| | | In 1981, a nineteen-year-old unknown graffiti writer took the New York art world by storm. The rest is art history.
Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, French, Dubbed
"Actor Jeffrey Wright (is) absolutely brilliant in the role of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the young American painter whose brief life spanned the explosion of money and fame that colored the art world in the 1980s...it's a terrific film, a remarkable first feature by Julian Schnabel...And the performance by Jeffrey Wright, so tender, so restrained, so charismatic, is a great piece of work, certainly worthy of Oscar consideration...It's one of the year's best movies. I know I'll see it again very soon...two thumbs up, way up for Basquiat..." -- Gene Siskel
"...canny insider's portrait of the art world..." Joseph McBride, Box Office Magazine
"...bold, attention-getting..." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Jeffrey Wright is magnetic and moving..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"There's much worthy of celebrating about Basquiat..." Tom Coates, BBCi
Editor's Note
An insider's look at the kinetic New York art world, told through the life story of Jean-Michel Basquiat. A black, 19-year-old graffiti artist who catapulted to superstardom with his controversial paintings, Basquiat rubbed elbows with the likes of Andy Warhol and Julian Schnabel before burning out permanently at the age of 27. Schnabel, himself a celebrated figure in the art world, makes his directing debut.
Plot Summary
At age 19, Jean Michel Basquiat was a poor, struggling graffiti artist. Eight years later, he was one of the most famous, acclaimed painters in the world -- and dead of a heroin overdose.| "Basquiat" details the tumultuous years in between, concentrating on his meteoric rise within Soho's trendy art world. The charismatic but self-destructive Basquiat had his share of personal demons, including his mother's mental illness, and his hatred of middle-class society... which courted and exploited him. The young artist's heroin addiction eventually led to his death, extinguishing a great talent in the process.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, French | | Theatrical Trailer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 9/3/2002 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1996 | | Catalog ID: 24181 | | UPC: 00786936166699 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Independent Spirit (1997) |  | Benicio Del Toro, Winner, Best Supporting Male | | | Jeffrey Wright, Nominee, Best Debut Performance | |
Venice Film Festival (1996) | | | Julian Schnabel, Nominee, Golden Lion |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Schnabel's exceptional film honors his friend by showing the act of creation as a natural high..." 08/22/1996 p.105USA Today
"...A surprisingly voluminous cast of usual suspects from the world of independent cinema..." 08/14/1996 p.9D Entertainment Weekly
"...Fascinating....[Wright] gives a vivid, near-poetic performance..." -- Rating: B 08/16/1996 p.46 Variety
"...An illustrious cast of terrific actors that includes Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper and, probably best of all, David Bowie in a brilliant Warhol impersonation..." 08/05/1996 Sight and Sound
"...As much an evocative thesis on creativity as a sensitive biography of a single artist....This is a bold, often beautiful film..." 04/01/1997 p.35-6 San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
...Basquiat is told by a genuine insider who not only understands the artist's process but actually knew his subject. - Edward Guthmann
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