TJacobs.ES@XEROX.ARPA (07/30/84)
Over the weekend I went and saw "Purple Rain" with Prince in his first motion picture role. I went in after having heard several raving reviews from the newspapers, so I went in expecting something good. I wasn't disapointed. Purple Rain requires several preconditions from the viewer in order to enjoy it. First, and most important, is that you must like Prince's music. The movie had a lot of small night-club preforming and thus felt as though you were watching an MTV video [especially when seen in a stereo]. Second, you REALLY like Prince and his music. During the 110+ minutes of this movie, there is at most only 10 total minutes without music. This is supposed to be a semi-factual account of his life. I don't know for sure which parts are real and which are made up. So, my reaction? I've liked Prince ever since "Little Red Corvette" so I liked "Purple Rain". My feelings leaving the theater [Edwards University] were that I had just sat through a really good, long MTV style video. That's the best way I can describe it. Some people leaving the same theater left with lesser reactions because they didn't know who Prince was or had never heard him. Gary Franklin [a lame KCBS movie critic] would probably give this movie a 3 on his rating scale, but it would get an 8 on mine. I recommend it. --Tom
donovan.pa@XEROX.ARPA (07/31/84)
I also saw Purple Rain over the weekend and here is what I thought of the movie. First of all I was not an avid Prince fan before I saw the film.. The only song I knew Prince sang was Little Red Corvette (although I had certainly known of his popularity). So I don't believe you have to REALLY like Prince before you see the movie to enjoy it. If you like music, that's all the requirements you need. When the movie first started I could tell it was going to be something I would really enjoy. I saw it at the Century 22 and the sound system was great. The movie kept my interest and entusiasm throughout (it did seem to drag at one point but not for long). The music was excellent!! I had only heard one of the songs before but I thoroughly enjoyed all of the music. I wasn't sure what to think of Princes' acting at first but as the movie and plot thickened his acting got better and more intense. I was really impressed with the way he performed the emotional scenes. (Yes this is somewhat of a tear-jerker). He is a very moving performer in his acting and his singing. I left the theatre feeling really good and now that I have actually seen Prince perform (you really get a chance to see him in action on stage alot) I can totally understand why he is known for his stage performances. I was never aware that this was suppose to be a factual film at all, but factual or not it was a dynamite movie that I think alot of people will enjoy.
Hamilton.ES@XEROX.ARPA (07/31/84)
From: Bruce Hamilton <Hamilton.ES@XEROX.ARPA> I like LOTS of different kinds of music. Monteverdi, Phillip Glass, Four Tops, Brahms, C&W, John Phillips Sousa, Bartok, Janis Joplin... Just about anything except 12-tone, Muzak, or Fuzak. Sitting through Purple Rain was one of the few times in my life that I had that "what IS that noise - it sure ain't music" reaction. So I must concur with TJacobs that you have to REALLY like Prince before you see the movie to enjoy it. --Bruce
rhib@mhuxm.UUCP (irving) (08/04/84)
As one of Prince's NON-fans prior to seeing "Purple Rain", which I was dragged to see, I can only say that the movie changed my mind entirely about this very talented young person. The club scenes contained excitingly packaged numbers, certainly delivered with more punch and reality than anything on MTV. It certainly helps if you like Prince before seeing the movie, but so long as you're after originality (i.e. the phrase "new wave" doesn't make you scream in rage) then this flick is a lot of fun. Rich Irving
elias@sunybcs.UUCP (Elias M. Sarraf) (08/17/84)
<< dig if you will the picture.... >> Having been a rather avid Prince fan for the last year and a half, I just had to see "Purple Rain." I wasn't disappointed in the least. It was just like a long video, but that suited me just fine, I could watch and listen to Prince for hours. I also thought that the acting by Morris Day was good (I am also a Time fan). He was the source of most of the humor in the movie. I went with a non-Prince fan, and he thought it was okay. I don't think he liked it much because he doesn't like that kind of music at all; although he admitted that he thought the beats were catchy and songs like "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" tend to grow on you after awhile. I am going to see this movie again, with another friend. I would recommend it to anyone, although my opinion is very biased. Anyone who enjoys this type of music, though, will most likely enjoy this movie very much. ..elias
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (08/18/84)
I guess the most amazing thing about this movie is the number of good
reviews it has garnered. By most any standards--acting, dialogue,
pacing, fair treatment of woman, it stinks. This is an inarticulate
little movie about people who are inarticulate, except through their
music. Not that this last point is deliberately realized.
The love interest is bizarre; you simply can't see what "The Kid" (Prince)
and Apollonia see in each other, other than being Beautiful People. Prince
treats her like scum, and she laps it up. In fact, all the women in this
movie are either crawling after their men, or being beaten up, or both.
The theme about the Kid recapitulating the actions of his father is
presented in such a ham-fisted way that it is laughable.
Face it, take Prince's music out of this movie, and you've got a
dog. In fact, the music scenes are pretty good, if you like concert
footage. You wonder why they bothered with the third-rate story.
See it in Dolby Stereo or not at all.
