Purple Rain (1984)

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 | Joy | Interracial Romance | Rival

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:

James Foley was offered the job of director by Prince's management after seeing a rough cut of "Reckless". He said he was too busy and declined, but recommended his editor Albert Magnoli.

Goofs:

Continuity: Prince's motorcycle tire changes from a street tire to an off-road tire when he is near the river.

Quotes:

Morris: [after Prince's dad shoots himself] Bang, bang!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - The Legend Reborn (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Father's Song

Excellent soundtrack!

This electrifying musical has more than a whiff of egotism from it's star, the musical genius that is Prince. The film is 90 or so minutes of posing but in truth it is easy to see why it is such a cult classic.

Much like other films that centre around the struggling young musician trying to be big, this has a hint of drama in it to add a dimension to the musical numbers. While this film isn't as good as 8 mile as a recent example, this is entertaining none the less and the soundtrack is much better. On the dramatic side of things the story centres around the Kid (Prince) a young artist and regular spot at a club. The owner of the club is frustrated with the Kid's arrogance and little does the Kid know that he could soon be fired and replaced by a rival. One the side the Kid's parents are having trouble, with his dad abusing her violently. During the course of the film the Kid learns a few lessons in life, and learns to appreciate his friends more. It's all stuff we have seen in coming of age dramas of course, but this is combined as a musical, a very stylised musical.

The cast are good. Prince is actually quite good on the drama side, when he's not striking a pose. He seems human and relatable. Clarence Williams is very good as the abusive father as well. Appollonia Kotero makes a good debut as Princes sexy love interest.

The main strength of the movie however is the superb soundtrack. The musical numbers are well staged and electrifying. Prince is no doubt a musical maestro, albeit very eccentric. When he is inspired he is great but on the flip side he will often do songs that are solely for his own taste, and occasionally his experimentation can miss-fire, but that is the same for many musical geniuses. The soundtrack for this film is excellent though, with only Sexshooter being a weak point. The show-stopping performance of Purple Rain is the standout though. It is one of my all time favourite songs. ***