Basquiat | 
| Director: Julian Schnabel
Actors: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, David Bowie
Studio: Miramax
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.17
You Save: $10.82 (54%)
New (41) Used (13) from $8.01
Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 20629
Format: Color, Dvd, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DISD24181D
UPC: 786936166699
EAN: 0786936166699
ASIN: B000065V3Y
Theatrical Release Date: August 9, 1996
Release Date: September 3, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 09/03/2002 Starring: Jeffrey Wright David Bowie Run time: 108 minutes Rating: R Director: Julian Schnabel
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Compelling and tragic May 21, 2009
Mary B. Howkins
Basquiat's life and demise are lessons in too-sudden fame and the exploitation of African Americans, street people, and the poor. Julian Schnabel has made a subtle and artistically structured tribute to Basquiat, the kind of tribute that only a fellow artist could make. The film exposes the New York art world for some of its artificiality, power plays, maneuvers and corruption in the lime-lighting of potential money-making genius. The film, however, feeds the myth that great artists are marginally sane and creative to the extent of that marginality. An excellent choice for viewing.
Street Art, Abstract Art May 13, 2009
Amaranth (Northern California)
"Basquiat" was Julian Schnabel's first art house flick in 1996. It garnered critical attention with performances from David Bowie (as Andy Warhol), Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, as well as newcomers like Benicio del Toro, Claire Forlani, and Parker Posey. Jeffrey Wright is excellent as Basquiat,the graffiti artist who enjoyed great success, but then fell through his own excesses.
"Basquiat" is visually striking. After all, director Schnabel is a painter. The screen is his canvas. This movie is nearly 15 years old, yet it retains its freshness and vigor. The vividness is as great as when it first came out. "Basquiat" is painting on the screen!
New York Art Scene January 29, 2009
Michael Kerjman (The Earth)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I try to believe recent years to bring about so many artist-linked doco-dramas as the seventies-eighties of the last century.
Depicting a struggling to survive in New York young Afro-American carved a very cluster of art/cultural community for generations coming.
Ok, so I saw this because of David Bowie/Andy Warhol... August 4, 2008
Leslie Thompson (a mid-atlantic state, USA)
...and he was incredible as Andy Warhol. Creepy silences, slow movements, that voice. I really enjoyed watching him most of all. And I read on imdb.com that he wore some of Andy Warhol's real wigs! That must have been an awesome experience, to portray someone you admired in real life. Jeffrey Wright was impressive as Basquiat, and seeing Christopher Walken is always a treat. I didn't know much about Basquiat before watching this, but I appreciate his work more after catching this short glimpse of his world, dingy NYC in the 1980s, lifestyles of eccentric artists, drugs, music, etc. Definitely watch if you're a fan of Basquiat or any of the fine actors here.
I appreciate it more each time I watch it May 25, 2008
Romeocar (Texas)
Well, I love the artwork of Basquiat; add to that the fantastic actors (Jeffrey Wright is genius); the film manages to capture the essence of Basquiat's short but talented life in a celebratory and poignant way. As time goes on, this film gains even more relevance. If I said too much it would spoil it; there's something fragile there, but enduring.
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