Basquiat (1996)

Basquiat tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist, living in Thompkins Square Park in a cardboard box, Jean-Michel is "... See full summary »

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Lech Majewski (story), John Bowe (short story),

Stars:

Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Wright	...	Jean Michel Basquiat
Michael Wincott	...	Rene Ricard
Benicio Del Toro	...	Benny Dalmau
Claire Forlani	...	Gina Cardinale
David Bowie	...	Andy Warhol
Dennis Hopper	...	Bruno Bischofberger
Gary Oldman	...	Albert Milo
Christopher Walken	...	The Interviewer
Willem Dafoe	...	The Electrician
Jean-Claude La Marre	...	Shenge (as Jean Claude LaMarre)
Parker Posey	...	Mary Boone
Elina Löwensohn	...	Annina Nosei
Paul Bartel	...	Henry Geldzahler
Courtney Love	...	Big Pink
Tatum O'Neal	...	Cynthia Kruger

Storyline

Basquiat tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist, living in Thompkins Square Park in a cardboard box, Jean-Michel is "discovered" by Andy Warhol's art world and becomes a star. But success has a high price, and Basquiat pays with friendship, love, and eventually, his life.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | friendship | street artist | art | andy warhol | 

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Taglines:

In 1981, A Nineteen-Year-Old Unknown Graffiti Writer Took The New York Art World By Storm. The Rest Is Art History.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use and strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Build a Fort, Set It on Fire

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 96,783,000 (Italy) (9 May 1997)

Gross:

ITL 780,048,000 (Italy) (6 June 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eleventh Street Production, Jon Kilik, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the film, David Bowie is adorned in the actual wigs worn by the real Andy Warhol.

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Goofs

When Jean Michel discovers that Andy Warhol has died (which occurs in the mid-'80s) there is the store X-Large in the background. X-Large, (created by Mike D from the Beastie Boys) did not open or have clothing until the early nineties.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rene: Everybody wants to get on the Van Gogh boat. There's no trip so horrible that someone won't take it. The idea of the unrecognized genius slaving away in a garot is deliciously foolish one. We must credit the life of Vincent Van Gogh for really sending this myth into orbit. I mean, how many pictures did he sell, one? He couldn't give them away. He has to be the most modern artist, but everybody hated him. He was so ashamed of his life that the rest of our history will be ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits, a short clip showing a surfer riding on a wave is displayed. It's very similar to the surfing/wave shots that Basquiat keeps seeing whenever he looks up to the sky during the movie, but it's in full color instead of being blue-tinted.

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Connections

Features Metropolis (1927)

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Soundtracks

"Flamenco Sketches"
Performed by Miles Davis
Written by Miles Davis
Published by The Estate of Miles Davis/Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Like the artist himself, this movie had style

I enjoy Basquiat's artwork. When I look at it, It doesn't look like it took a great amount of talent. His work tended to look very simple, really basic ideas. However, the creativity is overwhelming. He was a minimalist, that came up with simplistic masterpieces. Yeah, it was not real hard to do, but few have ever had such creative ideas. This film reminds me so much of the artist himself. It has a ton of style, it is fun to watch, somewhat uneventful, and like the artist, it is destined to be remembered, because style never dies. Heavyweight talent is everywhere, with actors such as Dennis Hopper, Benecio Del Torro, Geofrey Wright, David Bowie, Willam DeFoe, etc. I don't think either the film or the artist were that special, so why can't I forget either?