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Style Wars was filmed as a documentary on the culture of hip hop music. This film was released in 1983 and made by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver. The emphasis on the film is based on graffiti, although there is an element of rapping and break dancing to a certain extent. PBS television originally aired this documentary but several film festivals subsequently gave it much acclaim.
Style Wars is based on the concept of graffiti as well as young hip hop artists trying to express themselves through art and graffiti. The film depicts the view of Ed Koch, the Mayor of New York at that time as well as Kase, a graffiti writer with one arm, Skeme another graffiti writer along with his mother Cap, Dondi a graffiti writer now deceased and Shy 147, a documentarian on graffiti. Also involved in the film were art critics, police officers, subway maintenance workers and just people walking the streets. Style Wars depicts the graffiti culture in New York quite beautifully as it was in the 1980s. The documentary shows several stages of hip hop in the City as well as young artists who were from ethnically and racially diverse groups.
New York is shown in-depth at a time when there was a bubbling cauldron in the City surrounding sub culture. Mayor Koch and the local authorities pitch against graffiti writers in their attempt of social and political representation. The cornerstone of the film is the element represented by Henry Chalfant who sympathetically befriended graffiti writers for many years and followed their creative art. Style Wars made its mark on the world of graffiti giving prominence to graffiti writers who otherwise might not have experienced this freedom of opportunity. This documentary invoked much admiration due to Henry Chalfont’s pure ethics and blunt honesty.
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