art; I don't even like Picasso, and I like the Stuckists, not for their angry manifesto, but just because I like the way their paintings look.
When this film was released I thought I should see it to learn about Basquiat himself. And he still sounded potentially interesting today. But it wasn't a very good way to learn: in a 1h 45m film - which sometimes feels nearer three hours - I got much…
Mesmerizing, beautiful, strange, pure, honest. This movie captivated me from beginning to end and I truly fell in love with it. It told the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat the painter. It pulls you into his world, his life, so effortlessly. The characters come alive on screen and every scene is so pleasing to watch, because just like the focus of the film- it is a piece of art.
All of the actors were outstanding, especially Jeffrey Wright. His performance was my favorite thing about the movie. Everything from his mannerisms to his smile were so charming that he shines in this film. The rest of the cast were perfect as well, with Bowie, Gary Oldman, Benicio, and even Christopher Walken…
Watched for Scavenger Hunt 17
7. A singer (someone who is famous for their singing career) is acting in this film, which is not a musical.
What an incredible cast first of all. David Bowie as Andy Warhol is an experience. The best part of this film is seeing all of the art. I find that this is trying so hard to be big and important. It never seems to make as big an impact as it is attempting.
I don’t remember much from this movie other than the fact that Bowie played Warhol.
I leave you with this: If Basquiat came back and watched this film, would he be pleased... I don’t know, he might not even care.
Schnabel paints Basquiat both in broad and subtle strokes, conjuring up weird scribbles that bring out Basquiat's character. Jeffrey Wright is magnificent.
"He’s jealous of the moon, because you look at it. He’s jealous of the sun, because it warms you. I feel you, even when I’m not feeling you. I talk to you when I’m not talking to you. I love you, even when I’m not loving you."
eu amo um artista.
This is one of the most underrated and under-discussed biopics in cinema history. The cast is picture perfect, from Wright to Bowie to Hopper to Oldman and everyone else in the smaller roles. It’s a film that could easily fall victim to the rags-to-riches tropes as well as the biopic tropes, yet it artfully and evenly transcends the trappings of both genres. It’s a film about art and its artist, yet it also seems to value art for art’s sake throughout the concise runtime. I am a big fan of Basquiat, but I feel as if a non-fan would love this movie equally as well. Entertaining and aesthetically unified, Basquiat is a surprisingly great film about an undeniably great artist.
It took me 20+ years to finally watch this movie. I had it on my watch list forever, but somehow I managed to avoid~
A story about a great but unfortunate artist in the 60's~70's, Basquiat paints a genius artist who achieved so much except for happiness.
With wonderful actors & actresses (it's such a shame Claire Forlani's career didn't take off), Julian Schnabel directed a true masterpiece.
And most importantly, the movie wouldn't have been half as good with out the music - especially Tom Waits!
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