Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33407 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-10-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 72 minutes

Customer Reviews

Eerily timeless & worth owning for Basquiat fans & early '80s scene
Initially dubious about this film, I read every Amazon review before purchasing and was pleased to find the quality and substance even better than I'd hoped. I love the movie "Basquiat" and now I'm amazed how well it portrayed the artist & his life, having now seen Downtown 81. Don't miss the Special Features, particularly the photo galleries; it was gratifying to learn than many of the talented people associated with the film have really made something of their lives. We can only wonder what more Basquiat would have achieved or how his art would have evolved if he were alive today. But at least we have his art of the '80s, and this film.

This Is Not By Vincent Gallo
This is a very indie film. Left in someones basement or attic because they couldn't finish editing it at the time... it has been miraculously preserved and released. This is not eye opening cinema.It is jaw dropping footage of the lower east side and the village. You will not see it like that in New York now. The movie trails along behind basquiat in this fictional account of what it is to be on the everyday side of things for the artist and the art scene. Based on some real life; most aspects feel staged instead of actual accounts and it is a film not a documentary. Written by Glenn O'Brien.

An Oddity
I thought the movie was disjointed, it lacked subject matter. Very odd.