It has been some time since I watched Graffiti Bridge so I tried to watch it again (with an open mind). Unfortunately, I thought it was bad for the most part but there were a few moments that I thought were good. So I thought it would be cool to ask YOU what you would do if you could go back in time and direct the movie.

SCENARIO: Prince is open to your ideas since he wants to outdo the success of Purple Rain. He is giving you free reign to explain how the story would be told, who would act in it, what music would be used for performances and for background music, etc.

i would just skip from the opening titles to the end credits and it would be 100 times better

I would 'direct' it straight into the garbage can and tell the wee fella to stop fucking about and make music!

Purpleaxxe1972 said:

I'd want to use actual settings instead of the soundstage that was used at PP. that would open it up quite a bit. As it is GB has a claustrophobic feel. Still a decent movie, though not as good as UTCM.

I agree with you. You could tell that Graffiti Bridge was filmed on a soundstage but Purple Rain and Under the Cherry Moon felt real because they had depth to their environment.

SPOOKYGAS said:

I would 'direct' it straight into the garbage can and tell the wee fella to stop fucking about and make music!

I won't lie, that actually made me laugh. Well played, well played.

i'd scrap the movie, release the album as a double disc, without the other artists,

but including everything on the original rave album.

then i'd have him release 4 singles, each including 2 non album bsides.

i just want more prince music. always, every day

freakdogg said:

I do not like the negative vibe. The whole story line of Prince being washed up and down and out is lame. Prince is at his best when he is struttin. Not so good at the whole "No one digs my music" thing. The performances should have been more like live performances. Besides New Power Generation he performs to empty crowds while the Time performs to big crowds. The music to this film is great tho!

I agree with you to an extent. Yes, the whole "woe is me" attitude bothered me. In Graffiti Bridge, The Kid challenges Morris Day for a final battle, and then the VERY NEXT SCENE, Kid writes a letter to his dad with this whole "the guys are teasing me again" sob story... C'mon man!

It's all about character balance. In Purple Rain, you saw his confidence (Let's Go Crazy, Computer Blue, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star) but you also saw his vulnerable moments (The Beautiful Ones, Darling Nikki, Purple Rain).

Appreciate your comment!

Not sure what he tried to do with this movie. Maybe a cross between a traditional musical, one of those old Elvis movies and something out of Bollywood?

IstenSzek said:

i'd scrap the movie, release the album as a double disc, without the other artists,

but including everything on the original rave album.

then i'd have him release 4 singles, each including 2 non album bsides.

i just want more prince music. always, every day

You bring up another good point I was thinking of while watching: the other artists. I didn't care much for George Clinton, Tevin Campbell or Mavis Staples being on the album personally but The Time held their own.

The throwaway tracks from Graffiti Bridge for me are: New Power Generation, Round and Round, We Can Funk (the original stripped down demo from '86 is far better), Love Machine, The Latest Fashion, Melody Cool and Tick Tick Bang (again the demo from '81 has more spunk).

In the end, I agree with you that we need more music from him to drown out the Justin Biebers and the OneDirections of the world.

paulludvig said:

Not sure what he tried to do with this movie. Maybe a cross between a traditional musical, one of those old Elvis movies and something out of Bollywood?

I think that's what he was going for too, but from what I've read, Warner Bros. was becoming frustrated with him and forced him into making a Purple Rain sequel so due to creative differences we have this constipation of American cinema known as Graffiti Bridge. *facepalm*

scrap the cover

scrap the time

scrap mavis

scrap tevin

keep the question of u,tick tick bang(NOT the performance) joy in repetition but SCRAP the performance..

aww fuck it

scrap it

oh i do like elephants and flowers tho

paulludvig said:

Not sure what he tried to do with this movie. Maybe a cross between a traditional musical, one of those old Elvis movies and something out of Bollywood?

it was an ironic take on making the worst movie ever. without the irony

sfinky1 said:

I would just film a steaming turd with Round & Round playing in the background

so you can't think of any changes to the movie at all?

unique said:

i would just skip from the opening titles to the end credits and it would be 100 times better

unique said:

it was an ironic take on making the worst movie ever. without the irony

sfinky1 said:

I would just film a steaming turd with Round & Round playing in the background

If I seriously had this task, Id try to do something experimental, make it something like a psychadelic film experience.

What he should have done from the beginning...hired a director and a scriptwriter! In late 1989,Albert Magnoli (who directed Purple Rain) was brought in to be the director of this movie.But then they had "artistic differences" and he left the project.

The movie was doomed from that point on.

Consider making the film that's presented in the trailer.

and drop the soundstage.

There were so many problems with this movie. It's an unwatchable. I am still not really sure what it was supposed to be about. I would've dropped the whole spiritual end and made it darker. Focus on the performances, comedy of Morris and Jerome, and OMG, shave the beard.

change his costume for "Thieves in the Temple".....

Delay production, hire a pro screenwriter and work with the writer and Prince on at least 3 iterations of the script until it really hits and pops. Also film on locations as opposed to on a soundstage, and keep acting coaches in the wings.

Ask Prince for a huge selection of songs to choose from that will fit the plot.

a better plot, better script, better actors. I wish he would've captured the same magic he had with SOTT,PR,& UTCM.

chriss said:

change his costume for "Thieves in the Temple".....

I knew that when I first saw this video,the film was gonna be terrible.

I would've had Billy Sparks in the beginning fed up with this club called Graffiti Bridge and have Prince & Morris fight for it once Billy leaves it in the air .

Film in real locations ( i understand filming in Paisley Park saved him time and money and also was good for promotion of the facility )

let us know what happened to Apples and the girls

hire a co-writer ( not a yes person )

hire a co-director ( not a yes person)

I would cut out all of the silly storyline and dialogue,

.

just keeping the songs as music videos.

.

but of course, then it wouldn't be "a movie" anymore..

chriss said:

change his costume for "Thieves in the Temple".....

no those sexxy lingerie - I like that,

.

I loove when Prince is provocative in his outfits, pushing the envelope whatever it is called..

.

Imo the video to "Thieves In The Temple" is among Prince's finest music videos.

.

(However, I have to agree it is hard to defend that outfit to non-Prince fans).

Agh, so many things. But first and foremost for me:

If there reall HAS to be an actual bridge in the movie, don't film it on the set of 'The Dark Crystal'!

I would have had TC Ellis rap earlier in the movie. If the Kid would have just listened to him, it could have made everything better...

Get Prince a haircut.