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{{Short description|1983 American documentary film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Style Wars
| image          = Stylewars cover.jpg
| director       = [[Tony Silver]]
| producer       = Tony Silver<br>[[Henry Chalfant]]<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/867046488 Style Wars (eVideo, 2011)-WorldCat.org]</ref>
| writer         = 
| starring       = Various
| studio         = Public Art Films<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/style-wars-v158386 |title=AllMovie |access-date=2019-05-20 |archive-date=2020-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815083741/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/style-wars-v158386 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| distributor    = [[PBS]]
| released       = {{Film date|1983|||on television|1984|||in theatres}}
| runtime        = 70 minutes<br>111 minutes <br>director's cut<br />
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| music          = Various
}}

'''''Style Wars''''' is a 1983 American [[documentary film]] on [[hip hop culture]], directed by [[Tony Silver]] and produced in collaboration with [[Henry Chalfant]]. The film has an emphasis on [[graffiti]], although [[bboying]] and [[rapping]] are covered to a lesser extent. The film was originally aired on the television network [[PBS]] and was subsequently shown in several [[film festival]]s to much acclaim, including the [[Vancouver International Film Festival|Vancouver Film Festival]]. It also won the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the [[Sundance Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fox|first=Margalit|title=Tony Silver, 72, Documentary Director, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/movies/05silver.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=3 January 2012|date=5 March 2008|archive-date=3 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403160356/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/movies/05silver.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sundance.org/blogs/style-wars/ |title=sundance.org |access-date=2021-12-03 |archive-date=2021-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203224822/https://www.sundance.org/blogs/style-wars/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The documentary captures and includes many historical moments of [[hip hop culture]] during its earliest days in the 1970s onward towards the early 1980s. Many film elements from ''Style Wars'', including outtakes, are now housed at the [[Academy Film Archive]] as part of the Tony Silver Collection.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tony Silver Collection|url=https://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/tony-silver|website=Academy Film Archive|access-date=2020-04-10|archive-date=2020-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405214521/https://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/tony-silver|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Background==
The documentary explores divergent perspectives on graffiti, articulated by graffiti artists, city officials including former [[New York City Mayor]] [[Ed Koch]], and other stakeholders such as police officers, subway maintenance personnel, and citizens. Prominent figures in the graffiti community, including artists [[Jeff Brown (artist)|Kase 2]], [[Dondi (Graffiti Artist)|Dondi]], Shy 147, [[Seen (artist)|Seen]], and Skeme along with his mother, feature prominently. The film also highlights contributions from graffiti documentarian and co-producer [[Henry Chalfant]] and breakdancer [[Crazy Legs (dancer)|Crazy Legs]] of [[Rock Steady Crew]].

While the documentary posits graffiti as a legitimate artistic expression, it concurrently portrays the vigorous efforts by municipal authorities and law enforcement to curtail this form of urban art. The administration under Mayor Koch undertook substantial measures, including the allocation of considerable funds towards anti-graffiti campaigns in subway systems, the construction of barriers at subway entry points to deter graffiti artists, and the deployment of police dogs to these locations.

The narrative extends beyond mere criminalization, presenting viewpoints from established artists who argue that the lack of accessible venues drives young artists to express themselves on public and private edifices. This demographic, often marginalized, seeks to engage with the community and articulate their identities through visible, albeit illegal, marks on urban landscapes. The documentary navigates these complex social dynamics, positioning some participants as intermediaries who recognize the artistic value while critiquing the methods of execution, thus embodying a dual role in the discourse on graffiti as both art and act of defiance.

