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Niki Wurster Visit our Movie Scripts Page screenplay 451: http://www.geocities.com/~screenplay451/ Mao Guangqin 2 0 2000-01-22T12:04:00Z 2000-01-22T12:04:00Z 15 15409 87834 Pumpkin Software 731 175 107866 9.2504 1 21 0 0 Basquiat Sc
There's not enough room. Rene accidentally gets pushed out of frame.
Rene fumes. Albert Milo arrives with his parents (JACK AND ESTHER MILO). They
are a nice Jewish couple in their 70's.
He said 'of the painters!' Hey – Albert! Get in the
picture!
Albert crowds in. The photographer SNAPS a picture and the FLASH blinds everyone momentarily.
ALBERT MILO
Hey, Jean, I'd like you to meet my wife....and my
parents. Mom, Dad, this is Jean Michel Basquiat.
Jean pulls out a joint and lights it as if it were a cigarette. He offers it to Albert, who takes a hit.
ESTHER MILO
(frowning at her son)
Don't do that.
(beat)
Hello, Jean.
JACK MILO
Hi, John... Are your parents here?
BASQUIAT
Well.
(inhaling)
My dad's here with his wife. My mom couldn't make it.
He offers the joint to Albert's mother.
ESTHER MILO
(waving it away)
No thanks.
Everyone laughs.
BRUNO
(to Jean)
I'd like to do a show with you.
(pointing to "Rene 5:11" painting)
I'm especially interested in that one. I'd like to buy
it for myself.
Jean spots the very word on the painting ("Rene 5:11") and freezes for a second.
BASQUIAT
I wasn't gonna sell this one.
He looks around the room for Rene, but doesn't see him. Bruno remains smiling, waiting for an answer.
BRUNO
You shouldn't have put it in the show. This is the one
I absolutely have to have. I really love it.
BASQUIAT
Sure, ok..
Jean wants out. He feels compromised.
BASQUIAT (CONT'D)
Do you think I could borrow your limousine? I'll get
it back to you in an hour.
BRUNO
It's OK. Just have him bring you to dinner at Mr.
Chow's later. We'll be there.
ANDY WARHOL
Bye, Jean.
Jean makes his way through the crowd, as we see images of the crowd and fragments of paintings. As he nears the door, he feels his arm pulled.
RENE
(hissing)
You fucking little whore! You sold my painting! I'm
gonna tell you something, brother – when you're climbing up the ladder of
success, don't kick out the rungs! Believe that shit.
BASQUIAT
I'll make you another one.
RENE
Forget it.
He pulls out a scrap of paper and starts writing.
BASQUIAT
Rene –
Rene shushes him... He hisses loudly, like a cat.
RENE
SHHHHHH. Later.
(speaking to himself)
"What is it about art, anyway......"
Jean pauses. He turns around and surveys the room once more.
A blink.
Silence.
We see the crowd in SLOW MOTION.
Everyone's eyes are shut.
RENE (O.S.; CONT'D)
... that we give it so much importance? Artists are
respected by the poor because what they do is an honest way to get out of the
slum using one's sheer self as the medium. The money earned is proof pure and
simple of the value of that individual... The Artist.
INT. / EXT. GALLERY – NIGHT
The CAMERA rises higher and higher over the crowd and follows Jean as he makes
his way toward the street.
We begin to DISSOLVE into a MONTAGE of stills of ARTISTS:
RENE (O.S.CONT'D)
The picture a mother's son does in jail hangs on her
wall as proof that beauty is possible even in the most wretched. And this is a
much different idea than the fancier notion that art is a scam and a rip-off.
But you could never explain to someone who uses God's gift to enslave that you
have used God's gift to be free."
EXT. STREET – NIGHT
Jean enters a waiting limo. It pulls away from the curb.
Rene finishes as the limo threads its way through the night-lit,
twinkling city.
The DRIVER is the young Rasta we saw earlier outside Ballato's driving Bruno and
Andy.
Jean slumps in the back seat.
The driver can't help staring in the rearview mirror.
DRIVER
I really... admire you.
BASQUIAT
Me? Why?
DRIVER
You did it! You made it. I'm a painter, too.
BASQUIAT
That's great.
DRIVER
Would you check out my studio some time?
BASQUIAT
Sure.
I'd be glad to.
The limo pulls over.
DRIVER
Here?
Quickly, Jean
gets out of the limo. He leaves the door open.
The DRIVER watches as Jean talks to two DRUG
DEALERS.
Jean jumps
back into the limo.
The driver
pulls away. In the rearview mirror, he sees Jean separate a bag from a bundle
of ten. He rips it open and snorts directly from it.
He lays his
head back and takes a deep breath.
BASQUIAT
(calm, relieved)
What's
your name, man?
DRIVER
They
call me Steve, but I prefer Shenge.
BASQUIAT
Nice
to meet you, Shenge. Want a job?
INT. MR.
