''Style Wars'' is an American 1983 documentary film on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced in collaboration with

Henry Chalfant Henry Chalfant (born January 2, 1940) is an American photographer and videographer most notable for his work on graffiti, breakdance, and hip hop culture. One of Chalfant's prints is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N ...

. The film has an emphasis on

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

, although bboying and

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

are covered to a lesser extent. The film was originally aired on PBS television on January 18, 1984, and was subsequently shown in several

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

s to much acclaim, including the Vancouver Film Festival. It also won the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

. The show captures and includes many historical moments of hip hop culture during its earliest days in the 1970s onward towards the early 1980s. Many film elements from ''Style Wars'', including outtakes, are now housed at the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

as part of the Tony Silver Collection.

Background

The show shows the perspective of writers and their points of view on the subject of graffiti, as well as the views of then

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Mayor Ed Koch. Graffiti writer Case/ Kase 2, graffiti writer Skeme and his mother, graffiti "villain" Cap, now deceased graffiti writers Dondi, and Shy 147. Seen graffiti documentarian (and co-producer of the film) Henry Chalfant, breakdancer Crazy Legs of

Rock Steady Crew Rock Steady Crew is an American breaking and hip hop group which has become a franchise name for multiple groups in other locations. The group's 1983 international hit song " (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" (from the group's first studio album ...

, police officers, art critics, subway maintenance workers, as well as several "people on the street". While ''Style Wars'' promoted the idea that

is a form of creative expression, not every person within the film held this same belief. In fact, throughout the film we see ways in which institutions such as the government and law enforcement tried arduously to prevent graffiti in New York City. For example, the city spent a large sum of money on negative subway advertisements that portrayed graffiti as a crime. On top of this, the mayor (who at the time was Ed Koch) pushed for the building of fences, with the intent of blocking off the entrances to subways, where graffiti artists would create their work. Additionally, he had police guard dogs put into these areas to scare away those who may enter. Both Koch and The New York City Police Department rallied to discourage graffiti. Another perspective on graffiti shown in this film is that of well known artists. Many of them state that the reason why these teens spray paint murals on the sides of buildings is because they do not have any other place to do so, not because they want to intentionally break the law. Additionally, these individuals see potential for those that are involved in the culture beyond the streets. In the same way, they appreciate the art while simultaneously disagreeing with exactly how they do it. This in a way makes them middlemen within this documentary.

Reception and legacy

In 2009,

A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' examined the film: "''Style Wars'' is a work of art in its own right too, because it doesn't just record what these artists are doing, it somehow absorbs their spirit and manages to communicate it across the decades so that we can find ourselves, so many years later, in the city, understanding what made it beautiful." A 2018 review from ''The New Yorker'' also recommends the film, citing its soundtrack and its ability to capture the historical moment it centers on. Pitchfork referred to the film as the "defining documentary of early hip-hop culture".

Featured graffiti artists

* Demon * Se3 * Spank * Dez * Skeme * Ces 157 * MinOne (NE) * Iz the Wiz * Quik * Sach * Dondi * Seen UA * Seen TC5 * Dust * Zephyr * Revolt * Wasp 1 * Noc 167 * Mare 139 *

Kase2 Kase2 (December 12, 1958 – August 14, 2011), also known as King Kase2 and Case2; born Jeff Brown, was a graffiti writer and a significant contributor to the hip-hop movement. Biography Jeff Brown was born in New York City. He painted his fi ...

* Dee 5 * Butch * Trap * Duro * Soe * Spin * Zone * Kid * Cap * Daze *

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...

* Paze * Cey * Futura *

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...

Featured break dancers

* Crazy Legs * Frosty Freeze *

Ken Swift Kenneth James Gabbert (born 13 August 1966), better known by his stage name Ken Swift, is a second generation b-boy, or breakdancer. He was a longtime member and key figure in the Rock Steady Crew, and its former Vice President. He is now President ...

