This is a great review on GB. It points out the fantasy perspective of the film that was lost on so many detractors:

The main difficulty facing the novice viewer of "Graffiti Bridge" is not that they take the film too seriously, for if any film and its director deserved by earnestness and past performance alone to be taken seriously it is this one. Rather it is taken too literally.

Almost all of the action takes place on what appears to be an unrealistic sound stage of the mind and soul. The bridge is backlit with direct and primary colors found only in the realm of childhood fantasy. Thus establishing, along with Aura's status as an angel, albeit one with a low tolerance for alcohol, who can disappear unless she's being beared done upon by a speeding vehicle, the film as a surrealistic melodrama, in which the natural laws which stricture reality and common sense are stripped in favor of a more spiritual setting in which a man's soul is represented by the club he runs.

In this light it can clearly be seen that the Kid's struggle to retain his club is really his struggle to maintain his art, religion and individual freedoms. Each of the nightclubs represents places of worship. The Club Pandemonium worships sex, money, guile and deceit. The Kid's struggle and task upon earth is not only to conquer these voices, but as a true savior show the way show towards true understanding. Thus when the Kid petitions his father for strength, the same father who failed in a similar pursuit, he is really petitioning God to show him the way not only to personal salvation, but for the way to convert even Morris Day.

The Time represent exactly that, time as a cold blooded obstruction to personal and cultural success, the one variable that makes each wasted moment before God more likely to be irreparably destroyed. It is The Time that threatens to take away the other clubs, leaving only the religion of guile and sin. The signing away of George Clinton's club represents resignation in the face of the ravages of science and time, another soul not strong enough to be true to itself. Thus when time has taken all but Pandemonium, it is the director's version of the apocalypse hinted at in his earlier work.

As the hero the Kid is faced with visions of self doubt and self hate. His many allusions to hanging represent his visions of either his own suicide, succumbing to the fates and the destiny of his ancestry, or more importantly his own Crucifixion at the hands of those he was unable to save. The character of Aura is the answer to the Kid's prayers. These prayers are shown literally in the form of his letters to his father. This father-God duality establishes the kid deeply in the traditional role of the Christ figure. Aura teaches the kid that ever since Elvis Presley's "Loving You" in 1956, the hero must abandon his fierce reckless style for the crossover ballad to relax the fears of the parents and to provide the film with a safe puerile denouement. In this way the director and star holds himself up to comparison with Elvis the true King of the Spiritual/Sexual struggle.

"Graffiti Bridge" is the directors greatest work to date, misunderstood as it is , it is a brave challenge to our highest concepts of art, and what it means to be an artist in modern society, not to mention the fact that as usual the babes were hot and the soundtrack was pretty good.

Yeah! Right On! Speak soul brother speak! Now I would just say that it is this cool little musical where a whole bunch of people live in a sort of music video land, and they are always having these cool little "battle of the bands," which are all choreographed and costumed to kill. Did people ever really dress like this. The clothes alone make the movie watch able. Again, these guys settle their issues with Battles of the Bands!

Face it though, this movie has some religious issues going around. Luckily for you it doesn't really make that much sense. After all, every Rock Star should get to film himself in a crucifixion pose! Ingrid Chavez is really cute, "Thieves in the Temple" may be the greatest song Prince has ever written and at worst, this movie is like seven reasonably good Prince videos in a row. How bad could that be? Shame on anyone too embarrassed to love this movie.

I actually had the opportunity to be on the set while this movie was being filmed. The reason I was there was I had been invited to record at Paisley that particular day (Studio B was decorated like some of the Graffitti Bridge set).

While I was there, they were filming the Times "Shake" number (I think that was it because I remember Morris with a yellow suit on). I was asked if I wanted to be an extra on the set and declined and stayed upstairs at this big office complex type place where they were filming. Prince came back upstairs with his half jumpsuit on and was joking around with the Time before they went on (which was kind of unexpected because we were the only ones up there at the time). It was a cool experience and I didn't know exactly what the movie was going to be about but once it was wrapped and released, I thought it was sort of "Batman 1967ish".
Peoples taste had changed since "Purple Reign" and personally I thought it should have come out a year or two after the release of Purple Reign. Also, you have to remember that Prince was directing the movie so the whole dynamics of the movie was from a totally different perspective than that of Purple Reign. I was glad to see however that some did love GB. For me however it was just a bit too contrieved. I remember dating a woman back then who said that she was the only one in the Theater watching GB and it had just come out. Anyway, those were still very good times for me and I do apreciate being part of that experience.

Ummm...You didn't state who wrote this review. Was it you?


...and if it was THERE ISN'T A NON-PRINCE FAN ON THIS PLANET WHO WOULD LIKE THIS MOVIE.

I saw GB in NYC the week it was released. There were about a dozen of us in the theater. It was great.

Thanks for a Very Interesting Perspective of GB.

I got the message the first time I saw it, I listened to the Song Elephants and flowers and it prepared me for the movie, The Movie was about Love, true Love, Loving God more than money, fame or Sex.

