I admittedly have avoided watching Graffitti Bridge. I have seen Purple Rain once, Under the Cherry Moon four times, Sign of the Times in snippets on the internet (several times) and his charming appearance in New Girl at least three times...oh and the Muppets as well.

Anyhow, here is what I think. I do think there are moments in which Prince shows potential (with legit comic timing and believable dramatic nuance) ... a few spoken scenes in Purple Rain (he does exhibit some suprising subtleties) his acting while singing in that movie (Beautiful Ones is pure and effective drama IMO), his charming and warm comedic scenes with Benton in UTCM as well as the "Kiss" scene in that movie, his whole "performance" in New Girl (which was natural and contained good dry comic timing)

. The reason why I think he was unable to do more with his acting (beyond a handful of scenes with potential) is simple..He was unable to strip away the Prince mystique completely. The Prince mystique is partly acting if you think about it, but it can interfere with characterization in an actual film.

It works to some extent in Purple Rain but there is still a mystique that remains. It works to some extent in UTCM (he's funny and at times self mocking) but how much more effective would the love scenes in UTCM have been if the artifice around Prince (the glitter, eye liner and lace clothes) had been removed once the more intimate moments began. I hate many of the love scenes in that movie even though I think Prince is super sexy and even charming in many other scenes...and the reason is that he never seems truely intimate in the scenes that needed it the most. Plus, he has no chemistry with Thomas who surprisingly seems older than him. Back to Prince--That glitter is sexy as a come-on and flirtation...but there needed to be dialogue (the writing is partly to blame) and some getting-to-know-you moments in which Prince/Tracy is in a more natural stripped down mode (not literally) with Mary. Under the Cherry Moon works much better as a parody of Prince's image and race/class differences than a love story..(although I do like the scene when Prince teases Mary about going "Black" in her orgasms") HIs chemistry is better with Benton because he seems more natural and normal around him.

The Reason I really adored Prince in New Girl is also simple...they wrote him (with Prince's help) a consistent, funny, and likable character. Yes, it is "Prince". But it is "Prince"--the love guru, eccentric, mentor, gentleman, and disgruntled ping-pong champion. It works. This takes me to my next point...he never worked for a good director or writer until New Girl. The Purple Rain director had potential but was unexperienced (as far as I know) and Prince of course was too inexperiences and was taking on too much by directing himself.

Another thing that struck me as potential..his acting as the JOker/Partyman...He is a hoot. And suprisingly, his silent movie little tramp moment in the One video (directed by his wife) is delightful...and ironically or not so ironically the first time I have ever seen him in a video or film clip with regular shoes.

Anyhow, what do you all think about my analysis? Does it make any sense?

[Edited 10/3/16 15:31pm]

[Edited 10/3/16 15:32pm]

[Edited 10/3/16 15:39pm]

That scene where he breaks down after his father shot himself, was REAL. He really showed his vulnerability there and I admire him for that.

Probably his inability to act.

paisleyparkgirl said:

Great thread idea, and great points so far. I agree with you that a good director could have brought out the best in Prince because I don´t think his acting was that bad. The problem was probably his ego or the fact that he wouldn´t really expose himself, i.e be "naked" but on the other hand I think he had such a strong work ethic and was so dedicated to his art that , under the right direction, he definitely would have proved his naysayers wrong.

I would have loved to see him in some cameo roles, or as a supporting actor, not necessarily having to carry the burden of a leading part which would only have brought big expectations with it.

Maybe some part in one of Tarantino´s earlier work ? But I bet they would´ve clashed, and Tarantino´s characters are often very stereotypical.

Or maybe a Cohen brothers movie? Or Scorcese? Or more TV shows?

It´s sad that he never fully pursued his acting career again.

Far less talented people have changed over the years and honed their acting skills with good results.

I bet the right director and the right script would have put Prince on the map as a decent actor.

bluegangsta said:

callimnate said:

bluegangsta said:

Probably his inability to act.

This. And the fact that he couldn't help but pose at every opportunity. Which was fine for video clips and on-stage performances, but not for feature films.

I was about to post: Prince, the director.

Prince (the director) gave Prince (the actor) way too much posing opportunities. That man was so vain!

I think you're right on many levels, purplerabbithole:
.

1) This was a man who never allowed himself to be seen out of the 'Prince' guise: always in make-up, fancy clothes; Prince the Enigmatic Musical Genius...I think this 'version' of Prince became so intertwined with his own 'self' that it became difficult, even for him, to distinguish between the 'inner' self and the outer...Why did this happen? Maybe because underneath all the braggadocio, he was still that troubled, insecure, under-sized little boy..?

.

2) I think method acting would have been nigh on impossible for Prince because it requires stripping away artifice so you can completely 'enter' and empathise with the character you're playing...I'm not sure how far Prince would have been able to strip away his own artifice, because I think it became an indistinguishable and integral part of his own understanding of himself;

.

