I remember watching Purple Rain and wondering 'what the fuck is so special about this that made everyone herald Prince as the next major rock star?' The movie does not have any outstanding actors/actresses and seemed liked you'd have to at least be partially interested in Prince to even want to pay the price of admission. The sexual chemistry was not exactly alluring. Afterall, Prince was not in the John Travolta mould for attracting women. I found it pretty fucking depressing, so where the fuck was the 'feel good' factor for non-Prince FAMS?

I can only conclude that Warners felt Prince made Purple Rain's music with the sole intent of becoming global, and they believed it enough to push the movie to such an extent that both the music and film reinforced one another. But was the music that powerful that it managed to get people to sit through that movie, and enjoy it?

What actually happened back then?

Simple answer: The music.

Purple Rain had music that is still played on the radio almost 20 years later.

The film made Prince a superstar due to the way the concert scenes were staged filmed.

'Purple Rain' obviously was a very special movie which had crowds coming in by the droves, with a FANTASTIC music soundtrack...I'm glad that Prince broke that 'John Travolta' stereotype of what is 'sexy'...and Purple Rain didn't make Prince a 'star', he always was one, and IS one. It just took 'Purple Rain' to make people recognize. As for the rock part...commercial success always has a way of labeling people, funny thing is that Prince created one of his own...he's truly very special!!!
[This message was edited Mon Feb 17 11:09:26 PST 2003 by Starmist7]

Had the album not been that great, the movie wouldn't have grossed half as much money as it did.

I loved Purplre Rain so muched that I literally wore my record out and I was only 4 yrs old, I was a 4 yr old little girl who wanted 2 be Appolonia and my mother thought I had issues U know cuz most kids was liking MJ,but not me... soon as I came home from school (kidegarden) I would beg my mama 2 let me watch purple rain, she had seen so much ... she would let me watch it anyways and not hear from me for about 2 hrs I was all up in the movie... Prince was just so amazing 2 me, I don't know why, but I was in awe with this little man, maybe because he was about the same hieght as me, but dang he had 2 be doing something right 2 catch a 4 yr old attention, he was my boyfriend at the time along with webster (emmuel Lewis)... I knew all the lines 2 the movie 2 and still love it till this day although I can't stand 2 listen 2 album anymore
[This message was edited Mon Feb 17 11:22:35 PST 2003 by DigitalLisa]

Anj you're a trip

But I remember being DEPRESSED watching Purple Rain. Cheesy ass melodrama that it was..the thing that saved it was seing Prince actually move and talk and the ability to see him in musical performances. The feeling of this movie was strange to say the least. I left numb.

Please if it wasn't 4 purple rain ,either one of y'all would've been a fun Damn Give the man Some Credit

Anways the reaosn why Purple rain made Prince so big I guess, was because it was crossing point, before he mainly like on the R&B charts and Pop charts, but when the album and the movie came out, it crossed over which made Prince a Star...

both black and white audiences embrace him
[This message was edited Mon Feb 17 11:33:45 PST 2003 by DigitalLisa]

Anji said:

The album, and soundtrack music was very good,

Warners gave it good backing, lining up advance journalist press coverage and timing it well as the film launched across the world.

The press and radio bought into the excitement.

The film did well. People loved the music at the time.

Singles were released from the album with different mixes, posters etc., and timed to sustain the interest and album sales.

Prince consolidated its popularity with performances to a large arenas centred around the album but with the strength of previous hits to support the show.

The shows were 'large' showcasing Prince as a multi-instrumentalist, and talented and mature performer to a much wider audience.

A performance was broadcast beyonf United States and went to video.

You can look back at a dated film with flimsy acting and a basic plot, but it doesn't take rocket science to look at the other ingredients which made the recipe so popular for a year and more. And no-one used stupid words like FAMS in those days.

In addition to the obvious allure of the music, partially, it was the timing. PR was a movie for the 80s. It was also a new, fresh approach to music for that time, which seems to be pretty scarce in the commercial realm these days. He tapped into the experimentaion of sounds and effects with continued use of the Linn and drum triggers, which most people before then had not heard. He showed energy, charisma (onscreen), and stage presence that many had not seen before or haven't seen in awhile.
[This message was edited Mon Feb 17 11:38:05 PST 2003 by xpsiter]

I remember reading how it was one of the only rock films where the star got clowned so to speak by having the father figure slap him and knock him down and leaving it at that.

langebleu said:

Really?

xpsiter said:

Was the acting really that bad?

thedog said:

You wish.

[This message was edited Mon Feb 17 12:47:33 PST 2003 by Anji]

Anji said:

Not the acting aspect, but his actual performing stage presence, IMHO.

rdhull said:

That WAS an ugly bitch slap.

rdhull said:

I certainly left that movie feeling strange. It just had an underlying depressing feel to it. I probably didn't listen to the PR album for quite some time after I watched the movie. Now that I have divorced myself from that feeling, the music is brilliant.

xpsiter said:

Damn thinking back, PR was a semi violent film. Everyone was gettin pimp slapped and thrown in garbage cans etc. Prince gettin slapped, Apollonia, his mom. Morris got kicked in the garbage. Jellybean got swung on by Prince.Everybody was getin fucked up in Purple Rain.

Anji said:

Funny, I felt the exact opposite. I shook my ass off to the music, then later realized "Damn, that had a depressing tone to it" (not easily depressed).

xpsiter said:

Mine was opposite and the same as Anj's feelings. I left feling ill almost. After all that they wanted me to jump up and down to Baby Im Star. It was weird. This wasn't Footloose Flashdance or Hard To Hold thats for damn sure.

xpsiter said:

Again, another very fucked up, depressing and retrospectively, hilarious scene the way Prince fights, some might say like a pussy, with his pops.

rdhull said:

That's what I was thinking years later, rd. I started flinching a bit when something would happen after seeing it again. I think I'm over that now.

rdhull said:

ROTFLMAO!

Anji said:

I was thinking all of that at the very same time when I saw that. Depressing how it's your pops that puts you in your place like a little bitch instead of a son, but hilarious because of P's little voice when he runs in there.

xpsiter said:

I think I had become or it helped me become desensitized to violence in film. maybe thats why I felt ill inside after the movie becasue I was being fed this violence in real life terms not action film terms. But now I realize just what the hell was going on.This was some Color Purple shit 2 years before it came out. Francis L was on some Mister shit.

Simple.People that couldn't get into Ghostbusters or Gremlins saw Purple Rain instead!

Even the sex scenes were somewhat morbid. I can't believe some Prince FAMS use the God instrumental when they're getting it on. That shit just kills it for me. Fucking depressing!

Anji said:

Im serious though..when we left and went to the car my frenes were all jazzed talkin how Prince was a badazz etc but me, the big Prince freak was quiet and dour.

Marrk said:

I saw all 3. Ghostbusters was the shit! So was Streets of Fire lol.