nonesuch said:

Under The Cherry Moon IS the second worst film of the 1980s. The worst will forever be Graffiti Bridge. Madonna couldn't have made either of them more worse, even if she would have tried really hard. UTCM was the very first indicator of Prince's lost taste and quality control. When GB was released his loss of what made him unbeatable once was in full "jack" swing. Ever since then the guy was a moron who happened to have very few good moments inbetween. Maybe it's because he's taking himself far too seriously. Maybe not. Maybe nobody really cares. I don't. Why am I writing this stuff here anyway? PLEASE BRING BACK SUE ELLEN EWING. LIFE HAD BEEN FUN WHEN SHE PAVED THE WAY FOR PRINCE'S LOOKS.

There's no way UTCM is the second worst movie of the 80s, it's genuinely funny in places and really suffers the most from an inexperienced cast and head honcho (Prince). The premise is a sound one, even derivitive dare I say? The music is great, the comedy is definately there to be had - intentionally and unintentionally. The script is muddled, the ending is off, but the intent is good.

God couldn't save UTCM - what on earth chance would Madonna have

[Edited 10/7/12 11:12am]

mimi02 said:

NouveauDance said:

It's been out there for years so I think a google search will give you what you want. I seem to remember a thread about it recently even.

I haven't seen it in years, but I do remember it being more wacky and ethereal than the finished thing - but maybe in a good way? I got Alice in Wonderland vibes from it, rather than RuPaul does West Side Story, but I think Prince just plays a stroppy teenage girl in whatever he does.

The project was a mis-step IMO, whether it was the original script and follow-up album to SOTT, or the hodgepotch Frankenstein of leftover script ideas and musical odds-n-sods we got, I don't think it matters. I think I said this once before, but to me GB is like the post-coital exhaustive groan after the orgasmic highs of the 80s. The only mystery may be why Prince held on to the project for such a long time, putting it on the back burner whilst several other projects took priority, when time after time he had thrown out much more highly regarded or intriguing projects seemingly on a whim. Obviously at the time what he was trying to do with the idea or phrase of Graffiti Bridge was something he really did want to get out there whatever the end result.

HELL NO.

NouveauDance said:

nonesuch said:

Under The Cherry Moon IS the second worst film of the 1980s. The worst will forever be Graffiti Bridge. Madonna couldn't have made either of them more worse, even if she would have tried really hard. UTCM was the very first indicator of Prince's lost taste and quality control. When GB was released his loss of what made him unbeatable once was in full "jack" swing. Ever since then the guy was a moron who happened to have very few good moments inbetween. Maybe it's because he's taking himself far too seriously. Maybe not. Maybe nobody really cares. I don't. Why am I writing this stuff here anyway? PLEASE BRING BACK SUE ELLEN EWING. LIFE HAD BEEN FUN WHEN SHE PAVED THE WAY FOR PRINCE'S LOOKS.

There's no way UTCM is the second worst movie of the 80s, it's genuinely funny in places and really suffers the most from an inexperienced cast and head honcho (Prince). The premise is a sound one, even derivitive dare I say? The music is great, the comedy is definately there to be had - intentionally and unintentionally. The script is muddled, the ending is off, but the intent is good.

Well, at least Sue Ellen replied. In disguise. I do not know one person actually who stood watching UTCM all the way through in one go. And sorry for disagreeing, but funny it ain't, I'm afraid. What made Prince funny was his selfdeclaration of being a freak. That stopped althogether right after the Lovesexy-Tour. And exactly around that time he had lost his popcultural relevance. Indeed, becoming "normal" (ie working towards the mainstream) made both Prince and Madonna at best rather redundant. At worst it made both of them extremly nervewracking. What made Prince such a lovable funny guy, was him being a freak who had a lot of dignity combined with musicality. Freak translated into being a devout individualist, that is. Nowadays freaks (ie Lady Gaga) do really lack dignity in their willingness to be doing everything to "shock". I am sure that Prince never wanted to "shock" for shock's sake. He was merely being himself for a while (ATWIAD, Parade, Sign). And that made him unbeatable for a brief moment in pop-history. When he started believing instead of knowing, the whole thing took a downwards turn. We all know that we are to the best of our abilities when we are who we are, not when we are who we think we should be. Starting with Graffiti Bridge, Prince was rather bending over or narrowing himself. This all reached its peak with half of D&P and the symbol-album. To quote the great man: "Do you know who you are? You are what you is. You is what you am, a cow don't make ham. You ain't what you're not, so see what you got." Prince was never a rap-artist and bending over to that scene really displayed his growing lack of selfesteem. It was aesthatically questionable and again, it made him appear redundant. Just like so many other artists who thought they had to go with the flow instead of investing in themselves. Ask David Gilmour about his post-Roger Waters-albums as Pink Floyd and he's willing to tell you, that he would have at least rather have them sound a lot less timeless, in hindsight. Ask Ian Anderson, ask whoever you like. Once an artist is not able to withstand being told that he or she is sounding so "yesterday", he's giving himself a good chance of losing the plot once and for all. That's what happened to the little guy who was so funny and funky and sexy and relevant once.

