Beat Street (1984) 5.9
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture. Director:Stan Lathan |
|
| 0Share... |
Beat Street (1984) 5.9
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture. Director:Stan Lathan |
|
| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rae Dawn Chong | ... |
Tracy Carlson
|
|
|
|
Guy Davis | ... |
Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland
|
|
|
Jon Chardiet | ... |
Ramon
|
|
|
Leon W. Grant | ... |
Chollie
|
| Saundra Santiago | ... |
Carmen Cararro
|
|
|
|
Robert Taylor | ... |
Lee Kirkland
|
| Mary Alice | ... |
Cora
(as Mary Alice Smith)
|
|
| Shawn Elliott | ... |
Domingo
|
|
|
|
Jim Borrelli | ... |
Monte
|
|
|
Dean Elliott | ... |
Henri
|
|
|
Franc Reyes | ... |
Luis
|
| Tonya Pinkins | ... |
Angela
|
|
|
|
Lee Chamberlin | ... |
Alicia
|
|
|
Antonia Rey | ... |
Flora
|
|
|
Duane Jones | ... |
Robert
|
An upbeat, lets-put-on-a-show musical about the wonders of hip-hop music and culture that tells the story of Kenny, a young hip-hop artist living in the rough slums of the Bronx with his younger brother Lee and their mother Cora. Kenny dreams of making it big as a disc jockey and playing in the most swank of Manhattan nightclubs, the Roxy. Into their lives comes Tracy, a composer and assistant choreographer from the City College of New York, who inspires him to try to continue his dream while romance begins to grow between them, despite coming from different neighborhoods and worlds. Meanwhile, Lee is part of a break-dancing crew set on dominating the scene of their street. The rest of their friends include Ramon, a graffiti artist determined to spread his painting to every subway car in the city while dealing with his girlfriend Carmen and Chollie, a fellow disc jockey who becomes Kenny's manager after he lands him a gig at a Bronx club. Many hip-hop groups, electro artists, break ... Written by Matt Patay
Great time-capsule of the Bronx and 'hood in the 1980s, and the b-bop culture/dress/dance. Kids walking the snowy streets, abandoned buildings (sealed with concrete, then broken into), marked-up subway cars...New York as it was then. It's a well put-together, but not "slick", movie, with a good, believable story and characters with some depth. The breakdancing is "real" and pretty thrilling. I taught at Roosevelt High in the Bronx at this time, and this movie catches the scene. Interesting to note how upbeat, pleasant it all was, too, vs. today's more sinist