Before Charlie Ahearn shot his seminal hip-hop film “Wild Style” in 1982, he was directly exposed to the bourgeoning hip-hop, break-dancing and graffiti movement, while shooting his super-8 martial arts epic “The Deadly Art of Survival” around the projects (next door to his apartment) in the Lower East Side in 1979. It stars Nathan Ingram, a true to life martial arts hero, who in this movie version struggles against local drug dealers operating from a rival karate school called the disco dojo. The local handball courts were painted by graffiti legend Lee Quinones, who went on to star in “Wild Style”. This film is a must see for anyone interested in the roots of hip-hop at the intersection of Lower East Side art world, in the late seventies.
- NTSC Region 1
- An 2007 interview with karate instructor Nathan Ingram at his martial arts school. (18 minutes)
