GTKU – J.R. Melanie & Basquiat
Life is like a box of Chocolates, so are people. That is the inspiration behind the Getting to Know You project.
This past Monday I finally got around to seeing The Jean-Michel Basquiat documentary Radiant Child. Director Tamra Davis did a great job presenting a more disarming and thoughtful side of the talented but tormented artist. The commentary from Nelson George about the artist struggle with being a black man in a mostly white scene is fresh and insightful. And if you are a fan of the Julian Schnabel bio pic Basquiat you’re going to love seeing much of it play out through photos, video and interviews. One major critique I have is the poor camera and audio on some of the interviews. Nelson’s being the worst. Still I would higly recommend seeing this film.
After the film I thought it would be great to get a review from a fellow theatre goer. Say hello to J.R. and Melanie. They seemed like a great duo and I just had to approach them as a part of my Getting to Know You series.
BTW the film only runs through August 3rd. For more info log onto the film forum website.
Enjoy
Trevz
The Radiant Child: Basquiat Unseen
The trailer for the documentary The Radiant Child about the 80′s post-punk artist Jean-Michel Basquait was just released. It is directed by Tamra Davis who was a friend of Basquiat. She shot this when the artist was at the height of his stardom and two years before his death. After his death of a drug overdose in 1988 she put her footage away in a draw. As she explains it on this youtube interview, she knew Basquiat was upset that his friends were selling his art when he only intended them to be gifts. She didn’t want to be another person who just exploited him. It wasn’t until his 2005 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum when she realized how little footage exists of Basquiat that she decided to make the footage public. As Davis states ‘representations of Basquiat in video and literature did not capture the Jean-Michel Basquiat she knew.’ The trailer looks great and I can’t wait to see the film. It is sure to be an art-house classic.
Theatrical Release date July 21st, 2010
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