Downtown 81
by Edo Bertoglio
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Eszter Balint, Jean Michel Basquiat, John Lurie, Ted Bafaloukos, Tom BakerDirector: Edo Bertoglio
Cinematographer: John McNulty
Editor: Pamela French
Producer: Glenn O'Brien
Writer: Glenn O'Brien
Producer: Maripol
Producer: Michael Zilkha
Producer: Patrick Montgomery
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 72 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-10-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
Movie Reviews of Downtown 81
Movie Review: You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares, so go downtown
Summary: 5 Stars
In this magical feature film, artist extraordinaire Jean-Michel Basquiat is in full form, nineteen and almost ready to hear those post-graffiti fan screams. In one day, we see him leave a hospital having suffered some mysterious illness, get evicted from his run down East Village apartment, try to sell a painting, get paid for it by check, have his band's equipment stolen, chase down a beautiful model he had met, and live life to the fullest. For the artistically inclined, it is a wondrous sight to see Basquiat graffiti writing his poetic revelations on decrepit walls and in books. Little vignettes abound when Basquiat, bright eyed and bushy tailed, runs into his artist friends including Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quinones, and Debby Harry (of Blondie). The film is interspersed with performances by new wave artists including: Kid Creole and the Coconuts, The Plastics, James White and the Blacks, DNA, etc, punctuated with scenes of the rhythms and rap of hip hop. To say this film technically looks a little low budget would be an understatement. But that is where its charm lies. The simple hand held nature of the camera coincides with the innocence and exuberance of these artists before they are swept away into the artistic halls of stardom. Downtown 81 offers a fictionalized version of a day in the life of the young Jean-Michel, a day that included drawing, creating, laughing, and dancing. Although he died only seven years later, in this film, we are reminded of the pleasure he took with his friends in providing us the masterpieces he has left behind. -Danelle Augustin
Summary of Downtown 81
Legendary painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was only 19 years old when he played the lead in DOWNTOWN 81, a striking "lost" film that chronicles the explosive early-'80s Manhattan art and music scene. Completed and theatrically released two decades later, it's the story of a charismatic artist who attempts to sell a painting amidst the rappers, junkies, strippers, models and art-world matriarchs of a pre-Giuliani Lower East Side. This vividly entertaining slice of life is also a fabulous showcase for the music of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tuxedomoon, The Plastics, DNA, The Lounge Lizards, and Basquiat's own band, Gray. Shot on location, DOWNTOWN 81 not only captures one of the most important and provocative artists of the 20th-century as he is poised for worldwide fame, but is also a vivid snapshot of a New York City that no longer exists.Comedy DVD Video
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