RJOrion said:

Phase3 said:

Idk if jill Jones could've pulled that role off.I thought the casting of Steven Berkoff was great.He was a bad guy so he was suppose to make you hate it dislike him.It worked for me

Kristin Scott Thomas was no great actress (in this movie) either, and Jill Jones was as good an actor as Jerome and Prince, and by far more beautiful than Kristin Scott Thomas...Steven Berkoff was such a cliche as the "bad guy" at that point, that his casting (and his role in the film) came off as lazy and corny. Berkoff as villain was tired after "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Rambo First Blood II" ... i watched the movie again this weekend though, and Prince's acting in this movie is underrated...that flick would have been AMAZING in color...thats what the estate needs to release...UTCM IN HD COLOR. [Edited 6/8/20 7:04am]

Prince didn't not even want the Jill Prince love interest fleshed out in Purple Rain.
He then wrote She's Always In My Hair about her.
He wasn't going to have her be his love interest in UTCM

purplethunder3121 said:

looby said:

Now that is over acting!

If I remember right I read somewhere that Prince wanted to do a death scene in PR... Thank God he didn't!

I thought it was he wanted the father to die, hence the tape on the ground, but they changed it and had him live.

OldFriends4Sale said:

RJOrion said:

Phase3 said: Kristin Scott Thomas was no great actress (in this movie) either, and Jill Jones was as good an actor as Jerome and Prince, and by far more beautiful than Kristin Scott Thomas...Steven Berkoff was such a cliche as the "bad guy" at that point, that his casting (and his role in the film) came off as lazy and corny. Berkoff as villain was tired after "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Rambo First Blood II" ... i watched the movie again this weekend though, and Prince's acting in this movie is underrated...that flick would have been AMAZING in color...thats what the estate needs to release...UTCM IN HD COLOR. [Edited 6/8/20 7:04am]

Prince didn't not even want the Jill Prince love interest fleshed out in Purple Rain.
He then wrote She's Always In My Hair about her.
He wasn't going to have her be his love interest in UTCM

She's Always In My Hair.....ouch!

herb4 said:

poppys said:

Why do you assume it is directed only at you? Onlyforaminute did not reply/quote you and there are other posters with basically your same take. There is also no mention of "yelling" in their post. That was a different conversation altogether, between 2 other posters.

I didn't. Just replying in the event that it was since it was right below mine. Did you miss the very polite wording of "IF IT WASN'T" part of my post that had the preemptive qualifier and apology I put in there that assumed I may be mistaken or are we just skipping enitre sentences people write and...uh...whatever this is?

The poster you cited didn't quote ANYBODY so how the fuck do I know who it's directed at? I considered rephrasing my OP but then I realized that it was already phrased perfectly fine, that is assuming somone reads the whole post.

Take it easy. It's all good. We're just discussing a movie that I'm overjoyed that you happen to like and that I don't care for.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go dig these eggshells out of my feet before I post anything else on this weird, divisive message board.

Carry on.

Can't blame you Herb4, I thought you wrote an elaborate opinion (that I agree with), but it seems there are a few fanatics in this thread who can't deal with unfavorable opinions about prince's acting and movies. Oh well...

Germanegro said:

Yeah--all these "Prince" movies are what they are, vanity projects that don't contribute a whit to the cinema canon. Regardless I feel that he was a photogenic little man with a huge sense of humor for whom a bit of serious directorial guidance could have made him a decent character somewhere in film. Film wasn't really his forte, though, and we all know that he didn't much take to direction, so whatcha' gonna do? Regardless of the clumsiness one may perceive toward his efforts to create visual stories w/ narrative I can still appreciate that effort and enjoy seeing these artifacts.

The people who make all of these negative posts seem to be kind of jealous that he made those 3 films--what nerve!-- or they take their creation as a kind of personal affront toward their preference for his music and wish to defend their honor toward said fandom, is the best rationale I can cobble for the vehement protestations in these-type threads centered on Prince's film/video short appearances as a dramatic lead. I guess we all gotta' do what we must to feel whole and secure.

Your post started off really well balanced and thoughtful but then it took a totally unexpected nasty turn.

I am also out of here, this shit is depressing. I will leave this thread alone so y'all can have your UTCM and GB cirkle jerk in peace...

funkaholic1972 said:

EnDoRpHn said:

purplethunder3121 said:

No way. PR has the music!

It’s also peppered with cringe. Morris Day and the concert performances carry that movie. The Revolution drama is horribly contrived, people in the theatres laughed when Prince got slapped and at his flat footed delivery in the domestic violence scenes.

ANSWER ME, MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!

SoulAlive said:

To be honest,I think the huge success of Purple Rain (the movie) sorta went to Prince’s head.It convinced him that he is an “actor”,not realizing that it was really the music and the musical performances that made Purple Rain such a hit. Imo,the only two good Prince movies are Purple Rain and the Sign O’The Times concert film.

