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Dick Fontaine: Hip-Hop

Presented by International House Philadelphia at The Ibrahim Theater at International House

November 19, 2011

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Minding the Gap: The Films of Dick Fontaine

Separate tickets are required for each evening’s program.

The films of Dick Fontaine, a pioneer of cinema vérité in the UK, are an unrivaled document of the seismic shifts within Western culture during the second half of the 20th century. Starting in the early '60s, inspired by American jazz and the writings of Marshall McLuhan, Fontaine began forging a unique path for himself within the distinctively British tradition of documentary filmmaking. His work, past and present, speaks directly to the parallel trajectory of politics and culture, bridging the negligible distance between the two.

Program 5: Hip Hop

Beat This! A Hip Hop History
dir. Dick Fontaine, UK, 1983, video, 60 mins

As indelible original school imagery goes, you can’t beat Beat This! Amongst its brain-staining frames: footage of hip-hop godhead Kool Herc chauffeuring a pair of monstrous speakers through the South Bronx in a Caddy drop top; Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force crashing Gotham’s ozone on the last spaceship from Planet Rock; and the Cold Crush Brothers performing “Heartbreakers” at Danceteria in their wildest punk-rock-rapinspired attire. But director Dick Fontaine’s heavily stylized 1984 BBC production is much more than sci-fi/fantasy-infused eye candy. It is, like the title says, a real historical re-telling of rap’s genesis and evolution, with legendary NYC radio host Gary Byrd providing rhymed narration. Essential viewing for going way back.

Bombin’
dir. Dick Fontaine, UK, 1986, video, 60 mins

The Bronx founders of hip hop culture carry their message to the ghettos of Britain and find they’re close to home. Co-produced and written with Pat Hartley and members of the Hip Hop community including Bronx graffiti writer Brim Fuentes and future drum and bass icon Goldie, then known primarily for his artwork around Birmingham and Wolverhampton.