Breakin'

Breakin' (also known as Breakdance in the United Kingdom and Break Street '84 in other regions[4]) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on a story by Parker, DeBevoise and Gerald Scaife.

This article is about the 1984 film. For other uses, see Breaking (disambiguation).

Breakin'
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoel Silberg
Screenplay by
  • Charles Parker
  • Allen DeBevoise
Story by
  • Charles Parker
  • Allen DeBevoise
  • Gerald Scaife
Produced by
  • Allen DeBevoise
  • David Zito
Starring
CinematographyHanania Baer
Edited by
  • Larry Bock
  • Gib Jaffe
  • Vincent Sklena
Music by
  • Michael Boyd
  • Gary Remal
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM/UA Entertainment Company
Release date
  • May 4, 1984 (1984-05-04)
Running time
87 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.2 million[2]
Box office$38.7 million[2][3]

The film's setting was inspired by a 1983 documentary titled Breakin' 'n' Enterin', set in the multi-racial hip hop club Radio-Tron, based out of MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.[5] Many of the artists and dancers from said documentary, including Ice-T (who makes his film debut as a club MC), and Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers, went straight from Breakin' 'n' Enterin' to star in Breakin'.

The film's soundtrack featured the hits "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" by Ollie & Jerry, "Freakshow on the Dance Floor" by The Bar-Kays and the UK Top 20 hit "Body Work" by Hot Streak.[6][7]

Breakin' was one of the final Cannon film productions released by MGM/UA. After release, MGM and Cannon dissolved their distribution deal, reportedly over the potentially X-rated content in John Derek's film Bolero and MGM's then-policy of not theatrically releasing X-rated material, forcing Cannon to become an in-house distribution company once again. Because of this, Breakin' is considered to be the final financially profitable film released by Cannon.

Breakin' was released to theaters on May 4, 1984, and despite receiving negative reviews from critics, it was a box office success. A theatrical sequel entitled Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, was released later in the same year.

Plot

Protagonist Kelly "Special K" Bennett is a young dancer training under instructor Franco in Venice, California. Through her friend Adam, Kelly meets two street dancers, Ozone and Turbo on the boardwalk at Venice Beach. Kelly is enamored with their dancing, and all three become friends. This leads to their becoming their own dance troupe.

Franco tells Kelly that breakdancing is low-class and not a real art. He is disrespectful to Ozone and Turbo, and makes inappropriate advances on Kelly. She quits training with Franco. Later, Kelly attends a dance audition and is shut down by harsh directors.

Kelly then wanders to a breakdancing event where she finds Ozone and Turbo in the midst of a dance battle that they eventually lose against rivals "Electro Rock." Adam convinces Ozone and Turbo to teach Kelly how to breakdance. After training for a while, the three defeat Electro Rock. Kelly convinces the troupe to enroll in a dance competition. Kelly's agent friend, James, sees what the group can do and agrees to back them.

The competition requirements are traditional, socially respected styles of dance. The troupe walks before the judges in tuxedos, top hats and white gloves to give the impression of traditional dancers. Just before the audition starts, they rip off the sleeves of their shirts and show their true style. The judges are initially shocked and disapproving. Yet within two minutes of their audition, the judges recognize the troupe's talent and allow them to continue. The troupe earns a standing ovation from the judges and win the competition. The troupe's popularity skyrockets, and all three members continue dancing professionally and in the community.[8]

In a mid-credits scene, Special K, Ozone, and Turbo meet James some time after the competition, who informs them about a new phenomenon known as "the electric boogaloo."

Cast

Production

According to the 2014 documentary Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, Menahem Golan of Cannon Films was inspired to create this film after his daughter saw a breakdancer perform in Venice Beach, California. Golan pressured the production crew to complete the film before Orion Pictures released their breakdancing film Beat Street.

Erik Abbey was the choreographer for the breakdancing scenes.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film was released by Polydor Records in 1984.[10] The album contains the first performance on an album by rapper Ice-T (who had previously released some 12" singles), produced by DJ Chris "The Glove" Taylor & David Storrs.[11]

Track listing

[12]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us"Ollie E. Brown, Jerry KnightOllie & Jerry4:34
2."Freakshow on the Dance Floor"The Bar-Kays, Allen A. JonesThe Bar-Kays4:42
3."Body Work"Curtis HudsonHot Streak4:22
4."99 ½"John Fottman, Maxi AndersonCarol Lynn Townes4:02
5."Showdown"Ollie E. Brown, Joe CurialeOllie & Jerry3:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Heart of the Beat"Dan Hartman, Charlie Midnight3V4:18
2."Street People"Ollie E. Brown, Jerry KnightFire Fox3:23
3."Cut It"Paul FishmanRe-Flex3:11
4."Ain't Nobody"Hawk WolinskiRufus and Chaka Khan4:45
5."Reckless" (Rap by Ice-T)Chris "The Glove" Taylor, David StorrsChris "The Glove" Taylor & David Storrs3:57

Despite not being included on the official soundtrack, the film also features the previously released songs "Boogie Down" by Al Jarreau, "Tour de France" by Kraftwerk, "Beat Box" by Art of Noise and "Tibetan Jam" by Chris "The Glove" Taylor.

