- Actors: Jean Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, Tony Schafrazi
- Writers: Lois Vossen, Eric Martin
- Producers: Alexis Spraic, Cathy R. Fischer, Chris Turner, Jen Kaczor, Lois Vossen
- Format: Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: New Video Group
- DVD Release Date: 9 Nov 2010
- Run Time: 88 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- ASIN: B003MWHUMY
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 58,612 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Wicked documentary this is about the career of Jean Michel Basquiat.This guy was a real free spirit,very cool,achingly hip...the total epitome of a street artist.It is quite unbelievable the heights Jean scaled,by twenty he was an art superstar.In terms of his art he is classified as a "neo expressionist",a term i do not fully grasp but kind of get.His work was large,colourful,vibrant kind of childish in a time when minimalism ruled.Basquiat himself was an enigma,the documentary features lots of interviews with gallery owners,friends,the wonderfully churlish Julian Schnabel.
What is shocking was the blatant inherent racism of the time,truly appalling.Constantly referred to as "primal","wild" in reviews these comments took on a nasty side very much propelling a cliched representation of
a black man.
It seems Basquiat would never be excepted into the hierachy of the artworld at the time very snooty and stuffy replete with the casual bigotry.One gallery guy in an interview from the early 80s dismissed Basquiat sneering
"his influence is miniscule...he represents the disadvantaged minority".Ironically Basquiat was a product of middle class parentage his father a successful accountant.
The film also explores his relationship with the demigod Andy Warhol who by all accounts was in love with the artist.Once the initial success run it's course the parasitic artworld which had its chew spat Basquiat out.The novelty worn,critics began to mock Basquiat who really took the criticism to heart.Addicted to drugs,heartbroken about the death of Warhol,scarred from a complex relationship with his father Basquiat very much went from free spirit to lost spirit.
Radiant Child is a great documentary,lots of themes running parrallel from celebrity,success...with stunning footage from early 80s New York good golly it looked cool.Basquiat occupys that same cool iconic area of you know aJim Morrisson or James Dean,dying at the infamous age of 27....this being the eerie age at which multitudes of romantically destructive artists have expired.Basquiat was an artist who totally was of his time,an artist whose work could be appreciated by a chin stroking academic or snotty street punk.A beautiful star that shone bright and will continue to shine an influence.COOL.
What is shocking was the blatant inherent racism of the time,truly appalling.Constantly referred to as "primal","wild" in reviews these comments took on a nasty side very much propelling a cliched representation of
a black man.
It seems Basquiat would never be excepted into the hierachy of the artworld at the time very snooty and stuffy replete with the casual bigotry.One gallery guy in an interview from the early 80s dismissed Basquiat sneering
"his influence is miniscule...he represents the disadvantaged minority".Ironically Basquiat was a product of middle class parentage his father a successful accountant.
The film also explores his relationship with the demigod Andy Warhol who by all accounts was in love with the artist.Once the initial success run it's course the parasitic artworld which had its chew spat Basquiat out.The novelty worn,critics began to mock Basquiat who really took the criticism to heart.Addicted to drugs,heartbroken about the death of Warhol,scarred from a complex relationship with his father Basquiat very much went from free spirit to lost spirit.
Radiant Child is a great documentary,lots of themes running parrallel from celebrity,success...with stunning footage from early 80s New York good golly it looked cool.Basquiat occupys that same cool iconic area of you know aJim Morrisson or James Dean,dying at the infamous age of 27....this being the eerie age at which multitudes of romantically destructive artists have expired.Basquiat was an artist who totally was of his time,an artist whose work could be appreciated by a chin stroking academic or snotty street punk.A beautiful star that shone bright and will continue to shine an influence.COOL.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Strips away the mystique and captures Basquiat the man behind the growing myth
12 Jun 2010
Format:DVD
We saw Tamra Davis' Basquiat documentary at the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival. For those of us who've seen and enjoyed Julian Schnabel's very good 1996 film Basquiat (featuring an outstanding turn by Jeffrey Wright in the title role), Davis' work is a good companion piece. For those of you who've not seen Schnabel's film, "The Radiant Child" serves as a good intro to both Basquiat's work and to the man who laid behind the ever-growing myth.
