Herb Kane
Screenwriter
- Joined
- May 7, 2001
- Messages
- 1,342
Purple Rain
Two Disc Special Edition - 20th Anniversary Edition
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1984
Rated: R
Film Length: 111 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Enhanced Widescreen
Audio: DD 5.1
Color/B&W: Color
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $26.99
Package: Two Disc/Keepcase
The Feature:
I have to admit, I never saw this coming. When Warner announced their upcoming Prince titles several months, I found myself scratching my head and saying, “huh”…? But hey, anytime a studio replaces a MAR’d disc with a new transfer in its proper OAR, let alone a Two Disc Special Edition, I’m all for it. On August 24th, Warner Brothers released Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Graffiti Bridge (1990) as well as the feature film, the 1984 hit movie, Purple Rain.
I grew up in the late 70’s and early 80’s and I have to admit, there’s a special place in my heart for music from that period. 80’s music and its subculture were popular for bizarre eye shadow, big hair, synthesizers and drum solos that seemed to go on for ever… and you know what? I kinda miss it. Well, the music anyway…
I remember being dragged to the theater (kicking and screaming) to see Purple Rain and I have vague recollections of seeing the film but remembering most, that it seemed to be a montage of music videos, and really, that’s what the film is. That’s by no means a slam of the film (we’ll get to that in a few minutes), but really the plot is of very little significance and is merely a collection of thoughts and recollections of Prince as a quasi-autobiography during his entry into the music business.
Prince plays "The Kid" who grows up in an abusive home with his father, Francis L (played by Clarence Williams III), himself a failed musician and an insensible mother (played by Olga Karlatos), whom he refers to as “the freak show”. The Kid is a musician and he and his band (The Revolution), compete for stage time at a Minneapolis (where Prince actually hails from) club called First Avenue. Throughout the course of the film, their rival competition is a band known as The Time headed by Morris (played by Morris Day), who are a slick looking bunch always smug and berating the Kid and his band members.
The kid does have one thing Morris wants. Enter wannabe singer Apollonia (played by Apollonia Kotero), who arrives on the scene hoping to get her big break as a singer. She meets the Kid at the club and feels he has what it takes to open a door or two for her success. But what Apollonia lacks is any real talent. Consequentially, her existence serves no other purpose other than to be a distraction as the source of a love triangle between the Kid and Morris. The Kid no longer packs in the crowd and club owner Billy (played by Billy Sparks) is on the verge of removing him from the act in favor of Morris if he assembles a new hot girl group.
Besides the obvious tension that exists within the band, the main story revolves around the love triangle of the Kid, Morris, and Apollonia and the pervasive abusive treatment of all women who are present. Not only is the Kid’s mom a victim of domestic violence (a term not even coined at that point), but another woman is tossed in a dumpster after having words with Morris. The Kid himself becomes abusive towards Apollonia when he learns of her desire to join Morris’ new group and the constant consternation that exists between him and his female band members who are obviously more talented than he credits them for.
As the film progresses, so to does the song Purple Rain as the Kid continually works on it and tweaks it to perfection until finally he performs it at a moment of do or die in the club which is close to pulling his act. In an act of brilliance the Kid decides to perform the song after he dedicates it to his father, a decision that seals his fate as a true rock star. Ironically the song was written by the two female members of his band who he finally acknowledges on stage just before they start to play it.
Purple Rain, the album, still holds the position of being one of the biggest selling albums ever and includes many songs that are now engrained in many of us who remember the original release and the impact it had at that time. As for the film, well it’s not high art, nor was it ever intended to be. In fact it was a relatively low budget quick release flick to capitalize on what was an enormously huge selling album – a grouping of MTV videos if you will. The script is paper thin and the acting is borderline atrocious, although ironically Prince holds his own better than I would have ever remembered. The film hasn’t aged that well but I didn’t go into it expecting Citizen Kane. It was however, a fun little romp down the 80’s memory lane with a lot of the music I grew up with and still enjoy today.
And kudos to Warner Brothers for their use of the original art, the artwork that adorned the original album cover. Nice job.
The Feature: 3/5
:star::star::star:
Video:
First off, bravo to WB for re-releasing this film and finally giving it the enhanced widescreen treatment it deserves. This release marks the first OAR release of Purple Rain as the prior release was merely a MAR atrocity. Secondly, bravo to WB for the efforts in transferring what might have or could have been a difficult film. Let me explain.
Regardless of the success of the film, it’s no secret the film was produced on a shoestring budget, shot mostly indoors in dark murky surroundings, oftentimes dealing with endless shots of steaming dry ice – all nightmare elements when it comes to transferring and compression artifacting. Well, I’m happy to report, that given a few considerations, this disc looks great – probably never better.