Release

Box office

Breakin' opened in 1,069 venues on May 4, 1984 and outgrossed Sixteen Candles, which had more screens (1,240). The film ranked number one in the box office, earning $6,047,686.[31] By the end of its run, the film grossed $38,682,707 in the domestic box office,[3] making it the eighteenth top-grossing film of 1984.[32]

Critical reception

Roger Ebert, who reviewed the film while it was in theatres, gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4, stating that the movie was, "a stiff and awkward story, interrupted by dance sequences of astonishing grace and power."[8] Ebert praised the dancing and the chemistry of the stars but slammed the movie's screenplay and supporting characters.

Breakin' currently holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on nine reviews.[33]

Home media

On August 5, 2003, MGM Home Entertainment released Breakin' on DVD. On April 21, 2015, Shout! Factory released Breakin, along with its sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, as a double feature Blu-ray.

Several months before the film's release, Shabba Doo, Boogaloo Shrimp, Pop n' Taco, Popin' Pete, DJ Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Lollipop were all featured in the music video for Chaka Khan's remake of the 1979 Prince song "I Feel for You".

Ice-T, who had a small role in both Breakin' and its sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo and was featured on the soundtrack to both films (helping introduce his music to a worldwide audience), was quoted as saying he considers the film and his own performance in it to be "wack".[34]

Breakin' and its sequel have had a resurgence in popular media as people have begun to remember, mock, and praise the film over 20 years later, with the sequel's subtitle in particular becoming a snowclone pejorative nickname to denote an archetypical sequel.[35][36]

In 2019, the documentary Boogaloo Shrimp by Taylor Golonka was released on Amazon Prime. It focuses on the creative talents of Michael Chambers, who played Turbo in Breakin'. According to filmmaker Taylor Golonka, "Michael Chambers will go down in history as being one of the iconic innovators of the b-boy and breakdancing culture."[37]

References
  1. "BREAKDANCE (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. May 4, 1984. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  2. Andrew Yule, Hollywood a Go-Go: The True Story of the Cannon Film Empire, Sphere Books, 1987 p47
  3. "Breakin' (1984)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. Silberg, Joel (April 6, 2009), Breakdance - The Movie, Second Sight Films Ltd., retrieved October 28, 2017
  5. "Breakin' N Enterin' Documentary (Video)". Ambrosia For Heads. August 10, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  6. "BBC Radio 2 - Pick of the Pops, 1983".
  7. "HOT STREAK | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  8. Ebert, Roger. "Breakin' Movie Review & Film Summary (1984) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  9. "Jean-Claude van Damme". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  10. Breakin', Get On Down, November 22, 2011, retrieved October 28, 2017
  11. "Breakin'". Allmusic.
  12. "Breakin' - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984, 72 - PRC, Richmond Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1984.
  13. Kent 1993, p. 283.
  14. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Breakin'" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6802". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Breakdance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  17. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1, no. 16/17. July 23, 1984. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History. See last week column.
  18. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Breakin'" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  20. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Breakdance". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  21. "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Breakdance". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  22. "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Breakin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  24. "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  25. "Soundtrack Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  26. Kent 1993, p. 436.
  27. "Top 100 Albums (January 3–December 29, 1984)" (PDF). Music Week. January 26, 1985. p. 42. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  28. "Top Pop Albums of 1984". Billboard. December 31, 1984. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  29. "Talent Almanac 1985 – Top Pop Album Soundtracks/Original Cast". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-20. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  30. "Talent Almanac 1985 – Top Black Albums". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-22. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  31. "Weekend Box Office Results for May 4-6, 1984". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. May 7, 1984. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  32. "1984 Yearly Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  33. "Breakin'". Rotten Tomatoes.
  34. Ice T; Sigmund, Heidi (1994). The Ice Opinion. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 96. ISBN 0-312-10486-3.
  35. "Beyond Boogaloo: The Weird, Wild and Wonderful World of Cannon's 'Breakin' Movies". Esquire. May 29, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  36. Patches, Matt (December 22, 2014). "How 'Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo' Became a Movie and Then a Meme". Grantland. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  37. "About – Boogaloo Shrimp Documentary". Retrieved March 26, 2019.

Bibliography
  • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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