thanks2joniandu said:

nonesuch said:

NouveauDance said:

There's no way UTCM is the second worst movie of the 80s, it's genuinely funny in places and really suffers the most from an inexperienced cast and head honcho (Prince). The premise is a sound one, even derivitive dare I say? The music is great, the comedy is definately there to be had - intentionally and unintentionally. The script is muddled, the ending is off, but the intent is good.

Well, at least Sue Ellen replied. In disguise. I do not know one person actually who stood watching UTCM all the way through in one go.

Count me as 1. I enjoyed the movie and still do.

nonesuch said:

NouveauDance said:

There's no way UTCM is the second worst movie of the 80s, it's genuinely funny in places and really suffers the most from an inexperienced cast and head honcho (Prince). The premise is a sound one, even derivitive dare I say? The music is great, the comedy is definately there to be had - intentionally and unintentionally. The script is muddled, the ending is off, but the intent is good.

Well, at least Sue Ellen replied. In disguise. I do not know one person actually who stood watching UTCM all the way through in one go. And sorry for disagreeing, but funny it ain't, I'm afraid. What made Prince funny was his selfdeclaration of being a freak. That stopped althogether right after the Lovesexy-Tour. And exactly around that time he had lost his popcultural relevance. Indeed, becoming "normal" (ie working towards the mainstream) made both Prince and Madonna at best rather redundant. At worst it made both of them extremly nervewracking. What made Prince such a lovable funny guy, was him being a freak who had a lot of dignity combined with musicality. Freak translated into being a devout individualist, that is. Nowadays freaks (ie Lady Gaga) do really lack dignity in their willingness to be doing everything to "shock". I am sure that Prince never wanted to "shock" for shock's sake. He was merely being himself for a while (ATWIAD, Parade, Sign). And that made him unbeatable for a brief moment in pop-history. When he started believing instead of knowing, the whole thing took a downwards turn. We all know that we are to the best of our abilities when we are who we are, not when we are who we think we should be. Starting with Graffiti Bridge, Prince was rather bending over or narrowing himself. This all reached its peak with half of D&P and the symbol-album. To quote the great man: "Do you know who you are? You are what you is. You is what you am, a cow don't make ham. You ain't what you're not, so see what you got." Prince was never a rap-artist and bending over to that scene really displayed his growing lack of selfesteem. It was aesthatically questionable and again, it made him appear redundant. Just like so many other artists who thought they had to go with the flow instead of investing in themselves. Ask David Gilmour about his post-Roger Waters-albums as Pink Floyd and he's willing to tell you, that he would have at least rather have them sound a lot less timeless, in hindsight. Ask Ian Anderson, ask whoever you like. Once an artist is not able to withstand being told that he or she is sounding so "yesterday", he's giving himself a good chance of losing the plot once and for all. That's what happened to the little guy who was so funny and funky and sexy and relevant once.

IDK...it appears that the control freak was completely out-of-control when it came to UTCM and especially GB!!

Dear Prince: Nobody understands your MOVIES, but yourself.

it seems odd that Prince considered Madonna and Susannah Melvoin for that role....it's a role that basically required a French actress,since it all takes place in Paris Madonna and Susannah wouldn't have been able to pull that off

Diana80 said:

Why was Prince always so obsessed with wanting to work with Madonna's limited-talent ass?

First he wanted her to be in UTCM, which she turned down. Then he finally convinces her to do a duet, which became "Love Song" for her Like a Prayer album. Then after that, he wanted her to be in Grafitti Bridge, which she declined. And then in the late 90's, he wanted to duet with her again but she turned him down (hence the daggers in his eyes and refusing to clap when she won a VMA at the '99 VMA Awards).

I just don't get why he wanted to work with her so much. Was it a case of him being used to everyone telling him yes, and when someone actually turned him down, he couldn't handle it?

He knew she was just as freaky and slutty as he was and if ever there was a woman capable of strapping it on and bending him over, it would be her.

SoulAlive said:

it seems odd that Prince considered Madonna and Susannah Melvoin for that role....it's a role that basically required a French actress,since it all takes place in Paris Madonna and Susannah wouldn't have been able to pull that off

God bless him.

I remember either reading or seeing (probably reading, considering the source) where Wendy had expressed frustration over Prince's "visions" for his female "proteges". It's okay to want to push someone, but there are limits. Examples: Carmen was a dancer, why did he insist that she rap? Apollonia was an actress, why did he insist that she sing?

