Downtown 81

Started by fashion photographer Edo Bertoglio back in 1980, only to be abandoned through lack of funds, this snapshot of Manhattan subculture was rediscovered by producer Maripol in the late 1990s, who attempted to tidy up the disjointed narrative by adding a voiceover from Slam star Saul Williams. Some may question whether this often aimless and frequently pretentious picture was worth the effort. But it does afford the opportunity to see Jean Michel Basquiat in a quasi-autobiographical tale about a struggling artist whose wish is granted by bag lady Debbie Harry. Moreover, it also provides performance records of several then-critical bands, including Tuxedomoon, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and James White and the Blacks.