CONTOURS: Wild Style (1982) / preceded by Statues Hardly Ever Smile (1971) + a pre-show of 1980s anti-graffiti PSAs / live introduction from Dr. Lauren Cramer + virtual intro from director Charlie Ahearn

Paradise Theatre, June 2 2024

Captured during the nascent stages of hip hop, Charlie Ahearn’s Wild Style immortalizes the culture with ample collaboration from its pioneers. Echoing the fluidity of graffiti artists in action, the film’s easy rhythm captures the vitality of the artform and wider movement. Loosely plotted, Wild Style traces the journey of teenager Raymond (Lee Quiñones), who moonlights as famed anonymous graffiti artist Zorro. Preferring to forge his own path, Raymond initially resists efforts to legitimize graffiti taken up by his peers until smooth talking man about town Phade (Fab 5 Freddy) convinces him to capitalize on his talents. Performances from Grandmaster Flash, the Rock Steady Crew and other notable figures, coupled with a bursting musicality and verité quality, lends itself to seamless immersion in the film’s world. The arrival of The Village Voice journalist Virginia (Patti Astor), dispatched to the Bronx to cover hip hop and graffiti marks a notable tonal departure, used to explore the beginnings of the form's subsequent legitimization and crossover into the fine art world. Culminating in a kinetic reverie, Wild Style ends on a note reminding viewers that iconoclast art movements live and thrive among the people.

Liner notes by Iman Bundu.