Beat Street

Director: Stan Lathan, Wynn P. Thomas Stan Lathan

Overview

Jon Chardiet plays a Puerto Rican youth who targets subway walls for his graffiti renderings. For a while, it looks as though Chardiet's problems will carry the plotline, but before long the film's true raison d'etre comes to the surface. Rap-music deejay Guy Davis, in tandem with such like-minded individuals as music student Rae Dawn Chong, endeavor to stage a huge breakdancing presentation, featuring several musical artistes of the period. Harry Belafonte served as coproducer.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/16/2016
UPC:	0887090115803
Original Release:	1984
Rating:	PG
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00
Sales rank:	15,501

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rae Dawn Chong	Tracy Carlson
Guy Davis	Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland,Douggie Fresh
Jon Chardiet	Ramon
Leon W. Grant	Chollie
Saundra Santiago	Carmen
Mary Alice	Cora
Shawn Elliott	Domingo,Henry
Jim Borrelli	Monte
Franc Reyes	Luis
Tonya Pinkins	Angela
Lee Chamberlin	Alicia
Antonia Rey	Flora
Duane Jones	Robert
Hope Clarke	Dancing Instructor
Kool Herc	Himself
Gina Belafonte	Elizabeth,Composer
Kimry Smith	Erika
Doug E. Fresh	Douggie Fresh,Performer
Richard Thomsen	Paul
Leon Stephenson	Monte's Bouncer
Kadeem Hardson	High School Student
Lorenzo Soto	Bronx Rocker
Dadi Pinero	Young Writer
Pedro B. Serrano	Pedro
Mervyn E. Griffith	Student
Joseph Verhauz	Transit Policeman
Susan Roffer	Monte's Assistant
Afrika Bambaataa	Soul Sonic Force/Shango,Performer
Billy Anagnos	Stunts
Kadeem Hardison	Actor
Vic Magnotta	Stunts
Soul Sonic Force	Actor
Tom Wright	Stunts
B. Tina	Actor
Bernard Fowler	Actor
Tommy Gunn	Actor
Paul Pesco	The System
Lisa Lee	Us Girl
Kool Moe Dee	The Treacherous Trio
Wayne Frost	Actor
Grandmaster Melle Mel	Performer
Robert Taylor	Actor
Arthur Baker	Composer
Webster Lewis	Composer

Technical Credits

Andy Davis

Paul Golding

David Gilbert

Andy David

Stan Lathan	Director
Andy Davis	Screenwriter
Paul Golding	Screenwriter
David Gilbert	Screenwriter
Harry Belafonte	Producer
David V. Picker	Producer
Al Griswold	Special Effects
Wynn Thomas	Director
Andy David	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Released just a month after the immense success of Breakin', Beat Street added to the shameless product that Hollywood pumped out to fuel the ever-growing obsession with breakdancing culture, though it strived for more than just your usual underdogs plotline. More in line with the strife presented in the similarly themed Rappin' from the following year, Beat Street offers a view of life in the inner city that doesn't always end in a rousing musical number. That's not to say that there aren't lively set pieces. With appearances by Afrika Bambaataa and Grand Master Melle Mel & the Furious Five fueling showdowns between the real Rock Steady Crew vs. the New York City Breakers breakdancing crews, the dance sequences are wild, bright, and shimmering with that '80s sheen that later generations would either emulate or try hard to forget about. What also sets the film apart is the focus on all aspects of the culture, including graffiti art and DJing, both of which mostly got the shaft in other productions at the time. Add in hot outfits, neon nightclubs, and fresh beats that move everyone's feet, and you have yourself one heck of a breakdance flick.