80 Blocks From Tiffany’s

Great documentary on New York gang culture, before hip hop gave people something to embrace.

80 Blocks From Tiffany’s, 1979

Words from an IMDb user:
An intimate look at life on the streets for young teen gang members. Black and Latino teenagers of the South Bronx struggle to make it on the streets. This is pre-hip-hop, pre-rap, and before breakdancing took over the youth culture of the Bronx. It is right before the advent of graffiti writers/bombers and breakdance crews that took off and became the new black culture a few years later. The film takes place in the summer of 1979. Shockingly realistic interviews with gang members of the infamous Savage Nomads and the Savage Skulls. Filmmaker Gary Weis manages to let the kids speak for themselves. Most of the footage is real interviews. A few scenes are reenactments of stories as told by some of the younger street kids. A rare glimpse into late 70s New York towards the end of the infamous South Bronx gang era. Anyone who is a fan of The Warriors would appreciate this film. The documentary shows many sides of the mainly Puerto Rican/Latino community of the South Bronx including reformed gang members, current gang members, the police, and the community leaders who tried to reach out to them. A film like this is simply unable to be made today!

Posted by Manny Z

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