Downtown 81 (1981)

The re-issue of the 1981 film depicting a day in the life of the legendary American artist Jean Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). The cast includes Deborah Harry, and leading bands of the era including Kid Creole and the Coconuts, James White and the Blacks, DNA, Tuxedo Moon, the Plastics, and Walter Steding and the Dragon People. (Zeitgeist Films)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Edo Bertoglio
Written By: Glenn O'Brien
Starring: Debbie Harry, John Lurie, Jean Michel Basquiat, August Darnell
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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Downtown 81 belongs to 6 collections
1. Netflix Instant (collaborative: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)
2. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)
3. TimeOut's 1000 films to change your life (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
4. Street Art and Spectacle (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 2 stars)
5. Pre-Guiliani New York (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 2 stars)
6. No Wave Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 1 star)
Browse the full list of collections
Date | User | Rating | |
Dec 07, 2019 | ![]() |
loc42 | 65 47th |
A weird documentary-like story of Basquiat and NYC's counter culture. Felt a little like no wave movies and the documentary "Blank City." I enjoyed the roughness of camera and dialogues. But the story just doesn't go to anywhere, making this an anarchistic archival record of the times and the spirit of 80's NYC.
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Dec 17, 2016 | Jazzaloha | 67 52nd |
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Exploration of NY downtown scene, featuring many music groups performing, through a loose fictional narrative, with Jean-Michel Basquiat as a kind of "tour guide." I enjoyed seeing the city in this time period.
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Mar 07, 2016 | ![]() |
cinegeek.de | 80 55th |
Klar, heute kennen wir Jean Michel Basquiat als einen der einflussreichsten Künstler seiner Zeit. Als er aber noch ein junger Mann war auf der Suche nach seinem Stil, spielte er in diesem Mix aus Doku und Experimentalfilm eben einen solchen jungen Mann auf der Suche... mehr auf cinegeek.de
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Feb 01, 2013 | ![]() |
Neonman | 91 93rd |
A weird and groovy film (made weirder and groovier by the overdubbing). There are some really exceptional musical performances in this film, all tied together with Basquiat's cool on-screen presence, littering the ears with all sorts of dope lines ("I'm an artist. When you tell people that they usually say, 'what's your medium?' I usually say, 'extra large"). A film of many flaws, but it gets all the important things right -- character, style, mood, scene, and ends with the perfect song.
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Jul 04, 2022 | ![]() |
BZZ_BZZ_BZZ | 70 63rd |
Jan 07, 2022 | ![]() |
bal3x | 60 45th |
Oct 15, 2021 | ![]() |
Must Unsee | 85 79th |
Jun 11, 2021 | ![]() |
piratejerk | 6 25th |
Mar 08, 2020 | ![]() |
TheShiznit | 55 68th |
Jan 07, 2020 | ![]() |
hyporealist | 59 49th |
Sep 03, 2019 | f_ranzen | 61 44th |
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Aug 15, 2019 | account2 | 51 40th |
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Nov 10, 2017 | ![]() |
twijfel | 37 16th |
Sep 25, 2017 | ![]() |
RadioFreeLee | 92 92nd |
Jan 29, 2017 | Villane | 70 32nd |
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Dec 21, 2016 | ![]() |
xinet | 75 76th |
Jul 04, 2016 | MrWhiplash | 70 36th |
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Dec 15, 2015 | ![]() |
robot2xl | 73 48th |
Jun 19, 2015 | ![]() |
Phil Clowns | 71 57th |
Feb 02, 2015 | Evench | 73 25th |
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Jan 05, 2015 | ![]() |
nahuelgl | 85 90th |
Jun 30, 2014 | estragon | 70 65th |
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Jun 24, 2014 | ![]() |
sebby | 65 58th |
Feb 03, 2014 | ![]() |
deep_green | 70 62nd |
Jun 05, 2013 | ![]() |
dogsinspace | 99 98th |
Jun 07, 2012 | ![]() |
Allan Kardec | 97 98th |
Sep 03, 2011 | ![]() |
aaronwhat | 90 79th |
Aug 05, 2011 | ![]() |
Meta Critic | 52 38th |
Jul 27, 2011 | ![]() |
pustota | 70 60th |
May 17, 2011 | ![]() |
alexandroid | 70 40th |
Apr 19, 2011 | ![]() |
metzcal | 80 63rd |
Apr 09, 2011 | ![]() |
majelus | 85 55th |
Jul 10, 2010 | ![]() |
Ani | 70 49th |
Apr 06, 2010 | ![]() |
Octave | 73 76th |
Feb 21, 2010 | ![]() |
Fleshballoon | 42 8th |
Nov 07, 2009 | saucerful | 81 63rd |
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Sep 13, 2009 | kamn | 85 52nd |
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May 05, 2009 | ![]() |
imdb | 69 66th |
Feb 26, 2009 | ![]() |
joy_shapes | 0 2nd |
Jul 02, 2008 | ![]() |
karmacoma | 45 54th |
Jun 14, 2008 | ![]() |
JakeAesthete | 57 54th |
May 01, 2008 | rodoki_11 | 72 46th |
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Mar 28, 2008 | RNG | 97 97th |
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Aug 14, 2007 | hremanruss | 65 25th |
Average Percentile 55.89% from 44 Ratings | ![]() |