Colors were nice, slightly muted although I wouldn’t call them vibrant, while flesh tones looked real and accurate for the most part. Black levels were very deep and whites were perfectly clean and stark. The level of contrast and shadow detail was also quite acceptable.
Image detail was somewhat inconsistent. Some shots were unbelievably sharp and well defined while others were quite blurry – bordering on out of focus. However, after comparing the film to “itself”, I’m confident none of this is transfer related. There was a reasonable amount of fine film grain present throughout resulting in a fine film-like image with a decent amount of depth.
The print still had some dust and dirt blemishes that were occasionally visible but never managed to become bothersome. The image was rock solid and was never troubled or plagued by any light shimmer or instability issues. Also, the disc was free of any compression or enhancement problems.
The presentation is not perfect and I’m not going to pretend for a second that I even vaguely remember what this looked like theatrically 20 years ago, but I will say that given the production limitations and other factors this film must have been plagued with, I doubt it has ever looked better.
Video: 4/5
:star::star::star::star:
Audio:
Presented in a DD 5.1 surround track, the audio on this disc is very good, although not outstanding.
First off, the track is free of hiss or any other pop or crackling noises. The overall tonality of the track was natural although at times, I found some of the dialogue to border on edgy during times of yelling or when voices became elevated. Other than that, dialogue was solid and bold even as much of the music was playing during its accompaniment of the film.
I would rate the track as slightly forward with a dynamic range that was greater than we might expect. Even though the soundstage is mostly upfront, it is satisfactorily wide and much of the music sounded quite good. Bass response was quite tight and never sloppy or boomy and highs were bright and distinct, never sounding sharp or edgy.
Surrounds were deployed in a manner of lending atmosphere to the track, mostly in the form of music filler and occasionally adding subtle effects as crowd noise etc. LFE was used tactfully used but never in abundance.
Nice solid job – music sounded great.
Audio: 4/5
:star::star::star::star:
Special Features:
Being a Two Disc Special Edition, there is a fair amount of special features in terms of quantity, but I’m afraid not much in the way substance. I am pleased that the videos have been included, although really, many are simply clips from the film itself. Disc one starts with:
[*] A Commentary with Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo and director of Photography, Donald Thorin. While the three discuss mostly technical issues, there really isn’t much of a discussion pertaining to Prince himself and the amount of dead time is rather on the heavy side… okay but not essential.
[*] A group of Theatrical Trailers is the only other feature included on disc one. They are:
- Purple Rain (1984) Duration 1:25 minutes.
- Under The Cherry Moon (1986) The B&W trailer is included Duration 1:27 minutes.
- Graffiti Bridge (1990) Duration 1:44 minutes.
All three trailers are in reasonably good condition.
The remainder of special features can be found on disc two starting with:
[*] First Avenue: The Road To Pop Royalty is a feature which includes many of the band members, music DJ’s from the era, employees of the club who offer up a physical tour of the club and elaborate on many of the acts the club has played host to over the years. Duration 12:21 minutes.
[*] Purple Rain: Backstage Pass again, many of the same participants from the previous featurette appear and this time offer up information relating to the shoot and more recollections from the musicians who appeared with Prince. Although repetition begins to creep in here, the feature is informal and somewhat informative. Duration 29:41 minutes.
[*] Riffs, Ruffles And A Revolution: The Impact And Influence of Purple Rain is an interesting little feature which includes discussions and reflections from band members as well as those in the fashion industry who comment on the impact of Price and the album. Duration 9:59 minutes.
[*] MTV Premiere Party is the footage from the actual premiere hosted by MTV’s Mark Goodman as he interviews many of the films attendees. Obviously not much in the way substance, but it is interesting to see many of the celebrities from the period, many of whom are rather wrapped up in their own self-importance. Loooooong. Duration 27:49 minutes.
[*] Purple Rain: The Videos. Included in the group are six videos from Prince (Let’s Go Crazy, Take Me With You, When Doves Cry, I Would Die For You/Baby I’m A Star and Purple Rain), two from The Time (Jungle Love and The Bird) and finally one from Apollonia (Sex Shooter).
Special Features: 3.5/5
:star::star::star:1/2
**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity**
Final Thoughts:
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying this peculiar little man is full of talent. He’s responsible for a string of hits that even twenty years later are instantly recognizable. That’s not to say the film is one of the best you’ll see from the period – not by any stretch of the imagination. Think of it this way; consider it a nostalgic trip down memory lane and an opportunity to hear some of the best music to come out of the 80’s. Hey, this is a Prince flick folks, what were you expecting…?
While the inclusion of the music videos is great, the remainder of the special features leaves a lot to be desired. The presentation on the other hand is outstanding and should be enough to make any fan of the purple fella pretty happy.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 (not an average)
:star::star::star:1/2
Release Date: August 24th, 2004
