Style Wars: Art or Crime?

23 Apr 2008 Category: Features, Film / Animation, Street Art, Worldwide

Style Wars: Art or Crime?

A graffiti-covered train in New York of the early '80s — a still from "Style Wars," the legendary documentary on hip-hop culture directed by Tony Silver.

New York City, 1982. Filmmaker Tony Silver was already in his forties when he grabbed the camera to document the signs of an interesting new youth movement — graffiti and its writers — that, after just a couple of years, had grown into a significant social issue. His movie, Style Wars, became a landmark of hip-hop culture. Sadly, Silver passed away at the age of 72 on February 1st this year and Rock Steady Crew’s Frosty Freeze (who appeared in the movie) just died on April 3rd at the age of 44. In memory of these exceptional personalities, PingMag would like to reflect on the legendary “Style Wars” doc that left its mark on many. Therefore, we present to you Tony Silver’s comments from his visit to Japan in 2005.

Written by Chiemi
Translated by Natsumi
With the kind cooperation of Nowonmedia, Inc.

It was around 1981 when Tony Silver saw in New York’s Village Voice magazine an article headlined “Breaking, Physical Graffiti is Hard to Do.” It reported that a group of youths were stopped by police for suspicious behaviour. They had been breakdancing — but that was yet to be a widely recognised activity. The article, as well as its photography by Martha Cooper, immediately attracted Silver’s attention. He had become weary of a New York that had not had any major movement in a long time and instantly thought of making a documentary.

Still from “Style Wars” - train running through the city of New York.

A “bombed” train, covered with graffiti. From the Style Wars official website.

Then, Henry Chalfant had a strong association with the B-boys, and with him, Silver set his mind on documenting the new language of hip-hop culture, especially ‘graffiti.’ He picked up his camera and thrust himself into the young community.

A group of kids, from “Style Wars.”

By tagging their names and spray painting on the canvas of train carriages, kids were trying to express and represent themselves. The sight of youngsters rejoicing as they watch such trains come and go is all too naive. However, the adults, including the then mayor of New York Ed Koch, denounced the drawings as defacements. The kids kept on spraying despite being chased by the authorities, and the adults continued to condemn them — and the discussion about whether graffiti is art or crime intensified. So, with Silver as an adult compared to the kids, what was on his mind at the time? And what was he trying to convey to people through his movie?

“What people feel from watching this film, I think, depends on each person. But many of the young kids I followed kept drawing intently without any idea of how talented they were. So this is a record of those kids in their golden moments,” said Silver.


Break dancing pioneers Rock Steady Crew show some pretty radiant smiles in this film…

… no wonder, when they see Edward Koch, then mayor of New York, denouncing graffiti writers.

Graffiti was (and still to some extent is) a matter of dispute.

After two years of filming, “Style Wars” was released in 1984 and won the Grand Prize for documentaries at Sundance Film Festival. Its TV version was broadcast on the newly-launched British Channel 4 and it left such an impression on the globe’s youth that, said many, it changed their lives.

A work by SEEN, who is introduced in the film as one of the greatest graffiti writers.

In 2003, almost two decades after its premier, Tony Silver picked up his camera once again – to get reunited with the graffiti writers from twenty years earlier, making “Style Wars: Re-visited.” In an interview in 2005 the director recalled the occasion with obvious delight.

“When I visited them after twenty years, surprisingly, most of them were where they used to be. Some of them even lived in exactly the same house!”

The reunion was different for each person. Some of them had succeeded as artists while others regretted what they had done in the past. But every single one of the kids Silver had captured in the early ’80s on his 16mm film were radiant and the filmmaker who shared that moment might have been one of the first few adults to deeply understand hip-hop culture.

“I think hip-hop’s biggest effect has been, more than any other popular cultural movement, in terms of race, ethnicity, class, high and low culture,” Tony Silver said.


Director Tony Silver. Thank you for your curiosity and enthusiasm!

Style Wars was rereleased on DVD from Plexifilm, two decades after its premier.

May director Tony Silver and Frosty Freeze rest in peace.

What did you feel when you watched Style Wars for the first time? Drop us a line and share your experience!

13 Comments

  1. This movie makes my blood boil and go out to paint!

    Posted by: Oles on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 pm

  2. Great story - and great mag/site.

    Graffiti is often better than mainstream art.

    Posted by: paul merrill on April 24th, 2008 at 5:00 am

  3. that Rocksteady member in the pic is Crazy Legs - legendary! Still represents at the BBoy Championships in London every year.

    I think Style Wars had a massive impact when it came out but really is just an indication of the impact that the whole hip hop movement has had, despite what it has become.

    For many people it is a defining moment. But what about Wild Style too?

    Thanks Pingmag - please do some more hip hop articles!

    Posted by: tim on April 24th, 2008 at 5:17 am

  4. Watching Style Wars for the first time certainly had a profound effect on me. Not just as someone who is interested in the various elements of hip hop culture and not just as an artist, but as a human being. My impressions were nicely captured in a 1986 edition of hip hop magazine, in which the writer notes that “It’s a fitting testament to human creativity that a generation of deprived kids in the burnt-out poverty of the boogie-down Bronx managed to create a lifestyle, a music and a culture that was shortly to sweep the world.” The movie leaves you with a feeling much like the opening line of Afrika Bambaataa’s ‘Renegades of Funk’: “No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now.”

    Posted by: Jason on April 24th, 2008 at 7:00 am

  5. [...] Link [...]

    Posted by: Style Wars: Art or Crime? - Nerdcore on April 24th, 2008 at 7:07 am

  6. Art or Crime?

    Note the subtle implication of this question - that art cannot also be illegal.

    Posted by: Luke on April 24th, 2008 at 8:37 am

  7. Yes….. What aboutWild Style the movie….!!! Amazing!

    If you havent seen this, then a quick google search is in order!

    Also think I remember seeing a documentary about the kids from wild style 10/20 years on!

    Posted by: SHANTELL MARTIN on April 24th, 2008 at 10:59 am

  8. IMHO as a part of art community, honestly I think the phenomena of street art contribute a lot to development of style. But as a part of society I have to agree that grafitti is an act of vandal and should be condemned as a crime

    Posted by: ray on April 24th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

  9. [...] PingMag pays homage to Tony Silver, one of the first to identify and capture the anarchic spirit of graffiti culture on film in the [...]

    Posted by: Reading without rhythm - 24/4/08 « walking without rhythm on April 24th, 2008 at 3:45 pm

  10. Hey Ray, get a grip. That’s not what this post is about and there are plenty places to vent your opinions about graffiti. Keep it to yourself.

    Great post. Like street art/graffiti? Check out woostercollective.com. Its got the latest and the greatest of the genre.

    Posted by: Roy on April 29th, 2008 at 10:09 am

  11. [...] Graffiti (spray can art) is the first art form created in the US, which spread world wide. Style Wars is a classic documentary that marked the beginning of an artistic revolution. Check out Ping Mag’s reflection on Tony Silver’s Style Wars. [...]

    Posted by: Fatlace™.. Collect Everything! on April 30th, 2008 at 3:20 am

  12. Yoo,

    After I finally saw this movie, I was browsing around for more info and found out that it is now available to watch/rent/buy on itunes.

    Just click the link below and you will be brought straight to the iTunes Store for viewing:

    http://tracking.newvideo.com/fclick.php?34

    awesome, right?

    Posted by: John on July 1st, 2008 at 5:01 am

  13. I and many other kids of the time in London watched this when first shown on Channel 4 and it did really change our lives. Check the following to see how…

    http://www.rockingthecity.com/

    Posted by: Comp - London on July 13th, 2008 at 9:23 am

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