Beat Street - A Loucura do Ritmo (1984)

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

Writers:

Steven Hager (story by) (as Steve Hager), Andrew Davis (screenplay by) (as Andy Davis)

Stars:

Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Tracy
Guy Davis	...	Kenny
Jon Chardiet	...	Ramon
Leon W. Grant	...	Chollie
Saundra Santiago	...	Carmen
Robert Taylor	...	Lee
Mary Alice	...	Cora (as Mary Alice Smith)
Shawn Elliott	...	Domingo (as Shawn Elliot)
Jim Borrelli	...	Monte
Dean Elliott	...	Henry
Franc Reyes	...	Luis
Tonya Pinkins	...	Angela
Lee Chamberlin	...	Alicia
Antonia Rey	...	Flora
Duane Jones	...	Robert

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

hood | funeral | santa claus | dance movie | hip hop | 

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Taglines:

Get down, brother, shuffle those feet, shake a little boogie to the sound of that beat.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

M/6

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Fast Break (who appeared in the Treacherous Three sequence), there was a classroom up-rocking battle scene that involved the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew, but it was cut. There was also more of the climatic battle between these two crews at the Roxy nightclub.

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Goofs

When Spit tags over Ramo's burner with the Dyer Ave train, you can see the "Sp" in "Spit" from a previous take.

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Quotes

Tracy Carlson: Do you have any other brothers or sisters besides Lee?
Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland: I had an older brother.
Tracy Carlson: What happened?
Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland: He was in this big gang in the Bronx. He was into some bad shit and when the cops came down on them, a lot of guys got wasted and Franklin was one of them. I was 12 years old and I was mad! I wanted to go to war. But, my friends told that that was stupid. Anyway, gangs died out back then.

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical prints were edited by four seconds to obtain a "PG" rating. The 1986 and 2002 video releases were uncut and received a "15" classification, though in 2008 the rating was downgraded to "12," again without cuts.

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Connections

Referenced in Just to Get a Rep (2004)

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Soundtracks

Beat Street Strut
Written by Eumir Deodato and Alan Palanker
Lyrics by Katreese Barnes and Jerry Barnes
Produced and Arranged by Eumir Deodato

User Reviews

A Piece Of American History.

This started out to be a movie about the street culture of the Bronx in New York. What it accomplished was to give birth to a new culture and way of life, for American youth. What other movie has done this except Rebel Without A Cause? One of the most important movies of all time. The elements are simple yet fascinating. The story is timeless, young people try to succeed against all odds. Yet the story is always believable and never depressing. The characters are so realistic, a city dweller, would recognize them as neighbors. The story is entertaining, and comes to a satisfying ending. Buy this one for your permanent collection. It is a piece of American history.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1984 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Beat Street - A Loucura do Ritmo

Filming Locations:

South Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,218,040, 10 June 1984

Gross USA:

$16,595,791

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,595,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1