THE BASKETBALL DIARIES
US, 1994, 109 minutes, Colour.
Leonardo di Caprio, Mark Wahlberg, Patrick Mc Gaw, James Madio, Ernie Hudson, Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Juliette Lewis, Josh Mostel, Michael Rappaport, Michael Imperioli.
Directed by Scott Kalvert.
The Basketball Diaries is based on an American cult novel of the same name by Jim Carroll. Carroll reminisces about his teenage years, his Catholic high school years, living in Manhattan, the drug scene and his degradation in that scene, his potential for being a basketball player and his failures. However, Carroll recovered, was able to build on his talent for writing and poetry and has published a number of books of poetry as well as songs. He became a performer in multimedia, including singing with a band.
The film is reminiscent of so many of the `from Hell to Heaven' stories of alcoholism and drug addiction. What makes this film particularly interesting is the performance by Leonardo di Caprio. Di Caprio made a significant impression in What's Eating Gilbert Grape with his Oscar-nominated performance as a mentally impaired adolescent. He was also a striking presence in This Boy's Life and The Quick and the Dead.
The film is set in Manhattan and uses New York locations well. It also highlights the ugliness of the New York streets and the drug scene. It tilts at the brutality inherent in American Catholic education. It also moves into the world of sex and the degradation of street hustling.
The film has a good supporting cast including Lorraine Bracco as Jim Carroll's mother, Ernie Hudson as a sympathetic friend, Juliette Lewis as a prostitute in the neighbourhood. The film was directed by Scott Calvert, his first film after working in music video.
1.The status of Jim Carroll, his book, poetry, music? A cult figure? The novel and the autobiographical reminiscences?
2.The atmosphere of New York, Manhattan, the Harlem River, the high school, the mean streets, the drab slums, the drug scene? The musical score, the songs including Carroll's own and the moods?
3.The title, the focus, Jim Carroll and his potential, his mother and her regret about his potential, Reggie seeing it? Life at high school, basketball player, success and failure? Carroll and his writing, his exercise book, the development of the diaries?
4.The parallel of this kind of story with other `from Hell to Heaven' stories, especially those dealing with drugs and rehabilitation?
5.The prologue, Jim waking up, the mad woman across the way with the inverted cross, her madness and her blasphemies about Jesus? Jim and his waking up, writing in his notebook?
6.The home, his mother only present, the lack of money, her job at the hotels and cleaning, his going to the high school, the brutality of the priest, his insolent attitude? The portrait of the priest - limited presentation of teachers - but as remembered by Jim Carroll? The school, the class, his friends? The influence of the ethos of the school, Catholic education, religious practice?
7.The importance of basketball, the visuals and editing of the playing, the matches, in the streets? Jim's skill? The team, their match and expertise (and Pedro robbing the lockers at the same time)? The subsequent fight with the opposing team? The coach, the eating of the burgers? Jim and Reggie and their continuing match? The game in the rain? The match where Jim was so influenced by drugs he could do nothing? Being expelled from the team? On the basketball court, memories of playing with Reggie, his hanging on the basketball ring, almost as if he is suffering on the cross? Mick and Jim watching the success of their team in the bar on television and seeing Neutron's success?
8.The portrait of the coach, signing the ball for Bobby, his advances to Jim, the resistance? The clash? His later appearing in Jim's hallucination in the Manhattan toilet?
9.Bobby as friend, leukaemia, in hospital, Jim taking him out, going to 42nd Street, the peepshow performance, Bobby's depression, the return to hospital? His death? The memories of him as part of the gang? Their behaviour, morals, attitudes? The funeral and Jim's grief? His attacking the friends talking about Bobby as a good friend but not having visited him in hospital?
10.The group getting out of uniform, going on the streets, bashing, violence, inhaling drugs, jumping into the Harlem River, the sex talk, egging each other on? At school?
11.Jim, as part of the gang, his dependence on them? Yet his poetry, his lying on the roof looking at the sky - and the sexual behaviour? The taking of drugs? Playing basketball? The Harlem River? Mick and his taking him to the apartment? The two girls and the drugs? His later return to the apartment and meeting their father? The effect on him, the emotional needs, the drug needs? The games and his poor performance, the advances of the coach, his being expelled? The drama of the clash with his mother, leaving home, the streets? The encounters with Diane - and her being a prostitute on the streets, his meeting her after her rehabilitation and her despising him? The meeting with the various dealers? Reggie saving his life, picking him up from the gutter, taking him home, putting him through the withdrawal procedure, the agony of his sufferings? His robbing Reggie? His going to Times Square, the encounter with the man in the toilet and the hallucination about the coach? Meeting Mick, the dealer, the gun and the chase, the man falling from the roof? His going home and pleading to his mother and her closing the door against him?
12.The portrait of the three friends, their style, the drug world, the sleaze world, Neutron and his decision to move out - and his success in intercollege basketball?
13.Jim and his experience of jail, the tracking shot along the cells and his commentary?
14.Getting out of jail, the encounter with Pedro and rejecting the drugs? Going to the performance theatre, his autobiographical performance, the applause, Reggie and the success?
15.The information given in the afterword about Jim Carroll and his successful life? The film as a portrait, as a warning, as a picture of alienated American youth of the latter part of the 20th century?