==Reception and legacy==
In 2009, [[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' examined the film:

"''Style Wars'' is a work of art in its own right too, because it doesn't just record what these artists are doing, it somehow absorbs their spirit and manages to communicate it across the decades so that we can find ourselves, so many years later, in the city, understanding what made it beautiful."<ref>{{cite news|last=Scott|first=A.O.|title=Critics' Picks: 'Style Wars' - The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/movies/1194747016962/critics-picks-style-wars.html|work=Critics' Picks: Style Wars|date=20 April 2009|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=20 March 2020|archive-date=20 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320141605/https://www.nytimes.com/video/movies/1194747016962/critics-picks-style-wars.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2018 review from ''The New Yorker'' also recommends the film, citing its soundtrack and its ability to capture the historical moment it centers on.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.newyorker.com/recommends/watch/style-wars/amp | website = www.newyorker.com | title = The New Yorker Recommends: "Style Wars" and the Dawn of Hip-Hop Culture | date = 25 June 2018 | access-date = 20 March 2020 | archive-date = 20 March 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200320141605/https://www.newyorker.com/recommends/watch/style-wars/amp | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] referred to the film as the "defining documentary of early hip-hop culture".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pearce |first1=Sheldon |title=Style Wars Is Still the Defining Documentary of Early Hip-Hop Culture |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/style-wars-is-still-the-defining-documentary-of-early-hip-hop-culture/ |website=Pitchfork |date=15 May 2020 |access-date=4 March 2021 |archive-date=23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323071445/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/style-wars-is-still-the-defining-documentary-of-early-hip-hop-culture/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Featured graffiti artists==
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* Demon
* [[Eric Haze|Se3]]
* Spank
* [[DJ Kay Slay|Dez]]
* Skeme
* Ces 157
* MinOne (NE)
* [[IZ (graffiti artist)|Iz the Wiz]]
* Quik
* Sach
* [[Dondi White|Dondi]]
* [[Seen (artist)|Seen UA]]
* Seen TC5
* Dust 
* [[Zephyr (artist)|Zephyr]]
* Revolt
* Wasp 1
* Noc 167
* [[Carlos Mare139 Rodriguez|Mare 139]]
* [[Jeff Brown (artist)|Kase2]] 
* Dee 5 
* Butch
* Trap
* Duro
* Soe
* Spin
* Zone
* Kid 
* Cap
* Daze
* [[Crash (graffiti artist)|Crash]]
* [[Erni Vales|Paze]]
* [[Cey Adams|Cey]]
* [[Futura 2000|Futura]]
* [[Fab Five Freddy|Fred]]
{{div col end}}

==Featured breakers==
*[[Crazy Legs (dancer)|Crazy Legs]]
*[[Frosty Freeze]]
*[[Ken Swift]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Lenny Len]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Kippy Dee]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Lil' Crazy Legs]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Take One]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Ty Fly]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Mr. Freeze]]
*[[Rock Steady Crew|Doze]]
* Kid Glide
* Wavy Legs
* Kid Freeze
* Nelly Nell
* Eddie Ed
* Flip-a-matic
* Lil' Flip
* Junior Fastbreak
* Joly

==Featured music==
* "[[8th Wonder (song)|8th Wonder]]" by [[The Sugarhill Gang]]
* "[[The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)|The Message]]" by [[Grandmaster Flash]]
* "[[Beat Bop]]" by [[Rammellzee]] and [[K-Rob]]
* "[[Drop the Bomb|Pump Me Up]]" by [[Trouble Funk]]
* "[[The Wanderer (Dion song)|The Wanderer]]" by [[Dion DiMucci|Dion]]
* "[[The Fearless Four (band)|Rockin' It]]" by [[The Fearless Four (band)|The Fearless Four]]
* "[[Jam Hot]]" by [[Johnny Dynell]]
* "[[Treacherous Three|Feel The Heartbeat]]" by [[Treacherous Three]]

