Style Wars

Posted In: Exit Through The Gift Shop

Delora Nowak says...

This documentary is timeless!Perfectly outlines the birth of Hip-Hop Culture on the streets of it's birthplace, New York City and it's boroughs.

It also captures the Legends before they were considered Legends...Rock Steady Crews own Frosty Freeze (RIP) and Crazy Legs as well as Graffiti Legends SEEN, DONDI, IZ the WIZ, ZEPHYR etc..etc...

Hands down the Bible of Underground Hip Hop Culture!

Posted on November 13, 2011

Chin Stahmer says...

In 1983; director Tony Silver, and producer Henry Chalfant dropped this bomb upon the unsuspecting (except for those lucky enough to live in NYC at the time) populus via PBS. The world was exposed to true urban art, and it's unlikely Picasso's- the bombers and taggers of NYC's resilient subway system. Not only that, but also to 'acrobatic body dances like breaking', and to rocking the mic. This is so much more than just a documentary about the evolution of graffiti. It is truly a time capsule, full of unforgettable characters, stuffy bureaucrats, and the chaotic urban landscape of early 80's NYC. There are so many memorable lines and incredible characters indelibly etched in my brain from this film. Just writing this review makes me want to run over to the DVD player and watch it over and over again. I would gladly pay the price of admission (approximately $25) just for the film. However, our good friends at Plexifilm have once again delivered the goods, including a staggering 3.5 hours of bonus footage to accompany this one-of-kind historical document. The bouns footage includes 32 artist galleries, interviews, trains, and ultra-rare photos from the best-of-the best, including: Skeme, Seen, Frosty Freeze, Dondi, Blade, Rammellzee, and many others. This is a must have document for Hip-Hop heads, historians, social anthropologists, and cool people. Buy this now and support good art.

Posted on November 14, 2011

Alyson Gong says...

you get so much bang for the buck with this DVD. Not only is the documentary fantastic, but the supplemental DVD has recent interviews with lots of the superstar graffiti artists, breakdancers, and rappers. Well worth the money!!!!!

Posted on November 14, 2011

Jasmin Japp says...

I, like many, first saw Style Wars back in the early 80's on PBS as an impressionable youth who was just discovering Hip Hop in all it's forms. It has remained to this day, one of the best (certainly the most honest) accounts of Hip Hop in it's relative infancy. While the focus is squarely on the "writers" (graffiti artists for all you new jacks), we do get to see other aspects of Hip Hop culture in play (most notably b-boying with the Rock Steady Crew). Watching the film on dvd after so many years was literally like going back in time. It not only holds up, it has aged like fine wine. Every shot in the film reeks of NY & Hip Hop in the early 80's. A true, 100% bonafide classic in every sense of the word. The filmakers have succeeded beautifully in capturing the spirit of the time, the place, the people and the culture. This is a true time capsule if there ever was one.
Ok, enough with accolades. Now on to the disc. Dang. Talk about getting the deluxe treatment. Whereas the Wild Style DVD is incomplete (see my review), Style Wars is not only complete, uncut and un-altered, it is absolutely full to brim with fantastic extras...close to 4 HOURS worth. Highlights include art and interviews with many of the films participants. Most notable for me was MIN ONE. He's the tough little curly-haired, white kid who tries to get the rest of the writers to retaliate against Cap for "going over their burners". ("That's never forgive action"). All I can say is he looks like he's been through one hell of a lot in the last 20 years. Very sobering to say the least.
Other extras include outtakes, audio commentary by the filmakers, and (this is very cool) a 30 minute loop of "whole cars".
If you consider yourself a serious Hip Hop head, you have no excuse not to own this dvd.

Posted on November 15, 2011

Rosalina Preisendorf says...

The very fact that in the special features section there is an entire segment of photos of the cars that have been tagged with graffiti and the fact that the individuals who tagged the trains are presented, interviewed and paid homage to tells what a phenomenal slice of history this documentary is.



It was filmed during the time that these artists were doing their work and the ones still living are followed up with many years later.It really dives into the history and development of the phenomenon.Who can forget images of dirty big cities with the trains riding along with huge works of graffiti art on them?Someone was there to document it all.This film is a result of that work.