Totally agree with this.

When UTCM came out, a few of my of more metal and punk minded friends opined that he was sort of "trying to be a new Elvis" and, to a certain degree, I can actually see it. Except Prince was more of a musician than a..."creation"...I guess like Elvis was.

But I can't fault him for it. My man was Bold as Love and seemed to have no fear.

If he DID have fear (and it seems he did), he addressed it by doubling down and "going left when everyone else goes right". Seemed to believe that there was nothing he couldn't do himself or do better than anyone advising him. He was right as much as he was wrong, overall, I think, despite this movie I think is a misfire. It's what I always admired him.

Motherfucker did it his way or the fucking highway from the first record contract onwards and somehow carved out and culitivated this entire way of life and artistry that he specifically controlled to the point that it ultimately became synonmous with a symbol he invented, to the point that there was nobody else really like him. I can't think of anyone. Even during rough times and what seemed to be "down" periods, he just kept on with it and I loved the whole ride, bumps and all.

He was incredibly famous but still underground. He was in the spotlight but very reclusive. He was "popular" even when he wasn't. He could stop a room just by walking into it. He could invoke wild applause every time he showed his face. Everyone knew who he was but no one was really hip to this world he built - the Paisley Park that was in our heart - his own recording studio/castle that he built. This singular...dimension...almost that he built and lived in.

It's amazing to even ponder how one could do, let alone have the balls to even TRY.

I loathe most of his endevaours into film, his attempts at story telling and his goofy video narratives but fuck me if he didn't god damned DO IT. It's quite easy to criticze but very hard to create and he seemed to never really stop creating or cultivating his vision and how he wanted to live. He worked SO HARD to do what he wanted to do and took no shit. People say "I should be so lcuky" but he made his OWN luck most of the time.

The fact that UTCM is a creation I could do without is almost beside the point for someone who created SO MUCH. I'll forgive this awful film for everything he else he gave me that I love.
This small man in high heels, makeup and custom clothes was so BIG.

What a one of kind artist. I'm genuinely hard pressed to come up with a modern contemporary that compares with him, and lord help me I've tried. When he died, my man left not just a vacuum but a god damned Black Hole that I still can't fill and have given up looking.

He's one of the few people I study, look at or listen to and wish I were more like them.

It's a VERY small list and he's at the top.

Has been since 1983.

...

God damn....I don't mean to post these long things....


Sorry...

Germanegro said:

Yeah--all these "Prince" movies are what they are, vanity projects that don't contribute a whit to the cinema canon. Regardless I feel that he was a photogenic little man with a huge sense of humor for whom a bit of serious directorial guidance could have made him a decent character somewhere in film. Film wasn't really his forte, though, and we all know that he didn't much take to direction, so whatcha' gonna do? Regardless of the clumsiness one may perceive toward his efforts to create visual stories w/ narrative I can still appreciate that effort and enjoy seeing these artifacts. The people who make all of these negative posts seem to be kind of jealous that he made those 3 films--what nerve!-- or they take their creation as a kind of personal affront toward their preference for his music and wish to defend their honor toward said fandom, is the best rationale I can cobble for the vehement protestations in these-type threads centered on Prince's film/video short appearances as a dramatic lead. I guess we all gotta' do what we must to feel whole and secure.

I think he could have done a bit more in film, tbh, given the right roles and willingness to take direction.

Something like a Batman villain (the Riddler or something) or one of the weird Tim Burton movies that always starred Johnny Depp. The Willy Wonka remake always comes to mind because not only could he do the music but he almost WAS the Willy Wonka of music. Odd, reclusive, kind but off putting, eccentric, talented, unique, lived in a compund/palace/whatever. He'd have been WAY better than whatever that was Depp gave us.

Prince had screen presence and charisma for days, wasn't the worst musician turned actor I'd ever seen and folks may have gotten a kick out of seeing him in a movie somewhere along the line once the rotten taste of UTCM and GB had washed away. Maybe a Star Wars character. I heard Chris Tucker's role in The Fifth Element was written with him in mind. Something like Moulin Rouge might have worked.

Whenever he controlled the film making process, though, he came off as too self aware and undid all the positive he could bring to a movie because, again, as film makers go, he was a GREAT musician. Not a film maker.

There's an old Brain DePalma cult film called "Phantom of the Paradise" that I adore starring Paul Williams as a diminutive singer/songwriter/producer who runs his own music label/theater similar to Paisley Park Records. It's a drive in/b-movie movie take on Phantom of the Opera based on Faust that I could easily Prince pulling off, given his propensity for good and evil dogma.

Put in the right role under the right direction, Prince could have done more movies.

Might be cool one day if the etate finds and releases the footage Kevin Smith shot for The Rainbow Children documentary. I wanna see it just for the full crazy.

