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“If you want to know what hip hop is really all about, see a
film called Style Wars” - KRS-One
“A breakthrough documentary.” -
The New York Times
“Hip-hop’s Rosetta Stone.” - VIBE
Style Wars is the legendary hip-hop documentary and timeless film classic
-the indispensable record of a golden age of youthful creativity and
exploding hip-hop subculture.
Graffiti artists have physically transformed the urban landscape and invented
a new visual language to express both their individuality and the voice of the
community.
Style Wars captures the look and feel of New York’s ramshackle subway system
as the graffiti writers’ public playground, battleground and spectacular
artistic canvas. Opposing them by every means possible were Mayor Edward
Koch, the police and the New York Transit Authority.
Meanwhile, MC’s, DJ’s and B-Boys were rocking the city with new sounds and
new moves, as street corner break-dance battles became performance art.
The soundtrack features classic performances by The Sugar Hill Gang, The
Treacherous Three, The Fearless Four, Grand Master Flash and The Furious
Five, Trouble Funk, Rammellzee/K-Rob and Dion.
Directed by Tony Silver and produced by Tony Silver and photographer Henry
Chalfont, Style Wars was awarded the Grand Prize for Documentaries at the
Sundance Film Festival in 1984 and in 2003 it was newly acclaimed at New York’s
Tribeeker Festival and at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The film has been remixed for the DVD in 5.1 surround sound, offering over 3
hours of additional documentary and artistic material, earning it the title
of Best DVD of the Year by The Onion.
Bonus Features:
Over 23 minutes of original outtake footage · Feature commentary and
interview with the director and producer · 32 artist galleries including new
interviews, trains and rare photos · Tributes to Dondi and Shy 147 · Guest
interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, Goldie, Guru, DJ Red Alert and photographer
Martha Cooper · “Destroy All Lines” 30 min. loop of over 200 cars and
burners.
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