CHOW'S RESTAURANT – NIGHT
An elegant
Chinese restaurant on the Upper East Side. The dining room is split level with
a mezzanine reserved for celebrities and special friends of the owner.
At the podium,
the MAITRE'D approaches.
MAITRE'D
Good
evening.
From behind
the Maitre'd on the mezzanine we see Bruno waving to Jean.
In the dining
room on the lower level sit Annina and Rene. Nearby, at another, smaller table,
are seated DAVID MCDERMOTT
and PETER MCGOUGH, two artists
dressed in Victorian attire.
Annina beckons
him.
Rene looks away from him
and talks to a WAITER. Jean waves to Annina and continues towards
Bruno's table.
Seated at a
large table are Andy, Bruno, Albert Milo, his wife and parents, Henry
Geldzahler, MELINA PORTOS (a
young heiress) and FRANCESCO and ALBA
CLEMENTE and Mary Boone. Dinner's already
served.
At the large
table, everyone watches as Milo makes a portrait of Francesco in a beautiful leatherbound
book. It belongs to Mr. Chow, who is nearby at the bar.
ANDY
WARHOL
Hi,
Jean.
He motions to Mr. Chow to set a chair for Jean
between Mary Boone and himself.
BRUNO
Jean,
everyone loved your show.
JACK
MILO
Nixon
lives in Saddle River, New York.
ANDY
WARHOL
Saddle
River's in New Jersey.
JACK
MILO
Saddle
River, New York!
ANDY
WARHOL
It's
in New Jersey.
JACK
MILO
New
York.
ANDY
WARHOL
I
think it's in New Jersey.
JACK
MILO
It's
in New York.
ANDY
WARHOL
Oh,
I didn't know that.
CLOSE UP: Jean smiles at Andy's diplomacy.
Albert
finishes drawing his portrait: it's Francesco with his arm around a headless
torso.
(to Francesco)
You
finish it.
He pushes the
book across the table.
Francesco
begins to draw.
(to Jean)
I
hear your show was sold out already. There's a very important collector who's
interested in some of your works.
BASQUIAT
Bring
him over sometime. I have some other stuff to show him.
Annina watches
from the other table as Jean talks to Mary.
Francesco
finishes his drawing.
Albert takes
the book and passes it to Jean.
ALBERT MILO (CONT'D)
Go
on, take it..
Jean takes it.
Mr. Chow watches his book change hands.
Jean takes a
bowl of moo-shoo pork in front of him and dumps it onto the book. Then he uses
a piece of pork to draw a head.
Suddenly,
there's a shrill, familiar voice.
I'd
like a glass of your best champagne, please?
(reading)
This
is an enormously important season in New York, and to make a false step could
have severe repercussions for years. We are no longer collecting art, we're
buying individuals.
ANDY
WARHOL
Oh
shut up, Rene.
RENE
Everything's
over your head, Andy. Even Mr. Chow's menu.
(beat – to Jean)
Thanks
for not inviting me
He leans over everyone and helps himself to some
spears of asparagus.
ANGLE ON
Esther Milo, watching.
RENE
(CONT'D)
I'm
starving. You can't buy advertising like this. This is the most glamorous
dinner you'll have here this fall. How about some of that imitation crab?
MR.
CHOW
I'm
not paying for the drawing with crab. It's a present to my friends. It's my
birthday.
Jean finishes
his drawing – a big beautiful head that fills the screen.
Rene grabs it
from him. He holds it up for everyone to see.
Isn't
he great? Thanks, Jean.
He rips the page from the book.
RENE
(CONT'D)
He
owes me one.
Everyone's
face drops. Mr. Chow grabs his book. He motions to a couple WAITERS –
MR.
CHOW
You're
too much, Rene. Get this guy out of here.
RENE
I
haven't eaten yet!!!
The waiters grab Rene's arms.
RENE
(CONT'D)
Hands
off me, you faggots! I'm going. I'm going...I've kept Diana Vreeland waiting
too long, anyway.
ANDY
WARHOL
Wow...
That was a nice drawing, too, Jean. Maybe you should do another one.
MR.
CHOW
(exhausted)
Some
other time.
Spontaneously,
David McDermott climbs onto the tabletop downstairs and sings "Paris Je
T'aime."
As he belts it
out in a theatrical falsetto, he glides over glasses and plates, executing a
leap to another table in mid-song.
The restaurant
staff and OTHER DINNER GUESTS
watch, agape.
CLOSE UP –
DAVID'S SHOES.
As David dances, Annina walks over to the table,
greeting people and saying goodnight.
ANNINA
NOSEI
(to Jean)
It's
great that people are interested, but if anyone's going to buy anything, I'll
handle it for you. Everything goes through the gallery, even if they come to
your studio.
BASQUIAT
Sure.
Annina leaves.
Jean leans
back in his chair, taking in this splendid new world. He pulls out a joint,
lights up, inhales with pleasure, closes his eyes and smiles.
SUPER OVER HIS
FACE: "FOUR YEARS LATER"
