http://www.chron.com/cs/C...nt/2757459

Prince's '80s hair big enough for two 'Purple Rain' DVDs

By BRUCE WESTBROOK

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

This year couldn't be more royal for Prince. From a show-stealing duet with Beyoncé on the Grammy telecast to induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his big-selling Musicology album and tour, he's risking overexposure.

But he's not done yet — not with a 20th-anniversary two-disc DVD of Purple Rain in stores this week.

Though widely hailed as a rock-movie classic, the 1984 film hasn't worn well, at least in terms of characters and plot. The flashy clothes and big hair make Purple Rain now look like an episode of VH1's I Love the '80s.

A semi-autobiographical stab at Prince's rocky family life and budding stardom in his Minneapolis hometown, Purple Rain is riddled with showbiz clichés (the grasping starlet, the backstage romance). It also takes a contemptuous stance toward women, who are ignored and humiliated at best and, at worst, are slapped around, tossed into Dumpsters or treated as sexual playthings.

But performances reign supreme in this music-heavy movie, and Prince is at the peak of his early powers — a whirling, dancing, lascivious machine of rock-funk energy.

You can go directly to songs through the menu, or access the best of them in a grouping of five music videos, which you can play nonstop. Let's Go Crazy remains an incendiary performance, and Prince launches When Doves Cry with a slinky rise from a tub.

Other extras include the wildly dated artifact of a half-hour MTV telecast from Purple Rain's Hollywood premiere. The 5-foot-3-inch Prince arrives with burly bodyguards, while Eddie Murphy cracks wise with curly-headed VJ Mark Goodman, who feebly reads some of his words from a script.

Far fresher are three new making-of featurettes, including Backstage Pass, a half-hour look at the film's creation. It's got recent interviews of director Albert Magnoli (who weeps when describing one sad scene) and members of Prince's band, the Revolution, including Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman.

"Purple Rain is the pinnacle of the whole Prince and the Revolution experience," Coleman says.

Everyone gushes endlessly over Prince, who's a conspicuous no-show, except in vintage clips. But given his purple majesty's showmanship, you can't argue with them.

"We approached it as a rock concert," Magnoli says, revealing each song was shot just twice, using four cameras. The songs not only galvanized the film but propelled its soundtrack to platinum status, with Prince winning an Oscar for original song score (an award no longer bestowed).

It was at First Avenue that Prince first performed songs for Purple Rain in August of 1983 — almost a year before the film's release.

On Purple Rain's strength, Prince made two more movies: 1986's Under the Cherry Moon, a musical romance, and 1990's Graffiti Bridge, a sequel to Purple Rain. They didn't fare well, but each also takes roost on DVD this week.

Neither has extras, but those aren't merited. Even with its flaws, Purple Rain is by far the defining Prince movie. Though it's no A Hard Day's Night, like that film of 20 years earlier, it captures the essence of its time.

Thanx for sharing!

EROTICCITYNPG said:

Whats changed, i mean, really?

"It's got recent interviews of director Albert Magnoli (who weeps when describing one sad scene)" ?????

Heidi said:

Watch the movies these days -- a lot of women heroes, or strong women characters who must step in and help the almost-stupid lead man out of a bad situation. The pendulum has swung the other direction -- almost to the extreme. Yet in reality, it sure looks to me that a lot of women do it to themselves the way they act and dress -- and that's ALL I gotta say about that.

Just wait muthafukka, those '80's fashions will be back. Back, I tell you...

squirrelgrease said:

:runningdownhennepinaveinacamisoleanddogcollar:

Westbrook said:

Well, gee, that was clear to a lot of people in 1984.

Supernova said:

I saw that.I couldn't believe it.Youd think he'd wrote "Hamlet" or something.....

Snap said:

I was being sarcastic
What I meant was that Prince hasn't changed since - I mean just look at the way he treated Mayté or any of his girlfriends in the past .. as far as I know, Mani is the only exception so far, but we don't know much or anything about her or them together.

Yeah, he got choked up when he was talking about the "don't ever get married." part.
[This message was edited Fri Aug 27 6:18:52 2004 by JFive]