Wild Style is a new to me movie so I got to rediscover it thanks to the new Arrow 4K UHD. It is ostensibly about a graffiti artist (Leo Quiñones) getting an opportunity, but it’s more about the vibe. Montages of spray painting come together in works of art. Rap and break dancing interludes make it pretty much a musical.
The 4:3 aspect ratio is full of ‘80s grain. The 4K really highlights the city at night and the black spray paint. And you get to see New York in 1981 when it was filmed.
Interviews and commentaries present more memories of early hip-hop and New York. Stories of not only the artists in the film, but Jean-Michel Basquiet and other locals on the scene come up in firstand accounts from director Charlie Ahearn and Fab Five Freddy in a new intervie and their 2007 audio commentary.
Chairman Maeo and Monk One are still inside the hip-hop world, but can speak to the impact of Wild Style on that scene after it came out. Of course, you don’t need to watch the whole movie to enjoy the music. Disc three is the CD of the soundtrack so you can take the seminal music on the go!