Wild Style

''Wild Style'' is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Queen Lisa Lee of Zulu Nation, Grandmaster Flash and ZEPHYR.

''Wild Style'' was shot in 1981, completed in 1982, and released theatrically in 1983. The film was later released on home video by Rhino Home Video in 1997. In 2007, it was released on DVD for the 25th anniversary. A 30th anniversary collector's edition was released on Blu-ray in 2012.

Background

An early version of the ''Wild Style'' logo appeared in 1981 when Charlie Ahearn hired graffiti writer Dondi to paint the "window down" subway car piece that appears in the film. The Dondi piece was the inspiration for the animated title sequence designed by the artist, Zephyr and animated by Joey Ahlbum in 1982. The ''Wild Style'' mural was painted by Zephyr, Revolt and Sharp in 1983. Charlie Ahearn and Fab 5 Freddy began working on the film on late 1981. The approach was a hybrid of a narrative musical and documentary, having the real hip hop pioneers play themselves in a loosely scripted story shot entirely in the South Bronx, the Lower East Side and MTA subway yards.

Synopsis

''Wild Style'' centers around a Bronx teenager named Raymond (Lee Quiñones), who under the pseudonym "Zoro" is a celebrated but anonymous graffiti artist. Raymond scorns a group of graffiti artists, known as the Union Crew, who have turned their talents to legitimate, commissioned murals on the walls of playgrounds and business establishments. Their graffiti murals attracted the attention of Virginia (Patti Astor), a journalist, who brings the uptown hip-hop culture to the downtown art world. There are a series of encounters with graffiti artists, rappers and breakers, leading up to a giant rap-break concert in a Lower East Side band shell decorated by Raymond.

Cast

* Lee Quiñones (Lee) as Raymond Zoro
* Frederick Brathwaite (Fab 5 Freddy) as Phade
* Sandra Fabara (Lady Pink) as Rose Lady bug
* Patti Astor as Virginia
* Andrew Witten (Zephyr) as Zroc
* Carlos Morales as Raymond's Brother
* Alfredo Valez as Boy with Broom
* Niva Kislac as Art Patron
* Bill Rice as TV Producer

Release

''Wild Style'' premiered as part of the New Directors/New Films Festival at the 57th Street Playhouse in New York on March 18, 1983. In November 1983, the film opened at the Embassy 46th Street Theatre on Broadway. By early 1984, it was being shown in other major cities.

Reception

Film critic Vincent Canby wrote for The New York Times that ''Wild Style'' "never discovers a cinematic rhythm that accurately reflects and then celebrates the rare energy and wit of the artists within the film." However, he noted that the "subjects are appealing, especially Mr. Quinones, a graffiti artist in real life, and Frederick Brathwaite as a very cool artistpromotor."

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 18 reviews. Phelim O'Neill of The Guardian noted that despite the low production values, "nothing else comes close to capturing the atmosphere of the early days of hip-hop and spraycan art..." Reviewing the film for BBC
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