Gimme my MTV,
--
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPAss@wivax.UUCP (Sid Shapiro) (08/21/84)
I'll admit that if the music had been louder, I might have almost liked this movie. It was offensive in its treatment of women. Both Prince and the women (who is gorgeous) who played Apolonia acted very mechanically. They had the audacity to re-do the Abbott and Costello "who's on first" routine. But, did anyone notice that Prince's father was Linc from the Mod Squad? / Sid /
martin@ism780.UUCP (08/22/84)
#R:bbncca:-90700:ism780:18000016:000:2284 ism780!martin Aug 20 08:50:00 1984 >***** ism780:net.movies / bbncca!sdyer / 9:01 am Aug 18, 1984 >I guess the most amazing thing about this movie is the number of good >reviews it has garnered. I was amazed too, amazed that I enjoyed the film so much. >By most any standards--acting, dialogue, pacing, fair treatment >of woman, it stinks. Admittedly it wasn't Shakespeare, but then, I wasn't expecting Shakespeare. And who says women, or any other group, have to be treated fairly in the movies? How can you make a movie about a kid who doesn't treat women fairly, if you can't show him being mean to women? >This is an inarticulate little movie about people who are >inarticulate, except through their music. Not that this last >point is deliberately realized. The point is that Prince articulates through music, and through music, he articulates very well, at least for my money. Why do you consider communicating through music to be less valuable than communicating through spoken dialogue? >The love interest is bizarre; you simply can't see what "The Kid" (Prince) >and Apollonia see in each other, other than being Beautiful People. Isn't love strange? >Prince treats her like scum, and she laps it up. In fact, all >the women in this movie are either crawling after their men, or >being beaten up, or both. Why do people do that? But did you see that during the first half of the movie, the kid's music was based on fear and anger? During the second half, when he accepted the idea of trusting the people around him, his music was based on trust and love. >The theme about the Kid recapitulating the actions of his father >is presented in such a ham-fisted way that it is laughable. Maybe you've never been through a problem like that, but don't worry, you will. When it happens, perhaps you will remember this film. >Face it, take Prince's music out of this movie, and you've got a >dog. Of course. Take the Jedi Knights out of Star Wars, and what have you got? >In fact, the music scenes are pretty good, if you like concert >footage. You wonder why they bothered with the third-rate story. They bothered with it because they thought they had something to say. >See it in Dolby Stereo or not at all. Don't you mean *hear* it in Dolby Stereo? martin smith, INTERACTIVE Systems
rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (08/24/84)
re: Martin Smith's review Agreed. To really appreciate this effort, don't think of the music as the soundtrack to the film, think of the film as the sighttrack to the music. -- "So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither "No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
kitten@pertec.UUCP (09/06/84)
I know it's late in the summer to be posting a review on a film that's
been out so long, but due to the number of negative reviews about this
movie, I just had to speak up after *finally*, seeing it.
(Note: I saw Purple Rain at a matinee in a rather deserted theatre
showing it in Dolby sound. Had it been more crowded, I believe I
would've enjoyed it even more from the audience participation.)
I went in to see this movie fearing that Prince was doing it solely
for financial and commercial gain. Many people spoke of it as "one
long video", others said the treatment of women in it was deplorable.
As for the argument about the long video, I contest it. Sure, there
*was* a lot of concert footage, but wasn't this film supposed to be
about music? Other footage *set* to music continued depicting the
storyline, such as "When Doves Cry" (after his altercation with his
girlfriend, with a backdrop of his home life), and the final concert
scene (showing him with his father, and with his father's music).
As for the treatment of women, *that* was part of the message of the
film. The Kid (as he is known in the film) had no other role model
on how to treat women than his father, and his parents' relationship
was one of love/hate, fierce fighting/passionate love-making(making up).
Because they did make up, and because he had no other example to go
by, he thought it worked, and that's how it must be.
Another point I'd like to bring up is that Prince did not have himself
depicted as perfect, or particularly good, as a human being. Let's
face it, he (pardon the language) fucked up...and more than once,
like us humans tend to do. He did show The Kid as selfish, in the
way he treated others, and in his search for success. He slapped
around his girlfriend, and he chided his female band members for
writing songs on their own, which he never bothered to even listen
to.
The very end, of course, was concert footage, with some other footage
edited in telling the last bits of the story. It does leave open ends.
What happens to his father? What happens to Apollonia? Where does
The Kid go from here? Sequel? I hope not. It wouldn't work. There
was a lot of electric energy in Purple Rain, and I feel there isn't
much left, and not much left to tell, for another movie. But I
wouldn't mind seeing Prince again in something else. He may be
primarily a musician, but his acting was good. I never lost that
"illusion of reality" by any bumbling on anyone's part, his included.
Nothing spectacular, but it didn't distract. And as a musical
performer, he was electric.
Of course, Prince could be said to have a limited appeal...mostly
women, as he has a mystical sexual charisma about him (main reason
why I and my friend went). As far as males are concerned, they are
probably attracted to his work because they like his music, and they
desire to be like him (lots of men would welcome such charisma!).
Well, sorry this wound up so long, but I just had to get this taken
care of.
kitten~
{ucbvax!unisoft | trwrb | scgvaxd | felix}!pertec!kitten