* Lenny Len * Kippy Dee * Lil' Crazy Legs * Take One * Ty Fly * Mr. Freeze * Doze * Kid Glide * Wavy Legs * Kid Freeze * Nelly Nell * Eddie Ed * Flip-a-matic * Lil' Flip * Junior Fastbreak * Joly

Featured music

* " 8th Wonder" by

The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit " Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's o ...

* " The Message" by

Grandmaster Flash Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip Hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the ...

* " Beat Bop" by Rammellzee and K-Rob * " Pump Me Up" by

Trouble Funk Trouble Funk is an American R&B and funk band from Washington, D.C. The group helped to popularize funk and the subgenre go-go in the Washington metropolitan area. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas". They re ...

* " The Wanderer" by Dion * " Rockin' It" by The Fearless Four * " Jam Hot" by Johnny Dynell * " Feel The Heartbeat" by Treacherous Three

DVD release

The digitally remastered DVD edition also contains: * 23 minutes of outtake footage * Commentary and interviews by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant * Interviews with ''Style Wars'' editors Victor Kanefsky and Sam Pollard * Art galleries by Blade, Cap, Cey, Crash, Crazy Legs, Daze, Dez, Dondi, Doze, Duro, Duster, Frosty Freeze, IZ the Wiz, Case/ Kase 2, Kel First, Ken Swift, Lee, Mare139, Min One, Noc 167, Paze (Erni), Lady Pink, Quik, Rammellzee, Revolt, Sach, Seen UA, Shy 147, Skeme, Rafael 666, Tracy 168, and Zephyr * Tributes to Dondi and Shy 147 * Guest interviews with Blade, Lee, Kel First, Seen,

Tracy 168 TRACY 168 (born Michael Tracy in 1958) is an American graffiti artist. He pioneered the art form known as Wildstyle. Tracy 168 came to be known as one of the most influential graffiti and street artists of all time, as variations of Wild Style wri ...

, Cap, MIN (NE), QUIK, IZ the Wiz, Fab 5 Freddy,

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in ...

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

, DJ Red Alert, and photographer Martha Cooper

2011 restoration auction

On June 9, 2011 it was announced that

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

bassist

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, ...

along with actors

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

and James Franco and director

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

were donating items to an

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

auction that would raise money for restoring the film negatives for ''Style Wars''. The auction ended on June 11, 2011.

References in other media

DJ Mutt used quotes from the movie in his song titled "Big Lights, Big City" taken from his album ''Treading Water''.

Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to: Astronomy *Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole *Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief Literature ...

used a clip from the movie in the intro to the song " Respiration" on the Black Star album. The

Drum and Bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub- ...

group Ganja Kru, composed of DJ Hype,

DJ Zinc Benjamin Pettit (born 12 March 1972), better known as DJ Zinc, is a British DJ and record producer. Zinc first became known for 1995's "Super Sharp Shooter", a hip hop/jungle fusion, notably one of the pioneering jump-up anthems of its time. ...

, and Pascal, used quotes from the movie in their song titled "Plague That Never Ends". Swedish band

The Radio Dept. The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund. History In 1995, schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson started a band which they named after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" ( Swedish for The Radio D ...

used audio samples from the film in their single "Never Follow Suit" from the album '' Clinging to a Scheme''.

References

External links

Official site
*
''Style Wars''
on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

''Style Wars''
on

Folkstreams Folkstreams is a non-profit organization that aims to collect and make available online documentary films about American folk art and culture. It preserves and provides wide access to documentary films about the activities, voices, and experiences ...

''Style Wars'' on MUBI
{{hiphop 1983 films 1983 documentary films American documentary films Graffiti in the United States Documentary films about graffiti Documentary films about hip hop music and musicians Films shot in New York (state) Films set on the New York City Subway New York City hip hop Sundance Film Festival award winners 1980s English-language films 1980s American films