I have come to the conclusion that it's not what he put in, it's what he left out. I think about 20-30 minutes of dialogue would have filled in the gaping holes in the narrative. I imagine that, originally, that's how Prince wanted it, but was forced to cut the film to 90 minutes or so. It's really not that bad, just confusing. Ingrid's breathy voice is annoying to me, though.

Seek help immediately

No, seriously, I watched it with my wife, who had never seen it, a few weeks ago, and she felt the same way. I guess we both need help! Don't you think a bit of dialogue could've helped? Without it, it's just a bunch of videos, and a few shots of Prince making coy faces and talking like a 5 year old. Come to think of it, more dialogue, WRITTEN BY SOMEONE BESIDES PRINCE! Yeah, more dialogue, but using grown-up words and phrasing.

the director's cut

PANDURITO said:

Oh lord, its the scenes you don't see that would have made the movie, huh? Umm..how about just scrap the idea completey and start again...with a more cohesive plotline and better acting....a good director would be nice too.
[Edited 1/26/10 14:19pm]

didnt prince say "they never understood wizard of oz when it came out either" i got the impression that he thought he had something special

i watched it for the first time about 5 years ago and havent watched it sense tho with all the utcm love going on i get curious if maybe it deserves another look

and yes so hmm grafitte bridge music ... if u get rid of the total clunkers ... has some great music on it ... i freakin love under the cherry moon and that is resoundingly considered a crap movie ... joy in repitition ... round and round .. the question of u .. oh my god some of his best work ever .. and we can funk .. well i go back and forth on this version but no one can deny that in there somewhere amongst all of his different versions there was an unstoppable hit there if he had gotten it right ... clinton mix is a little cluttered but still a good song and it has the end which isnt on some of the earlier versions and the end IS GOOD ... he shoulda got a hit out of that .. but back on point .. considering how good some of the music is on that tape i cant completely rule out this movie ... and if there is extra dialog not there .. i'd check it out ... maybe its good ... the music is thats for sure ... release it .. elephants and flowers .. even some of the cheesy stuff is like a guilty pleasure .. and fuck me i almost forgot tick tick bang ... another classic for those of us that like his purely masturbatory work this and tamborine should have been on the same camille album ...

maybe this will be the start of princes big comeback ... a deluxe edition graffiti bridge dvd with a deluxe cd of the soundtrack including outtakes

extended new power generation reprise



can i mention i am digin mgmt kids electic eel .. thats the prince single of this last year for me anyway

if u wanna do the do ... release it!

Funny that you mention a deluxe edition and all, because I recently got the dvd for $3 at Big Lots (a store... well, I suppose the name of the store says it all). The dialogue I am thinking of would perhaps explain the motivation of some of the "characters", even some internal monologues from the point of view of the "characters" (besides Ingrid, of course), would add dimension. I believe that had Prince done it TOTALLY HIS WAY, it would have been a better film. They should have just let him do his thing. Did they really think it would be a hit, they way it was released?

And why lock the thread? I'm not trolling or anything, I'm talking about Prince!
[Edited 1/26/10 14:35pm]

TrevorAyer said:

To add to that, the writer added his own comment after Prince's quote, and said "Yeah, well they didn't like Howard The Duck either."

It shouldn't have been longer, it should have been.....DIFFERENT.

The first and biggest mistake he made was trying to tie this movie to Purple Rain.
Purple Rain had music..but it wasnt a musical. No one broke into song on the street.
It should have been a separate movie and story. It should have been billed as a musical, that way he would have gotten the right audience. I mean how many rockers went to see West Side Story?
I absolutely HATE musicals. The only one I can bear to watch is Grease.

Graffiti Bridge was just bad bad bad. An angel/spirit, the terrible scenery and backdrops, The stupid looking street with all these clubs, the gap in story from Purple Rain to Graffiti Bridge, like what happened to Appolonia? Why did Morris turn on Prince again? At the end of purple rain he is cheering for prince. Where the heck did this club come from? Billy was over 1st ave, but now 6 yrs later, he has willed some empty shell of a club called Glam Slam to Morris and Prince. The end of Purple Rain, prince's father is healing in the hospital and his mother at his side. Graffiti Bridge, father died and mother went looney. The pathetic climax to the movie...just bad...so freak'n bad.
[Edited 2/5/10 8:06am]

I think of Graffiti Bridge as the Kid's fevered dream due to food poisoning.