Davis was a friend and contemporary of Jean-Michel Basquiat. She had the stroke of fortune (and the insight) to record a series of interviews with him at the height of his art-world popularity. Though the production value of those interviews is relatively poor, they're fascinating and serve as the core of the film. They pierce the aura of Basquiat the artist and growing legend to reveal his inherent fragility, his soft-spoken nature and the increasing burden of living up to the 'Basquiat' mystique/brand he created.
The other interviews painstakingly compiled by Davis add flavor and flesh out the re-telling, but it's Basquiat's own words and haunting image that will stick with you. I especially liked Basquiat's comment that not a single line or stroke in his works was by accident. This is backed up by one of the interviewees who noted the immediate appeal of Basquiat's work: that he had a unique hand, i.e., one which crafted a line that could only be produced by him. Davis also does a great job producing tales and evidence of the artist's prodigious work ethic and output. In his comet-like career, he produced over 1,500 pieces of work. Davis captures compelling tales of friends and clients showing up at his apartment and finding every surface - walls, refrigerator, other appliances - filled with imagery from his fervent brain.
Davis was a friend and contemporary of Jean-Michel Basquiat. She had the stroke of fortune (and the insight) to record a series of interviews with him at the height of his art-world popularity. Though the production value of those interviews is relatively poor, they're fascinating and serve as the core of the film. They pierce the aura of Basquiat the artist and growing legend to reveal his inherent fragility, his soft-spoken nature and the increasing burden of living up to the 'Basquiat' mystique/brand he created.
The other interviews painstakingly compiled by Davis add flavor and flesh out the re-telling, but it's Basquiat's own words and haunting image that will stick with you. I especially liked Basquiat's comment that not a single line or stroke in his works was by accident. This is backed up by one of the interviewees who noted the immediate appeal of Basquiat's work: that he had a unique hand, i.e., one which crafted a line that could only be produced by him. Davis also does a great job producing tales and evidence of the artist's prodigious work ethic and output. In his comet-like career, he produced over 1,500 pieces of work. Davis captures compelling tales of friends and clients showing up at his apartment and finding every surface - walls, refrigerator, other appliances - filled with imagery from his fervent brain.
36 of 48 people found the following review helpful
This is a Loving Valentine, But Little More
5 Aug 2010
Format:DVD
"Jean-Michael Basquiat: The Radiant Child" has the look of a scrappy documentary you might see on PBS' "Independent Lens." Sit down interviews, good archival footage, nice use of music and so on. But the more you watch - beyond being tortured by the truly horrific sound editing in this film - the more you have to wonder, is this really the truth or a tepid whitewash? After watching the film all the way through, I'd go 60/40 with tepid whitewash tipping the balance. The most serious problem with this film is that major parts of Basquiat's life that likely informed his art - his serious drug addiction which killed him at 27, the racism he experienced in the 80s art world, his clear-eyed and brazen ambition, his bi-sexuality, and his tortured relationship with his father - are given short shrift. While Basquiat may have been a "radiant child," he could also be a thin-skinned brat who alienated many with his unreasonable and likely drug-distorted demands. Most in the art world are willing to forgive that because of his formidable talent and the powerful humanity that he bought to his art. But I wish the filmmaker would have been more embracing of the complexity of his life and push harder for more truthful answers from its subjects, many of whom come of as evasive and even slightly dishonest at times. By the end of this film I could not help but feel that everyone - including the filmmaker - was hiding something for fear that the truth about Jean-Michel Basquiat might not reflect well on him. But that's the deal with documentary. It's not always pretty but that doesn't mean you don't address basic truths openly and directly. Even with these complaints, however, this film is still worth seeing because it's likely the only one that will feature those who knew him well.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Simply Brillant
21 Sep 2010
Format:DVD
I saw this film today and it was the most brillant body of work that I've seen in quite some time. It just built on all the things that I already knew about Jean-Michel. The interviews were very insightful and moving. Beauty, Art, Tragedy, and Fame all wrapped into one. I loved it from start to finish. They say nobody loves a genius child but if you are a fan of Basquiat or just curious about his life in any way...do not hesitate to purchase this film.
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