“Basquiat”
To some, to be an artist means to understand life through struggle and then to communicate a message of hope and change through different mediums. For some people who lived in New York City during the 1980’s they were blessed with the presence of many of these types. Warhol, Schnabel, Salle, Clemente, Haring and of course Basquiat. The 1996 film “Basquiat” which was directed by Julian Schnabel brings the eminence of celebrated artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to life once again.
Basquiat was an artist who started making his mark on buildings all over Manhattan at a young age. As a child of a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father, Basquiat saw things through a different scope than others. Before he finished his education at the Edward R. Murrow High School, Basquiat dropped out to move into the city and live with some friends. It was then that he started to develop as an artist, creatively looking for ways to make money and express a message. He wanted to be a star.
In the film “Basquiat,” Schnabel pays tribute to his friend. He tells the story of Basquiat as a punk kid who was in a band and sometimes lived in a cardboard box down in Tompkins Square Park. He was a force to be reckoned with. He embraced all types of art and culture. In the film Schnabel highlights the moments in Basquiats days that affected his life and career; his first run in with Andy Warhol, his meeting with Rene Ricard, his falling in love and his first shows. All of these things were a very important part in Basquiat's existence, but not more than his infatuation with drugs.
During the film, Basquiat grows increasingly paranoid and more dependent on his drugs. He continues to become famous and as he does he starts to isolate himself from his friends and so called friends. He finds himself lonely and uninspired. The only friend that he cares to talk to is Andy Warhol.
“Basquiat” is an interesting film because it gives a good sense of history and what was going on in that time that was the pinnacle of Basquiats career. Not to mention great performances by: Jeffrey Wright who portrays Basquiat, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Benicio Del Toro, Parker Posey, Courtney Love, Tatum O’Neal and many more. Technically, Schnabel does a great job of implementing these psychedelic images of surfers in the sky, over the buildings of Manhattan. As is always, it is hard to compact the life of an individual in an hour and a half, but Schnabel touches upon as much as possible, as he remembers the legendary Basquiat.
- Story- A
- Acting- A+
- Visuals- A
- Originality/ Innovation- A
- Enjoyability- A
- Overall- A
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