Was anyone at that Celebration when Kevin Smith was shooting?

[Edited 6/10/20 15:50pm]

I think by now we've all heard that Prince watched a lot of movies and I think that there a lot of cool film touchstones that remind me of good old fashioned movie making.

I actually like that movie a lot. Yes it's dopey at times but it's pretty good.

EnDoRpHn said:

I'm not saying it is a GREAT film, but I think it is quite good. I have always thought it to be entertaining especially in hindsight as it's been decoupled from the mammoth Purple Rain movie. I recall when it came out, expecting PR and getting this. Musically I was somehow ready for the significant change in sound from guitar heavy PR to string heavy Parade. I'm thinking ATWIAD prepared me as a middle step. There was no such middle step from the PR movie to the Under the Cherry Moon movie.

I would like to see this in colour.

Prince did it his way....all the way...and you can't ever take that away from this genius.

looby said:

Phase3 said:

You probably wouldn't even be watching this film if you weren't a prince fan. Another thing to add is that the 2006 movie Wedding Crashers is very similar to UTCM

I agree, although I've never seen the movie Wedding Crashers. However, I do own the dvds of UTCM, Purple Rain, Graffiti Bridge, etc, but do I watch them over and over again?.....no. I bought them simply because I am a Prince fan that loves Prince, but do they make me cringe whenever I happen to come across a showing every now and then, yes. Not so much Purple Rain, because I loved it, but even certain scenes in it makes me cringe, where the acting and certain happenings are concerned. As a Prince fan in the 80's, who was blinded by love and devotion, I probably thought Prince deserved an Oscar in Purple Rain, but then I'm brought back down to earth, when it happens to come on TV today, and someone (normally one of my adult kids) laughs, and makes a remark about how awful and bad they think it is.

[Edited 6/13/20 10:47am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

RJOrion said:

Phase3 said: Kristin Scott Thomas was no great actress (in this movie) either, and Jill Jones was as good an actor as Jerome and Prince, and by far more beautiful than Kristin Scott Thomas...Steven Berkoff was such a cliche as the "bad guy" at that point, that his casting (and his role in the film) came off as lazy and corny. Berkoff as villain was tired after "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Rambo First Blood II" ... i watched the movie again this weekend though, and Prince's acting in this movie is underrated...that flick would have been AMAZING in color...thats what the estate needs to release...UTCM IN HD COLOR.

Prince didn't not even want the Jill Prince love interest fleshed out in Purple Rain.
He then wrote She's Always In My Hair about her.
He wasn't going to have her be his love interest in UTCM

What about Sheena Easton? I think she would have been a good choice.

SoulAlive said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Prince didn't not even want the Jill Prince love interest fleshed out in Purple Rain.
He then wrote She's Always In My Hair about her.
He wasn't going to have her be his love interest in UTCM

What about Sheena Easton? I think she would have been a good choice.

Now, that would have been interesting!

SoulAlive said:

onlyforaminute said:

Phase3 said:

Phase3 said:

onlyforaminute said:

SoulAlive said:

What about Sheena Easton? I think she would have been a good choice.

Based on that infamous date I don't think it'd went well.

They quickly moved on from that though, and continued to be cool. But I don't think Sheena would have worked

FragileUndertow said:

Phase3 said:

What infamous date? Please tell us more

Wasn't it something like he just staired at her the whole time and would not speak I'm probably way off

Yes, that is sorta the way it went. Silent communication. Susannah Melvoin said he did that to her as well. I think it was a thing for him.

The habit probably went way back. In his memoirs, Prince prominently mentions how his mother would share a special "look" with him with regularity to communicate. This trend must have set his expectations for intimations with significant others! And Mayte revealed that they would practice telepathic communications. He probably really did do that kind of stuff a lot, that contributed to his "weird" vibe.

OldFriends4Sale said:

FragileUndertow said:

Phase3 said: Wasn't it something like he just staired at her the whole time and would not speak I'm probably way off

Yes, that is sorta the way it went. Silent communication. Susannah Melvoin said he did that to her as well. I think it was a thing for him.

AS others have said...awful movie but Prince fans can still enjoy it. I can't say the same about "Graffiti Bridge". Even Prince was off-putting in that bomb

Who posted that "Prince was embarrassed by the film"? I can't find it. Might have been in the "Mountains" thread but either way, I've never read that and would be interested in a citation to that effect.

Near as I can tell, he just got bored with it like he did most things and wanted to move on to something else. I've never read where he said he didn't like it or even where he had bad things to say about it. Most of what I've read was him saying it was a learning experience, etc., not that he was ashamed of it.

He has nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

Even though I hate the movie, at least he DID it and he was, what, 28 when it came out? I hadn't accomplishe shit at that age and he was already an established genius.