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Beat Street [DVD] [1984]
 
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Beat Street [DVD] [1984]

DVD ~ Rae Dawn Chong
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Beat Street [DVD] [1984]
34% buy the item featured on this page:
Beat Street [DVD] [1984] 4.4 out of 5 stars (9)
Beat Street [DVD] [1984]
34% buy
Beat Street [DVD] [1984] 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.88
Wild Style - 25th Anniversary Special Edition [1982] [DVD]
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Wild Style - 25th Anniversary Special Edition [1982] [DVD] 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
Breakdance - The Movie [1984] [Widescreen] [DVD]
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Breakdance - The Movie [1984] [Widescreen] [DVD] 4.6 out of 5 stars (17)
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Product details

  • Actors: Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet, Leon W. Grant, Saundra Santiago
  • Directors: Stan Lathan
  • Writers: Andrew Davis, Andy Davis, David Gilbert, Paul Golding, Steven Hager
  • Producers: David V. Picker, Harry Belafonte
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Ilc Prime
  • DVD Release Date: 11 Oct 2004
  • Run Time: 104 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005NI91
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 47,983 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

A slightly dated but nonetheless fascinating snap shot of musical history, Beat Street is an urban musical detailing the roots of hip-hop. Set in early 1980s New York, the film focuses on the lives of a small group of young people setting their experiences against the larger backdrop of the city's burgeoning music scene. The story of up and coming DJ Kenny and his relationship with jazz musician Tracy may only be a device, but it's surprisingly effective, as is the ultimately tragic tale of graffiti artist Remo. The movie's real raison d'être, however, is to showcase the sounds of the street and thus is full of some of hip-hop's most influential names--Melle Mel, Doug E Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, The Rocksteady Crew, Jazzy Jeff and Arthur Baker--and while the combination of electro and rapping may sound a little crude to modern ears, there can be no doubt that Beat Street is the sight and sound of history being made.

On the DVD: Beat Street on disc comes with pretty basic picture quality, but the soundtrack has benefited greatly from the digital remastering. The extras are limited to a collection of stills from the film and an amusing guide to break beats, which seems like a wasted opportunity. Given the nature of the movie, it's something of a shame that this disc doesn't go deeper into the subject matter. For a far more detailed examination of how the music of Kraftwerk blended with the sounds of American city streets, go to Volume 3 of the excellent BBC series Dancing in the Street. --Phil Udell



Special Features

English
Region 2
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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 (5)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Old school Hip Hop classic, 9 Sep 2001
I remember seeing this film back in 1984 - on my 12th birthday. Hip Hop was not big then, so seeing a feature film with my (then) favourite rappers and dancers The Rock Steady Crew, was a blast. True, it's an old, tacky, badly acted film with a weak plot, but still it potrays the rise of Hip Hop the way we want to remember it. And I love it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "all you homebwoys are bwiters" quote from the film..., 30 Sep 2001
By A Customer
simply a classic. if you havent seen this and have any interest in old skool hip hop/electro and/or graffiti then this is for you. not the best acting, not the best plot, but this film has a certain something that encompasses all that was excellent about the good old days of breakdancing, graffiti and dj'ing. one of my all time faves!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Old School Hip-Hop treat, 4 Nov 2002
By lee foxall (england) - See all my reviews
for those of you who remember the early 80's break dance craze, if you were into it in a big way then you should remeber this feature film. Has a story line has loads of great music and the challenge at the Roxy has all the best breakdance moves that you'll never forget. It's even got a bit of love, a bit of classical dance and some awesome tagging and burners (spraying on walls and trains)!! Get it while you can, i spent 3 years trying to get this!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My 2nd biggest musical influence
I heard a mix called The Lesson (the pay off mix) by Double Dee and Steinski back in 1983 , a few months later I saw this film. Read more
Published on 26 Jul 2007 by Hugh Jarse

5.0 out of 5 stars Sound of the future
The thing I most remember about Beat Street is the trailer. I was 10 years old at the time and had never heard anything like the sound of "scratching". Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2005 by bokeronamadri

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars for the song and dance routines alone
Jumping on the breakdance gravy train, Beat Street is part-cheesy Hollywood romance,part-musical. Unlike Wildstyle (released the previous year) this filmmakers employ "real"... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2004 by J. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars AT LAST!
At long last, I am finally holding the film I have been after for years in my hand and it's a DVD. I spent hours and hours trying to copy Crazy Legs backspin taking off his shoes,... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2002 by Jairoc

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hip Hop Classic
This movie puts Breakdance and other dance music to shame. An absolute classic featuring some of the greatest tunes ever to grace the twin decks. Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Any B-Boys in the house?
This is a classic low budget hip-hop movie, which contains excellent mixng and record scratching, breaking and popping, cool grafitti and a general insight into the old school hip... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2001

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