'Grace Of
My Heart'

'Basquiat'

Rated R

Rated R

that rock 'n' roll explodes. Later,
she marries a Brian Wilson-es-
race of My Heart takes que Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon),
place in Philadelphia, cir- the "genius" behind the surf-rock
ca 1958. Edna Buxton (Il- Riptides, in a short-time blissful
lean.a Douglas) is trying on union.
dresses for a talent contest un-
Grace of My Heart is not the
der the watchful eye of her ma- first film that portends to follow
nipulative mother. When Edna the music career of a fictitious
balks at her mother's taste, she performer. Movies such as
is told firmly, `The dress is right; Spinal Tap and Fear of a Black
it is you who doesn't fit." From Hat offered a cynical look at the
that moment on, Edna will music industry through a "rnock-
spend the rest of her life trying umentary" format, while Eddie
to "fit in."
and the Cruisers attempted to
Her journey begins shortly af- create a myth.
ter winning the contest and a
What sets Grace of My Heart
recording contract. Edna is a tal- apart from these other films is
ented singer/songwriter (a la Ca- its outright sincerity. It treats
role King) who can't seem to get its characters and its story with
a break; when the record con- respect and dignity. In fact, there
tract turns out to be worthless is so much respect and dignity,
("record companies don't want there is little room left for fun
singers like you"), she heads for and frolic.
New York City. There, she meets
The first 80 minutes or so
Joel Millner (John Tur-
hum along linearly as a
turro), a fast-talking pro-
sentimental journey
MOVIES
ducer who promptly
through the early days
changes her name to
of American pop music,
Denise Waverly ("because it but the momentum abruptly
fits").
comes to a halt with nearly 40
Millner likes Waverly's style minutes left to go. Watching Wa-
and hires her on as a songwriter verly adapt her songwriting to
at his studio, where she starts the changing musical styles just
churning out hit records for oth- isn't interesting after more than
er artists to sing. She then meets an hour, and the story begins to
and couples with the Gerry Gof- get bogged down with
fen-like Howard Caszatt (Eric increasingly melodramatic bag-
.Stoltz). And, as the doo-wop era gage. Ultimately, Grace of My
fades into the girl-group era, Heart proves that, when it comes
Waverly's career soars, writ- to entertainment, it is important
ing for the Luminaries (a not to be too earnest.
Ronettes/Shirelles type of
group).
43.
Caszatt, of course, is jealous
of her success and leaves her for
— Richard Halprin
another woman around the time

G

ct

images is helped immensely by
soundtrack music by Tom Waits,
leazy models, alternative rock- John Cale and others, which has
ers and current films such as a soulful, wrenching melancholy.
Trainspotting and Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat's world
flaunt heroin use and eulogize is stunningly rendered, particu-
its doomed artists, victimized by larly its Soho galleries, artists' lofts
their own indulgence.
and coffee shops, where art world
Writer/Director Julian Schn- intelligentsia — Andy Warhol
abel, himself an artist with works (David Bowie), international art
similar in style to his subject, has dealer Bruno Bischofberger (Den-
fashioned Basquiat as a portrait nis Hopper) and art critic/poet
of the artist as a young addict. Not Rene Ricard (Michael Wincott) —
so much a story, Basquiat is more meet. The bottom line according
like a series of brush strokes, to Bruno is, "It's not how much you
quickly jotted pastiches and
work, it's how much you
untidy etchings.
get."
Schnabel pastes to-
MOVIES
As the narcoleptic
gether a collage of scenes
Warhol, Bowie, in white
which symbolically trace 19-year- wig and sunglasses, is astonish-
old Basquiat's meteoric rise in the ingly droll. Tony Award-winner
art world toward his untimely Jeffrey Wright (Angels in Ameri-
death at age 27. This melange of ca, Bring in 'cla Noise, Bring in `da

like mystic, conjuring images in
his head, scribbling his visions on
any surface he finds; a restaurant
tabletop covered with spilled pan-
cake syrup becomes a palette, ne-
glected slum walls a tableau and
corrugated security doors his can-
vas.
In an uncharacteristic cameo
role, Christopher Walken as an in-
terviewer asks Basquiat to artic-
1112te what his paintings are about.
He responds, "Do you ask Miles
(Davis) where he got that note?"
Ironically, the persons in this
film who are the least articulate
have the most understanding of
what it takes to conquer the art
world. Basquiat's buddy Benny
advises him, "Do the same work,
so people don't get confused." It's
a cynical attitude toward critics
and patrons. Make yourself in-
recognizable and classifi-
o es stantly
able.
Surely, Jean-Michel Basquiat,
who poured his soul into his paint-
mgs, did not stoop to such calcu-
Z lated mercenary measures.
Schnabel's stylistic representation
of Basquiat strives for that same
integrity. Basquiat is aimed for an
audience willing to briefly bask in
Jean-Michel's fire. But don't ex-
pect a tidy explanation for his self-
destruction.

S

c) c!)
l .0
,k

— Dick Rockwell

Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright), Andy Warhol (David Bowie), Albert Milo
(Gary Oldham) and Bruno Bischofberger (Dennis Hopper). Basquiat catapulted from
being an unknown graffiti writer at age 19, then rose to fame and ultimate
destruction at age 27.

Basquait will be playing at
the Detroit Film Theatre at 7
and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept 20;
4, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 21.

'Happy Birthday, Judaism'

MICHAEL ELKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

L.

eonard Nimoy and a quartet
of cantors have joined the
Western Wind and Chorus in
*shing a happy birthday to
Judaism with a two-record set,
The Birthday of the World, com-
memorating Rosh Hashanah
(Part I) and Yom Kippur (Part
II) in song and prayer. The al-
bums are part of a Judaica series
offered by Western Wind
Records.
The wind is blowing in the di-
rection of those interested in re-
discovering their Jewish musical

Joel (John Turturro) introduces aspiring singer/songwriter Denise Waverly
(Illeana Douglas) to the "Stylettes."

Funk) plays Basquiat as a dream-

Michael Elkin is entertainment
editor of the Jewish Exponent
in Philadelphia.

roots, notes Cantor Alberto
Mizrahi, who has performed
worldwide and joins three col-
leagues, Cantors Faith Stein-
snyder Gurney, Charles Osborne
and Jacob Mendelson.
'We •all have Cantor Alberto
heard [spiiitually Mizrahi: The
oriented] talk of the
Jewish
harmonies of the
Pavarotti?
universe," says Can-
tor Mizrahi. "There are 'tones
that exist in the world, in the air,
vibrations. Song is a way to con-
nect."
Cantor Mizrahi knows the
notes well. Hailed by many as
•"the Pavarotti of the synagogue,"
he was a finalist in the first in-