==DVD release==
<!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:TonySilver_HenryChalfant.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Tony Silver (left) and Henry Chalfant (right) during their interview for the DVD
release.]] -->
The digitally remastered DVD edition also contains:
* 23 minutes of outtake footage
* Commentary and interviews by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant
* Interviews with ''Style Wars'' editors Victor Kanefsky and Sam Pollard
* Art galleries by Blade, Cap, Cey, Crash, Crazy Legs, Daze, [[DJ Kay Slay|Dez]], [[Dondi (Graffiti Artist)|Dondi]], Doze, Duro, Duster, Frosty Freeze, IZ the Wiz, Case/[[Jeff Brown (artist)|Kase 2]], Kel First, Ken Swift, Lee, Mare139, Min One, Noc 167, Paze (Erni), [[Lady Pink]], Quik, [[Rammellzee]], Revolt, Sach, [[Seen (artist)|Seen UA]], Shy 147, Skeme, Rafael 666, Tracy 168, and [[Zephyr (artist)|Zephyr]]
* Tributes to [[Dondi (Graffiti Artist)|Dondi]] and Shy 147
* Guest interviews with Blade, Lee, Kel First, [[Seen (artist)|Seen]], [[Tracy 168]], Cap, MIN (NE), QUIK, [[IZ (graffiti artist)|IZ the Wiz]], [[Fab 5 Freddy]], [[Goldie]], [[Guru (rapper)|Guru]], [[DJ Red Alert]], and photographer [[Martha Cooper]]

==2011 restoration auction==
On June 9, 2011 it was announced that [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] bassist [[Flea (musician)|Flea]] along with actors [[Brad Pitt]] and [[James Franco]] and director [[Spike Jonze]] were donating items to an [[eBay]] auction that would raise money for restoring the film negatives for ''Style Wars''. The auction ended on June 11, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/251365/Flea-donates-bass-guitar-to-charity-auctionFlea-donates-bass-guitar-to-charity-auction#ixzz1Oi6gtFKU|title=Flea donates bass guitar to charity auction|publisher=Express.co.uk|date=2011-06-09|accessdate=2011-06-09|archive-date=2011-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612175334/http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/251365/Flea-donates-bass-guitar-to-charity-auctionFlea-donates-bass-guitar-to-charity-auction#ixzz1Oi6gtFKU|url-status=live}}</ref>

== References in other media ==

DJ Mutt used quotes from the movie in his song titled "Big Lights, Big City" taken from his album ''Treading Water''. [[Black Star (rap duo)|Black Star]] used a clip from the movie in the intro to the song "[[Respiration (song)|Respiration]]" on [[Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star|the Black Star album]]. The [[Drum and bass|Drum and Bass]] group Ganja Kru, composed of [[DJ Hype]], [[DJ Zinc]], and Pascal, used quotes from the movie in their song titled "Plague That Never Ends". Swedish band [[The Radio Dept.]] used audio samples from the film in their single "Never Follow Suit" from the album ''[[Clinging to a Scheme]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Radio Dept. - Never Follow Suit (Song Lyrics)|url=http://www.theradiodept.com/lyrics-n/never-follow-suit-lyrics|website=The Radio Dept. Official Site|accessdate=2 June 2015|archive-date=24 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524212602/http://www.theradiodept.com/lyrics-n/never-follow-suit-lyrics|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.stylewars.com/ Official site]
* {{IMDb title|id=0177262|title=Style Wars}}
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/style_wars ''Style Wars''] on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]
* [https://www.folkstreams.net/film-detail.php?id=161 ''Style Wars''] on [[Folkstreams]]
* [https://mubi.com/films/style-wars ''Style Wars'' on MUBI]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box
| title=[[List of Sundance Film Festival award winners|Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Documentary]]
| years=1984
| before= -
| after=''[[Seventeen (1985 film)|Seventeen]]''}}
{{s-end}}

{{hiphop}}
{{Sundance Grand Jury Prize Documentary}}

[[Category:1983 films]]
[[Category:1983 documentary films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:Graffiti in New York City]]
[[Category:Documentary films about graffiti]]
[[Category:Documentary films about hip-hop music and musicians]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Films set on the New York City Subway]]
[[Category:New York City hip-hop]]
[[Category:Sundance Film Festival award–winning films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]
[[Category:1980s hip-hop films]]
[[Category:1983 musical films]]