Purple Rain (1984)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Albert Magnoli

Writers:

William Blinn (written by)
Albert Magnoli (written by)

Release Date:

27 July 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

A young man with a talent for music has begun a career with much promise. He meets an aspiring singer...

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Aspiring Singer | Star | Guitar | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Prince	...	The Kid
Apollonia Kotero	...	Apollonia
Morris Day	...	Morris
Olga Karlatos	...	Mother
Clarence Williams III	...	Father
Jerome Benton	...	Jerome
Billy Sparks	...	Billy
Jill Jones	...	Jill
Charles Huntsberry	...	Chick
Dez Dickerson	...	Dez
Brenda Bennett	...	Brenda
Susan Moonsie	...	Susan (as Susan)
Sandra Claire Gershman	...	Beautiful Babe
Kim Upsher	...	Kim
Alan Leeds	...	Stage Hand

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Eagan, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The film almost got an "X" rating because of the sex scene with Prince and Apollonia. However, after several seconds were cut out of it, the film came out with an "R" rating.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Jerome and Morris are walking around the block, discussing the problems with the girls' group, as Morris says: "That Apollonia babe we saw last night" his lips don't move in sync with the dialogue dub. He's actually mouthing "Vanity" instead of "Apollonia", indicating that this scene was filmed before Vanity backed out of the shoot.

Quotes:

[after jumping in cold water, Apollonia is getting dressed and The Kid rides up to her]
The Kid: Come on, let's go.
Apollonia: I'm not going anywhere, that was a rotten thing to do.
The Kid: I'm sorry. I tried to stop you.
[She looks at him]
Apollonia: I must have looked pretty ridiculous.
The Kid: No, no! You looked great. That took some nerve, I wouldn't have got in that water. Come on.
[She attempts to get on the motorcycle, he drives away]
Apollonia: Hey!
The Kid: Come on.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dossier Verhulst: Een nieuwe zet (#1.12)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Let's Go Crazy

Much undervalued film

A much undervalued film that tells the story of a young musician caught in an ever-declining spiral of domestic violence.

At times difficult to watch, while Morris Day is portrayed as the misogynist, Prince as the knight on (motorcycle) steed, he is still called upon to twice beat a woman as part of the screenplay. That he can do this and still emerge as a flawed but vindicated hero is credit to the writing. Prince is so free of ego in this film that not only does he portray himself as a narcissistic megalomaniac who beats women, but his most famous song is fictionalised as being written by his father and Wendy & Lisa. Even further, two of his compositions - Computer Blue (admittedly the album's weakest track) and Darling Nikki - are shown as being songs that kill off an audience. Perhaps the only concession to the Princely ego is a card that lists the (slightly shorter than Prince) Apollonia as 5'6.

The nearly complete-amateur cast are mainly band members playing themselves (and reviewers who slate the actors on the terms that they've never appeared in other movies are completely missing the point), and do perfectly well under the direction. Morris Day gets most of the plaudits for his likable ham, though Jerome Benton must also get credit for bouncing off him well, particularly their stage act, which is hilarious. Day and Benton even go so far as to make an Abbott and Costello routine funny, which takes some doing.

Lastly, there's Prince. While I admit to bias, I do actually think he's a pretty good actor in terms of being able to portray a low-key version of himself. Acting ISN'T his profession, this was a film made for entertainment, so anyone pointing out that the guy in the lead role isn't Robert DeNiro and thinking they're making a point is sadly deluded. I don't want this review to be a derisory attack of other people's comments, but I've even this film slated as having a low budget and being darkly lit. How would a film about domestic violence be shot, then? With full overhead spotlights and a CGI dinosaur walking into frame?

The film acts almost as a perfect snapshot of the neon light and skinny tie era… until you remember that it was actually made in a world of curly perms and tinny synths, and this isn't some retro-recreation. Prince's best film with Oscar-winning music, it sees him at his zenith, and it's saddening to realise that, even though he would make some fine albums, he would never again capture this high.