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Thu, August 26, 2004

Prince still reigns on Purple reissue


By Bruce Kirkland


On its 20th anniversary, Prince's autobiographical Purple Rain remains one of the most emotionally raw and honest pop culture films ever made.

It is visceral, revelatory, sexy, and alive with great music, including Prince's written-for-the-flick megahit When Doves Cry (bizarrely, this near-perfect song was a last-minute creation to fill a need for a hit single). Now Purple Rain is back on DVD in a two-disc Special Edition that elevates the film to its proper place in rock history.

Critically, this is the debut of the dynamic film in enhanced widescreen. The previous fullscreen version on DVD was mediocre. The Artist may be a skinny little guy but he plays big on screen and you need the proper widescreen ratio to put across the "live performance" feel, even on a TV.

The bonus materials are excellent, even without Prince's participation. Other insiders, from filmmakers to Revolution band members, allow us into Prince's life and times. We get a glimpse of the truth behind biographical facts, such as the abusive father and dark past that informed his life and helped shape his music as he conquered his demons.

The commentary on Disc 1 brings together director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald Thorin. On Disc 2, there are eight music videos, including Doves and the title track, as well as two first-rate new documentaries and a silly vintage piece. The latter is an MTV Premiere Party show broadcast live from in L.A. in 1984 as Eddie Murphy and other Hollywood gentry filed in for what turned into one of the year's most explosive films. The MTV gig is more of an amusement now, especially for the clothes and hairdos.

More valuable are the three new docs. First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty tells the saga of the Minneapolis club First Avenue, which nurtured Prince and his fusion music, and which, in turn, he made famous. A quarter century of Minneapolis music is brought into focus.

The second doc, Purple Rain: Backstage Pass is an unconventional making-of treatment. We follow the development of the film from idle musings and jotted-down observations by Prince into a full-blown, seminal chronicle of a rock band. Backstage Pass fits nicely with the third doc, the self-explanatory Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Importance of Purple Rain.

This is the first time I've heard that "When Doves Cry" was written for no other reason but to be a hit single from the movie. True? I thought most execs said it was too different for people to like and make it a hit. Anyway, I don't know of many people who don't like the song, except for maybe those who think it's been played too much.