Basquiat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Basquiat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 5, 2025

It's maybe just a little ironic that Julian Schnabel wanted to (both figuratively and literally) recast Basquiat in black and white since he felt the original color version may have drawn too much attention to the artwork presented in the film. Um. . .what? There's also arguably a certain underlying hilarity to the actually quite melancholic tale Basquiat tells when both the original trailer and 2024 trailer quote "no one wants to be part of a generation that ignores another Van Gogh" from the film's dialogue, which might then subliminally remind film fans at least that an absolutely ravishing palette was definitely part and parcel of another biographical film about that very painting titan, Lust for Life, even if it was produced courtesy of Metrocolor rather than Technicolor. All of this is to say, if marketers at least might be interested in, well, highlighting the new black and white version offered on this release, my hunch is originalists at least may opt for the original color version of Basquiat, especially because its title character's approach was so explosively hue ridden. Criterion's 1080 release of the film offers both the black and white and color versions, both sourced from new 4K scans, while rather interestingly the 4K UHD disc in their Basquiat 4K release offers only the black and white version (a 1080 disc with both versions is also included).

Jean-Michel Basquiat (played as an adult by Jeffrey Wright, in his first major feature film role) is introduced as a child, viewing Picasso's Guernica with his mother. It's almost a magical realist opening, as evidenced by the fanciful depiction of young Jean-Michel donning a glowing crown, but the rest of Schnabel's film probably more consistently hews to a more or less "realistic" approach, even if some aspects have been fictionalized, including what are often referred to as "composite characters". Definitely uncomposited is Andy Warhol (David Bowie, getting top billing), presented here as a mentor and friend to Basquiat, and evidently in real life one of the prime reasons that Schnabel decided to make his own film about Basquiat, rather than continuing to aid Lech Majewski in Majewski's own pursuit to make a biopic (Majewski gets co-story credit for this effort). Schnabel evidently had issues with some of Majewski's decisions regarding how to portray Warhol in particular, and as such, Bowie's characterization here is rather interesting, and arguably less camptastically robotic than he's been portrayed in other films.

Schnabel assembled a very starry cast for this production, and wafting in and out of Basquiat's life are a number of interesting folks, perhaps not instantly "name recognition" worthy, but played by performers of considerable renown. For example, Swiss art dealer Bruno Bischofberger (Dennis Hopper), Mary Boone (Parker Posey) and Henry Geldzahler (Paul Bartel) may be names known only to a certain elite demographic, but the "familiarity" of the people playing them may help the film to elide the need for long character developments. Other characters may be those aforementioned "composite" types, including perceived main squeeze Gina Cardinale (Claire Forlani), "other woman" Big Pink (Courtney Love) and buddy Benny Dalmau (Benicio del Toro).

The story here is actually sadly rote, with a hardscrabble genius riding a veritable rocket ship zooming him from destitute poverty to fame and fortune, with an attendant drug problem leading to his demise. Basquiat's "branding" as "the true voice of the gutter" (an actual quote from the film) and a rare Black artist to attain global status is offered here with a certain trenchant quality. Schnabel was an integral part of not just this "scene" in general, but Basquiat's life in particular, and you can feel his personal approach (incoming irony alert) coloring the proceedings. That may frankly not always redound completely to the benefit of the film, which despite offering examples of Basquiat's "issues", may seem like a hagiography of sorts.

Basquiat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Basquiat is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Criterion provided their 4K UHD release for purposes of this 1080 review, and as such I only have the foldout leaflet offered in the 4K release, which has the following information on the master:

Basquiat is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Supervised and approved by director Julian Schnabel, the new black and white 4K restoration was created from the 35 mm original camera negative. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original digital audio master files. The feature is presented in Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K Ultra HD disc and high definition SDR (standard dynbamic range) on the Blu-ray.

It should be noted that the back cover also affirms that both the black and white and color versions are sourced from "new 4K digital restoration(s)". I've tried to come close to duplicating frames from each version in the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, so that those interested can do some side by side comparisons to see how things change. Preference is obviously going to be a matter of taste, but on a purely technical level, I found both of these presentations to be stellar. The color version has some extremely vivid saturation on both the warm (e.g., red) and cool (e.g., blue) ends of the spectrum, though the color version may arguably show a bit more of a slight variance in clarity and uptick in grain thickness that can interstitially appear. The black and white version offers really lustrous contrast and commendable detail levels, but the fact that Criterion's 4K release offers that version in 4K with Dolby Vision / HDR grades may make this 1080 version a "runner up" of sorts.

Basquiat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Basquiat features a really enjoyable immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Schnabel discusses his love for music in general and the tunes he selected for the soundtrack in particular on the commentary track, and there is really nice if subtle engagement of the side and rear channels when many of these songs are playing. Outdoor scenes and even some crowd scenes in bustling art galleries can also offer noticeable spill into the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Basquiat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Jeffrey Wright (HD; 25:24) offers some reminiscences and biographical background in this appealing 2024 interview. He seems at least somewhat more sanguine here about the film than some of his earlier reported comments might suggest (available online for those interested).


• Julian Schnabel and David Bowie, 1996 (HD; 55:26) are offered here in a segment from the old Charlie Rose show. I kind of humorously wondered in passing if either Schnabel or Rose objected to Bowie smoking the entire time.


• Trailers

  Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:35)

  
  

  2024 Trailer (HD; 2:14)



• Audio Commentary featuring Julian Schnabel and Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan is available for the black and white version.

The 4K UHD release offers a foldout leaflet is enclosed and includes an essay by Roger Durling. The keepcase insert has an inner print featuring Wright as Basquiat. I'm assuming both are part of the standalone 1080 release.

Basquiat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Basquiat is a lot like its focal character, namely vivid, anachronistic and just flat out stylish. The story here is kind of sadly rote, but a starry cast really helps to elevate things. I'm absolutely positive Schnabel's decision to rerelease this film in black and white will chafe against some sensibilities, but at least the 1080 disc in this package offers both versions. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.