Anybody ever notice the scene with Aura and The Kid at the bridge where he's loading the bullets into the gun as in the later scene? You can't see his hands, but it's obvious when you see him later. Obviously not the biggest budget, but damn.

Would have liked to see "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" and "Latest Fashion" in there, especially the latter. Drop Tevin and Mavis too, they serve absolutely no purpose and just add to the confusion. On that same note, drop the musical style stuff too as ronnwinter said. Maybe could have developed that whole Morris bribing the mayor thing too (so hooray for extra dialogue). Lastly, keep Jill blonde (it just helps the whole continuity thing, sort of). Too many to list, those are just the ones that stick out. Bad Prince.

I don't think any additional dialogue or narative scenes could have helped
that movie.

However, I still think there would be a market for a longer 'director's cut'
as the only people who'd really buy it would be Prince fans, and if all the
FULL songs and DELETED songs were reinstated into the movie I know I'd
probably want a copy.

TrevorAyer said:

That MGMT song is great.

UTCM - was pop failure, but I enjoyed Prince candor and humor.
GB - was a failure. The set, the screen play, the acting...etc.

BorisFishpaw said:

I have the first release and I'd buy the extended edition, but we've scene how Prince rarely revisit the past.

rudedog said:

I agree.The movie needed a skilled director,and a script that was written by a screenwriter (using Prince's ideas).This movie proved that,no matter how much talent Prince has as a musician,he can't do everything on his own.Moviemaking is not one of his strengths.

Longer? So that more of our lives could have been wasted away?

Let's put this in perspective:

I've seen Purple Rain 50 times.

I've seen Under the Cherry Moon 71 times.

I've seen Graffiti Bridge 2 times.

I only watched it the second time to make sure that it was as bad as I thought it was the first time I saw it, and that it wasn't just me trippin'.

Well, it wasn't just me trippin'.

This movie... bar none... was the WORST movie I have ever paid to go see.

It's like... "Purple and Gold" on the big screen.

CRINGE

MantuaPharoah said:

damn! I don't think I've seen any film 71 times.

I gotta watch this again soon it's been a long time

DesireeNevermind said:

Yep... from beginning to end.

I used to have the VHS casette, and would play it over and over. I was 15 when it came out, and the whole movie was a kids fantasy.

Even now, I watch it at least 3 times a year.

I can recite it line by line!

Just a fun film!
[Edited 1/29/10 22:15pm]

As bad as Graffiti Bridge was it STILL was not as bad as Tougher Than Leather the Run DMC movie that came out in 1989(?)

This movie was doomed from jump and Prince was not supposed to be in it. Madonna and Janet Jackson was asked to be in it with Janet given the starting role opposite Morris Day. To both their credits they declined.Then Prince had to be in the movie for star quality. That's why his dialogue was so sparse.

Purple Rain went to Morris' head because he overacted the entire movie.

The movie was also so bad that WB pulled it from it's summer lineup and pushed it to a before Thanksgiving opening.

Possibly worst thing Prince ever did in his career.

Dogsinthetrees said:

Yes you are right.
A twenty minute, heart felt appology to all the viewers who actually watched the movie all the way to the bitter end would have been nice.

am i crazy, or weren't there deleted scenes floating the net years ago?

i swear i have vague memories of having seen some, and it didn't improve the movie.

cborgman said:

I think they were the trailers before the film came out?

oldpurple said:

i remember seeing an extended or alternate version of the opening/can't stop.

maybe i drempt it, but i don't think so.

muleFunk said:

I remember 'Tougher Than Leather'.Never seen it though.I think it came out in 1988.




Actually,the Time were planning a movie in 1986/87 with Janet Jackson.The plan was them for to reunite,do the movie and soundtrack and then a big tour.I don't think that Prince was involved with these plans.Later though,he came up with an idea for a Time movie with him as the director (and possibly making a small cameo appearance).




During the summer of 1990,Warners tried to persuade Prince to release it straight to video.They knew it was a dud,but Prince was too stubborn to realize it.In retrospect,Warners should have said "No" to this project unless Prince agreed to hire a director.

cborgman said:

There is an entire performance of "Can't Stop This feeling I Got" that was deleted from the film.I've seen this footage before.Prince is wearing white pants and is dancing around,even sliding down a staircase at one point.This would have been the opening scene.

oldpurple said:

Isn't it funny how they include scenes in the trailer that aren't in the actual movie? I remmeber seeing the trailer for 'Purple Rain' and there's a scene where Prince punches Jellybean of the Time