Happy Street

Beat Street is an American film carried out by Stan Lathan, left in 1984.

Synopsis

An small group of young inhabitants of the Bronx want to bore in the world of the Hip-Hop. Kenny is a promising deejay, his/her Lee little brother is excellent a station-wagon-dancer, Ramon is graffitor and Charlie gave itself a place of to manage for Kenny.

Comment

Beat Street is one of first films devoted to Hip-Hop, after Wild Style and Style Wars. Produced by MGM and Harry Belafonte in the obvious intention to be the film emblematic of a musical generation, Beat Street hesitates between the social fresco (way Rocky or the Fever of Saturday evening) and film of initiation (Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, Fame). In spite of a Politically correct scenario a little , in spite of an image esthétisante, certain incongruous ideas of realization (the graffiti are carried out by painters in decorations for example) and in spite of the presence of professional actors without bond with the world of Hip Hop such as Rae Down Chong or Mary Alice, Beat Street manages to show the gasoline of Hip-Hop in what it has filling with enthusiasm moreover. The invisible borders which separate “those from in top” (Manhattan) from “those of in bottom” (South Bronx) are very well seen.

Data sheet

August 1st

Distribution

(not-exhaustive)

Main roles

Rae Dawn Chong : Tracy
Guy Davis: Kenny
Jon Chardiet : Ramon
Robert Taylor: Lee
Mary Alice: Cora
Leon W. Grant: Chollie
Saundra Santiago: Carmen

Appearances/performances

Afrika Bambaataa (and the soulsonic force )
the trio The Treacherous three
members of the Rock'n'roll Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers
Jazzy Jay
Kool Herc
Brenda Starr
the trio Custom girls
Miss Mel
Bernard Fowler

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