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Features: DVD, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby, English, Spanish, Subtitled
Rize is an intimate, completely fresh portrayal of inner city youth who have created art and often family - where before there was none. Surrounded by drug addiction, gangs and impoverishment, they have developed a completely unique style of dance that evolves on a daily basis. Through tremendous spirit and creativity, they manage to rise above.System Requirements: Running Time 84 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE
"Spectacular! Bursting with joy and throbbing with music." Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"A knockout! A visual miracle!" Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Famed photographer David LaChapelle gets behind a different kind of lens for RIZE, his feature film debut. LaChapelle heads to Los Angeles to make his mark in the cinematic world, shooting a documentary about a style of hip-hop dance called "krumping." Dividing his time between the personal lives of the dancers and some spectacular on-screen demonstrations courtesy of the cream of the krumpers, LaChapelle's bright, vivacious photographic style makes an impressive translation to the big screen. Central to LaChapelle's film is Tommy "The Clown" Johnson. In the wake of the 1992 L.A. riots, Tommy performed as a traveling clown act for children's parties. Unable to satisfy the enormous demand for his act, Tommy set up a small clown-recruiting business which flourished under his tutelage. As the 21st century dawned, Tommy noticed his younger recruits had worked a unique and highly agile dance routine into their act, and krumping was born. LaChapelle slowly unravels the ties that bind Tommy and his cohorts throughout the movie; broken homes, domestic violence, and other horrors have cast an irrepressibly dark shadow over the dancers lives. RIZE illustrates how krumping offers a cathartic release from these personal demons, and as the dancers cavort and gyrate for the cameras, it feels like their tortured souls are literally trying to escape from their bodies. In fact, krumping has become so successful that many of the dancers have turned their back on the shadowy gang activities that formerly offered them a highly dangerous outlet for their pent-up frustrations. As the dancers perform a jaw-dropping array of moves, a deliriously infectious mixture of fun, intensity, and jubilant release pours from the screen. Playing out like a west-coast relative to fellow 2005 film, the New York-based MAD HOT BALLROOM, LaChapelle's movie gloriously demonstrates the healing powers of dance.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dance Moves By Dancers | | Deleted Scenes | | Director Commentary | | DVD Introduction With Cast And Director David Lachapelle | | Extended Scenes | | Filmmaking Insight With Director And Director Of Photography | | Interactive Menus | | K.R.U.M.P. Music Video By Daisy | | New Dancer Interviews With Director David Lachapelle | | New Krump Session | | Photo Gallery | | Previews | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Tribeca Film Festival Q&A With Cast |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Lions Gate |
| Release Date: 2/6/2007 |
| Running Time: 84 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 18311 | | UPC: 00031398183112 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"There isn't a limb or a muscle group that isn't in full frenzy; it's dancing as cathartic seizure..." 06/24/2005 p.138-140New York Times
"[T]he stories and personalities that do emerge are touching and intriguing." 06/24/2005 p.E22 Los Angeles Times
"The spontaneity and energy with which the clowns and krumpers perform is breathtaking..." 06/24/2005 p.E12 USA Today
"LaChapelle reveals the captivating qualities of gritty street dancing, and his film is a touching story of hope, vitality and art rising from the bleakest conditions." 06/24/2005 p.5E Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 5 -- "[It's] astonishing to see the furiously kinetic real-time steps in David LaChapelle's brilliant documentary on the street-level dance scene..." 11/03/2005 p.108 Sight and Sound
"[T]he film thrives on the dancers' natural energy and optimism." 12/01/2005 p.72 Rolling Stone
Ranked #18 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "[It] explodes with color and vitality on DVD....Eye-popping." 12/01/2005 p.98 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "The surreal style of celebrity snapper-turned-director David LaChapelle is confined to an excellent slo-mo sequence....Otherwise, he's a humble observer of a grass-roots phenomenon." 10/01/2006 p.108 Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
The most remarkable thing about Rize is that it is real. I remember hearing vaguely at Sundance about an earlier short subject that LaChapelle made about this phenomenon; was it on the level or a mockumentary? If Rize were a fake doc, it would look about the same as it does now, and would be easier to absorb, since the idea of gangs of clowns sounds like a put-on. But it isn't. - Roger Ebert
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