This is the story of it all.Interesting is the documenting of the lengths the authorities had to go to in order to control the "problem" (which, of course, is a matter of perspective). One of the artist is shown years later with his mother gleaming with pride and his mother, interviewed earlier in the film as well, still rolls her eyes at his pride.



The artists are interviewed, both then and now, and the connection of graffiti to hip-hop and B-boy culture is touched upon, although this is probably the weakest link in the film.Wild Style and The Freshest Kids take you deeper into the world of B-boys and Scratch takes you deeper into the world of hip-hop and the emergence of rap from it.But this is a great film on graffiti in its heyday.

Posted on November 15, 2011

Krystina Guillary says...

Man, this brought back so many memories when i was growing up.I remember seeing this movie for the first time around 1983 and as a breaker and DJ, i never had the talent to do such great art like these guys did.This is THE best documentary for graf artists mainly cause it was filmed during that time era.Style Wars for Grafitti Artists, Freshest Kids for Bboys, Scratch for DJ's, and man i dont know about the Rap game, they gots to change that crap up with all that no talent, played out gangster BS!

Posted on November 15, 2011

Christie Falasco says...

I first saw this on PBS when I was in grade school and it blew my mind. I remember seeing these kids in the inner city showing off their art-forms with pride and the admiration and respect they received from the other kids was something I really dreamed of having one day. The doc is well done, and is an excellent display of the graffiti (hip hop) scene close to the time of it's birth. Even if you are not or never have been into graffiti, even if you think it's vandalism, at least you can get a little glimpse of why graffiti had the impact it did on so many kids in the inner cities and all over..

Posted on November 15, 2011

Sydney Falcone says...

This is possibly the best graffiti movie ever made and the reissue brings this film into the circle of the greats. From the unforgettable quotes (with his Lucille Ball hairdo) to the great footage of the tags and whole cars this 2 DVD set is worth the cash ten times over buy it and watch it and learn.

Posted on November 16, 2011

Viki Noda says...

I've seen the movie and i must says its ***** cool, it rock's...

my opinion it diserves 100 stars not 5 :) . Soundtrack is cool... there are explained stuff... And the styles and anything is cool! I rate u to see this movie, probably many people say because its made in '82 its not that good.... Well IT IS! Btw my favorite artist is "Seen".

Posted on November 17, 2011

Aubrey Hilles says...

It's as if Style Wars co-star (and graffiti pioneer) Iz The Wiz was predicting the outcome of this classic documentary when he emphatically yelled:"This is it...this is it!" in one of it's scenes.Some 20 years later, the world over is echoing Iz's exact same sentiments. With Style Wars, creators Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver assembled one of the best and historiaclly correct Hip Hop documentaries to date.Taking place around '81, '82 during the Koch administration, Style Wars delves mostly into NY's subway graffiti and B-boy culture. By far, two of the more illustrious facets in the cultural jewel known as Hip Hop.Style Wars captures graffiti and B-boy pioneers (most in their teens) doin' what they do best and ultimately shaping the course of Hip Hop culture.All the "true-school" legends are here (i.e., The Rocksteady Crew, Dondi, Seen, Dez a.k.a. DJ Kay Slay, etc.) equipped with a vintage NY backdrop and killa soundtrack.As "fresh" as it was back in '84 when PBS "broke" it, Style Wars works because it not only deals with the creative forces behind it's subject matter, but those effected by it as well.From the linoleum kitchen of famed graffiti artist Skeme to the B-boy battlegrounds of the U.S.A.skating rink, Style Wars is there.With unforgettable scenes like dopey Mayor Ed Koch screwing-up at a press conference to graffiti legend Duro mispronouncing the word "negotiate", Style Wars captures it all.Celebrating it's 20th anniversary, Style Wars' recent double DVD release only adds to it's greatness.Packed with 4 hours of nothing but flavor, this double delight doesn't dissappoint.It would've been great to have seen graffiti great Kase 2 (or Noc) make the DVD, but the revisiting of Skeme and Mom Barbara (minus the kitchen) definitely makes up for it.So, if you're thinking of spending your hard earned on anything boasting unadulterated Hip Hop, Style Wars is a sure-shot.In the immortal words of Iz The Wiz: "This is it!" --James "Koe" Rodriguez.

Posted on November 17, 2011