Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's PBS documentary tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Cinematography
Chalfant's obsessive train photography — pure kinetic art
Direction
Silver captures the hunger before hip-hop went corporate
Editing
Breakbeats and spray cans in perfect chaotic rhythm
Director
Tony Silver
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film essentially created the 'four elements of hip-hop' framework by accident — before its release, breaking, DJing, MCing and graffiti were separate scenes that didn't see themselves as one culture.
The legendary 'hand of doom' scene where a writer nearly dies on the third rail? The crew kept filming. Tony Silver later said he still doesn't know if that was right.
US