3) The above would have required exposure of a sort with which I don't think he would have been comfortable;

.

4) The required relinquishing of control - over what he presented to the world as 'himself' - and to a director would have been incredibly difficult for Prince, I believe.

.

Having said ALL of that ^^^, however, who knows what theatrical and cinematic gems might be lurking in the Vault???

.

He was one of those entertainers who was always his persona - he couldn't lose himself into another character. Moviegoers would immediately say "Prince" if they saw him, even if he was to play Uncle Harry or Frank the next door neighbor.

.

I guess I am not a movie critic at heart.

.

While I can appreciate a great movie I can also appreciate a bad movie.

.

But I don't think that UTCM was a bad movie or that Prince was bad in it except for just a couple of scenes.

.

I Thoroughly enjoyed Under The Cherry Moon, There was some really great subtle comedy in there with the peripheral characters like Mary's Mother and father and the three french snobs, and other stuff.

.

I thought Prince's acting was good enough and his dancing performance of Girls & Boys in the restaurant was amazing.

I think that they reversed the film in the part where he puts his coat back on during the dance.

.

[Edited 10/9/16 11:18am]

QueenofCardboard said:

.

I guess I am not a movie critic at heart.

.

While I can appreciate a great movie I can also appreciate a bad movie.

.

But I don't think that UTCM was a bad movie or that Prince was bad in it except for just a couple of scenes.

.

I Thoroughly enjoyed Under The Cherry Moon, There was some really great subtle comedy in there with the peripheral characters like Mary's Mother and father and the three french snobs, and other stuff.

.

I thought Prince's acting was good enough and his dancing performance of Girls & Boys in the restaurant was amazing.

I think that they reversed the film in the part where he puts his coat back on during the dance.

.

[Edited 10/9/16 11:18am]

Purple Rain and UTCM are both good movies. Graffiti Bridge on the other hand.

fortuneandserendipity said:

QueenofCardboard said:

.

I guess I am not a movie critic at heart.

.

While I can appreciate a great movie I can also appreciate a bad movie.

.

But I don't think that UTCM was a bad movie or that Prince was bad in it except for just a couple of scenes.

.

I Thoroughly enjoyed Under The Cherry Moon, There was some really great subtle comedy in there with the peripheral characters like Mary's Mother and father and the three french snobs, and other stuff.

.

I thought Prince's acting was good enough and his dancing performance of Girls & Boys in the restaurant was amazing.

I think that they reversed the film in the part where he puts his coat back on during the dance.

.

[Edited 10/9/16 11:18am]

Purple Rain and UTCM are both good movies. Graffiti Bridge on the other hand.

.

Yeah,

But if you look at Graffiti Bridge as a long music video, it works just fine.

I don't like the kind of underdog character Prince was in Graffiti Bridge.

Prince came across as too mopey and too much of a victim, and didn't really have a moment in the end where he faces his demons, grows and changes and emerges triumphant.

Plus, I hated his beard.

In Graffiti Bridge it is Morris who changes and grows.

Our hero Prince did not have a tragic flaw to overcome.

He is harder to identify with and therefore harder to sympathize with.

But thoroughly enjoyed the movie anyway.

.

QueenofCardboard said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

Purple Rain and UTCM are both good movies. Graffiti Bridge on the other hand.

.

Yeah,

But if you look at Graffiti Bridge as a long music video, it works just fine.

I don't like the kind of underdog character Prince was in Graffiti Bridge.

Prince came across as too mopey and too much of a victim, and didn't really have a moment in the end where he faces his demons, grows and changes and emerges triumphant.

Plus, I hated his beard.

In Graffiti Bridge it is Morris who changes and grows.

Our hero Prince did not have a tragic flaw to overcome.

He is harder to identify with and therefore harder to sympathize with.

But thoroughly enjoyed the movie anyway.

.

Graffiti Bridge is like a musical that forgets about a story, like most musicals probably do! Agreed about Prince's character. There's no real shift or damascene moment.

Respectfully disagree about P's appearance. As a straight male, I'd say he probably looked best in '90 or '99 when he had long hair and beard.

1Sasha said:

He was one of those entertainers who was always his persona - he couldn't lose himself into another character. Moviegoers would immediately say "Prince" if they saw him, even if he was to play Uncle Harry or Frank the next door neighbor.

True. But if he could suspend belief and work with a good director on something about which he was passionate, for instance--I think he could have blown the movie "Whiplash" out of the water. Fletcher (the instructor) was not only physically intimdating but also mentally and emotionally demanding. Take away the physical intimadation and the story spins in a new direction.

But P probably was not up to the stream of four-letter words the character constanly spewed.

paisleyparkgirl said:

That scene where he breaks down after his father shot himself, was REAL. He really showed his vulnerability there and I admire him for that.

Agreed