It was a early insight into Prince career and where it was going, his Club was kind of empty, The only people there were the ones who was feeling what he was feeling, Just like today, The mass majority do not get Prince or his Music, but his Fans do. We eat it up. While Brittany, and justin etc are filling up the arenas, like The Times, But none of their fans left with anything, and the music was Lip synched, (not real) but on the other hand The Glam Slam was real, about freedom and being true to one's self.

Aura was an Angel that belonged to God and would not compromise her Faith for anything, (just like Prince) No matter how many of you complain about his decisions etc. He doesn't not change,

Aura said as long as you are True to yourself you will never Loose.

Sounds like the movie was prophesy to me.

See, this is why I appreciate Prince.org so much. Out of nowhere, REAL insight appears and understanding more of Princes' work occurs. To me, its' especially nice to hear from folks who want and/or try to understand where Prince is coming from.

No symbolic, in-depth analysis of this film, nor any attempt to "understand where Prince is coming from" can make Graffiti Bridge into a good movie. I don't care how "deep" or "arty" it's supposed to be.

It's horrible.

...u have way 2 much time on your hands. take the tape outta the vcr before it warps, dahling.

lovemachine said:

WRONG! My wife, who does not like Prince AT ALL likes GB!

The thing about GB is that it's such a mish-mash.

Having read the original script, I have to say that the released version was probably a better concept, but it wasn't executed as well as it could be.

Opting for the quick filming at PP was a big mistake, and made the film look amateurish, low-low budget and like a sci-fi film - 7 Corners looked like a soundstage and had no atmosphere whatsoever.

To many flimsy characters: Mavis, Tevin, Jill, George.

The Kid does not come across as a likeable person, he comes off as an introverted twat.

The angel thing with Aura really wasn't written well, the plot about the Time taking over the clubs also somehow felt incidental.

The ideas that come from The Dawn (or whatever film idea Crucial and the CoCo Boys came from) was a great idea - Morris Day is a great comedy foil.

Let's not pretend it's some celluloid forgot classic, or some original artistic expression - It's a nice little extra for die-hard Prince fans and nothing more.

LittlePill said:

Does she tolerate it or does she like it? Do you ever come home and catch her watching your video?

I give Prince Props for shooting the film In Princeville,Minn that was something else a whole city that reflects you?too funny.the film looked as beleivable as when you take a picture behind one of those "Olan Mills" backdrops.this film had be very afraid times 2 written all over it.A Rich Hippe creating there own Version of the "Wizard of Oz" How Unique?

mistermaxxx said:

lovemachine said:

She likes it. The first time we ever watched it we were trying to find a movie to watch so I jokingly suggested GB thinking she'd vetoe it immediately. Instead she agreed to it and said she liked it and hadn't seen it in a while.

I went to the Minneapolis premiere through my WB conncetion
cuz I'm in radio,Jimmy and Terry were on hand.Also I got 2
tour PP and went to Glam Slam and saw Michael B.playin the
drums.P was sadly out of town,but I still had a blast.

Yep. Graffiti Bridge is a masterpiece, right up there with Howard the Duck...

I'm not embarassed to say I love Graffiti Bridge. Every time it's on T.V. I watch it. Funny thing it was on the Day after the Celebration on VH-1 and I watched it in Minnie cause I didn't leave right away. I think it was Wonderfully done but it suffered because firstly Prince didn't talk in it. It was basically a Spiritual Movie and he Communicated through Song and Feeling really like who he is. It was a Really Cute type of movie and I know at the Premiere in N.Y. people were laughing. I know Prince left early and was dissapointed in people's reaction to the movie. He didn't go to the afterparty either. He basically abandoned the project and we here in the US didn't get the Nude Tour. So maybe since the US doesn't seem to Get,Appreciate or Enjoy Him enough he has Decided to give most of his favor to the Europeans. He really does Need alot of Coddling and Stroking and If we especially Fans are Gonna Dis Him how in the World do You Expect Him to feel or even Want to be Bothered? Plus he will be overly Anxious. I truly would Never want him to feel Unduly Nervous. we as Fans need to Support his Efforts More. He's great and it's About Time the Rest of the World Knows this Too!

Although it has its faults, i think the message of it is very good. the phrase "you cant fight fire with fire" is particularly memorableHow many other people dare to challenge the "norm"?
It also spawned my favourite Prince album.
Still Would Stand has to be my favourite Prince song ever!

MYNAMEISFACE said:

I LOVED GB when it came out,and all these years later I still do!!!

MiaBocca said:

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BEING INTROVERTED?

gypsyfire said:

Nothing dear, don't get your panties in a twist, it's just a leading male has to have a certain amount of exhuberance and charm in order to pull the audience in, and some empathy to get them to care about him.

The Kid was his own worst enemy and was a selfish dick.
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 17:22:36 PST 2003 by MiaBocca]

MiaBocca said:

ok...

Muziqmkr said:

That would be Purple RAIN. Thank you.

purple reign

'nuff said.

I had a friend who was working with George Clinton around 1993, and he invited me to Paisley to meet George. He was simply wonderful, THE nicest guy you'd ever meet. But he had told us that before Prince re-edited it, it was a pretty good movie.

Personaly I think the version that was released was a piece of crap, and was an insult to Purple Rain to call it a sequel to Purple Rain.

Graffiti Bridge

'nuff said.

chookalana said:

i agree!!