Downtown 81

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

After being released from the hospital, the artist Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay.

Play trailer1:28

1 Video

17 Photos

Comedy Drama Music

After being released from the hospital, the artist Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay.After being released from the hospital, the artist Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay.After being released from the hospital, the artist Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:28

Official Trailer

Photos17

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Storyline

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Trivia
Since 1981, Glenn O'Brien had possession of all of the live musical performance recordings. Unfortunately, the original voice soundtrack was lost in Italy by the film storage vault. The producers were able to get most of the original cast to re-dub their dialogue. But Jean Michel Basquiat died in 1988. So Saul Williams was hired to dub Basquiat's dialogue.

Quotes
Jean Michel Basquiat: I'm an artist. When you tell people that they usually say, 'what's your medium?' I usually say, 'extra large.'

Alternate versions
In the 2001 version, Downtown 81, Saul Williams does the voiceover for Jean-Michel Basquiat's character.

Connections
Featured in Basquiat (1996)

Soundtracks
Palabras Con Ritmo
Written by Jean Michel Basquiat and Coati Mundi
Performed by Coati Mundi
Courtesy of Coati Mundi Productions

User reviews11

Featured review

10/10

Absolutely fascinating...

...document of life in downtown New York 1981. I saw this at the Stockholm film festival, November 2000. Apparently the film had just been completed. Where has it been for 20 years????

I loved seeing all of those people from the art and rock worlds. Jean Michel Basqiat is so cute and a good actor too! What a shame he died young. I didn´t know he had a band too. It´s fun seeing New Wave bands like Kid Creole and the Plastics. Gorgeous Debbie Harry is in it too!!! *sigh!*

Everyone is so colorful! I love the 80´s fashions... It has a dreamlike feel to it. See it if you can!