Graycap23 said:

nonesuch said:

I do not know one person actually who stood watching UTCM all the way through in one go.

Count me as 1. I enjoyed the movie and still do.

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

80spfantwp said:

God couldn't save UTCM - what on earth chance would Madonna have

[Edited 10/7/12 11:12am]

Well, I suppose she has the fact that she is a real person in her favour.

actually she might have made it better, it was already going 2 be a sorta campy movie vie christopher & tricky, in 1986 i dont know if she could have transformered her NYC, Italianessness to play a French girl, but she can be campy

later in her career she did good in roles like Body of Evidence, A League of Their Own and more importantly Evita which would have been closer to a movie like UTCM

but more importantly she was from the start very cultured and studied on the best directors photograhers etc she may have had the pull to insist that M Lambert remain which would have been a much better movie if Prince let her complete it.

Genesia said:

Graycap23 said:

Count me as 1. I enjoyed the movie and still do.

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

Me, too.

Genesia said:

Graycap23 said:

Count me as 1. I enjoyed the movie and still do.

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

I thought it was a comedy.

Graycap23 said:

Genesia said:

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

I thought it was a comedy.

Me, too. At least, I laughed as if it were. Especially at the end...

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/pow-1.gif[/img:$uid]

You know thinking about it, did the original GB 1987 script circulate or was it just described in Uptown? I seem to remember reading the details now, but the script that was circulating was an earlier 1989/90 version, yes?

Graycap23 said:

Genesia said:

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

I thought it was a comedy.

U mean, U actually thought it was funny???

Genesia said:

Graycap23 said:

I thought it was a comedy.

Me, too. At least, I laughed as if it were. Especially at the end...

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/pow-1.gif[/img:$uid]

Oh, that ending was completely over-the-top!

HuMpThAnG said:

Graycap23 said:

I thought it was a comedy.

U mean, U actually thought it was funny???

I did......

Graycap23 said:

Genesia said:

I watched it all the way through in the theater on the day it opened. I cringed a lot - but I watched the whoooooole thing.

I thought it was a comedy.

I think it originally was a comedy 1940s(?) type movie

there were some good parts, like the whole section where he is in the gold suite was pretty good

its really where he gets mushy and 'falls in love' those scene r the one that got messy

again, the revolution and proteges should have been throught the movie

the Girls & Boys video would have fit perfectly as a scene in the movie

even though electric guitar wasnt in existence as we know it at the period of time the movie was set in, Alexis de Paris would have been a perfect bar scene band performance

Old Friends 4 Sale Under the Cherry Moon Sometime It Snows in April even Kiss

I like the movie, it could have been soooo much better

SoulAlive said:

it seems odd that Prince considered Madonna and Susannah Melvoin for that role....it's a role that basically required a French actress,since it all takes place in Paris Madonna and Susannah wouldn't have been able to pull that off

Kristen Scott Thomas isnt ethnically French herself, shes English, I dont think she has a French accent, did she speak any French in the movie?

Maybe with Madonna & Susannah the movie setting wasnt official yet, if I remember correctly it was a few of his managers that got him to shoot it in France

I believe Jill Jones speaks French, did Susannah Lisa or Wendy, who spoke French during All Day All Night 6.7.1984 performance?

OldFriends4Sale said:

SoulAlive said:

it seems odd that Prince considered Madonna and Susannah Melvoin for that role....it's a role that basically required a French actress,since it all takes place in Paris Madonna and Susannah wouldn't have been able to pull that off

Kristen Scott Thomas isnt ethnically French herself, shes English, I dont think she has a French accent, did she speak any French in the movie?

Maybe with Madonna & Susannah the movie setting wasnt official yet, if I remember correctly it was a few of his managers that got him to shoot it in France

I believe Jill Jones speaks French, did Susannah Lisa or Wendy, who spoke French during All Day All Night 6.7.1984 performance?

Kristen Scott Thomas isn't French - but she speaks French fluently. In fact, in the last decade or so, she's worked more in French films than in English or American.

I always thought Mary (the character) was English. Her parents aren't French either

NouveauDance said:

I always thought Mary (the character) was English. Her parents aren't French either

I thought so, too. They just rented the pad in Nice for the season.

Genesia said:

NouveauDance said:

I always thought Mary (the character) was English. Her parents aren't French either

I thought so, too. They just rented the pad in Nice for the season.

That would make sense.

Not previewing it in front of a Stallone 'Cobra' movie audience could have helped.

rdhull said:

Not previewing it in front of a Stallone 'Cobra' movie audience could have helped.

You'd think they'd've learned their lesson with that Hollywood Bowl/Rolling Stones thing.