Product Description

A young man (Prince) with a talent for music has begun a career with much promise. He meets an aspiring singer Apollonia and finds that talent alone isn't all that he needs. A complicated tale of his repeating his father's self destructive behavior losing Apollonia to another singer (Morris Day) and his coming to grips with his own connection to other people ensues.Running Time: 111 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 085393353322

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9042 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-08-24
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 111 minutes

Features

• A young man (Prince) with a talent for music has begun a career with much promise. He meets an aspiring singer, Apollonia, and finds that talent alone isn't all that he needs. A complicated tale of his repeating his father's self destructive behavior, losing Apollonia to another singer (Morris Day), and his coming to grips with his own connection to other people ensues.Running Time: 111 min. Fo

Amazon.com
When Prince's dazzling and dynamic Purple Rain (movie and soundtrack album) and the hypnotic hit single "When Doves Cry" exploded onto the pop-culture scene in 1984, it seemed there was nothing the purple one couldn't do. The film is basically a feature-length music video, but no musician has ever had a better big-screen showcase for his many talents. The plot is really just a theme (about the son of an abusive father struggling not to continue the pattern) upon which to hang some of Prince's most dazzling songs (including "Let's Go Crazy" and the title tune), and some sizzling live-concert numbers. Apollonia Kotero is ravishing as the romantic interest, and Morris Day and the Time provide some terrific musical competition. Purple Rain is an essential artifact of the mid-'80s pop Zeitgeist. Prince took home an Oscar for the song score. --Jim Emerson

DVD features
Whether you're hot for extras or simply after a Purple Rain release that does justice to the film, this special edition is the one to spring for. The movie appears in its original widescreen dimension (optimized for widescreen viewing), and its picture is dynamic and grain-free, letting the film's luscious, meticulously patterned colors shine through. Running commentary from director/co-writer/editor Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo, and cinematographer Donald Thorin highlights both the challenges overcome to make the film and the wonders of working with a musician as prolific and as brilliant as the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

Disc 2 offers three short documentaries drawing from contemporary interviews with the filmmakers, the management of First Avenue (the Minneapolis club where Prince began his rise to fame), and members of Prince's former band, The Revolution (including Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman). Footage from MTV's premiere party is notable for the absence of a single worthwhile utterance from any of the party's celebrity attendees, but MTV's flip side saves the day: eight music videos from Prince, the Time, and Apollonia 6. Sizzling, post-film performances of "Take Me with U" and "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm a Star" both feature extended instrumental jams and exciting looks at the real-life Revolution's Purple Rain tour.

The only thing missing is movie outtakes, many of which are referenced in Magnoli's commentary. Still, this otherwise definitive Purple Rain is a sumptuous feast for eyes and ears. --Michael Mikesell

Customer Reviews

Great movie....not so great DVD unfortunately...
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Purple Rain and Prince 's (the artist) music, but this DVD was kind of disappointing. The video quality of the transfer looks pretty good for its age, but why isn't there a widescreen version? The production notes that Warner puts on their DVDs are annoying and glare off the TV. Oh, and a trailer. I know this isn't a special edition, but there was so much stuff that could have been used. I guess you get what you pay for though. The movie gets 5 stars, but the DVD gets a 2/5.

It's Not Just A Music Video
Leonard Maltin's review missed the main point of this movie. The movie is not primarily about a young musician who "struggles to gain acceptance for his own brand of ... rock music". Instead, the movie is about a man who has acquired his not only some of his father's musical interest and talent, but also his father's emotional instability and occasional abusiveness towards others, especially women. Maltin is correct that Prince's character is sexist and unappealing, but that's crucial to the movie. By playing his character as emotionally unstable, insensitive, and occasionally cruel, Prince de-glamourizes the cool, rebellious rock star image, showing that fame and talent are neither a guaranteed road to happiness nor a good excuse for being cruel to your girlfriend. This movie, rather than being a "soppy story" wrapped around concert footage, is instead genuinely literary. The concert footage is not an excuse for a movie; some of the concert footage is integral to the story. The title song, "Purple Rain", is used very effectively in the movie as a point of conflict between Prince and two of his female bandmates.

This movie, like Quadrophenia, would make a good subject for an English literature class targeted towards aimlessly rebellious under-achievers (rather than the 4.0 GPA high school students that most English literature classes are designed for).

[This review is based on the VHS version of the movie.]

Purple Rain 20 years later
I remember when I recently saw Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back,Jay showed his affinity towards Morris Day and the Time.Then some teenagers called Purple Rain "a crappy 80's movie".Although most of Y generation view Purple Rain like the second coming of Grease 2,Purple Rain rocked back in '84 with people actually dancing in the isles.
This movie finally brought Prince into the mainstream and showed the genius that he was.Although he'd been making records since 1978,he made his mark with such albums as Dirty Mind, Controversy,and 1999(his breakout album with his first top ten hit Little Red Corvette)but only to a limited R&B and underground market.But once Purple Rain hit,things were never the same.The movie also brought Morris Day and The Time to the mainstream which unfortunately they would soon break up to never enjoy the fruits.
The movie is pretty much about a musician called The Kid (Prince) who dreams of making it despite his troubled homelife and a rival band, The Time.The movie has it's fair share of bad acting as well as misogyny ("That ain't Lake Minnitonka")it's the musical numbers as well as Morris Day's comic timing that steals the show.The music still sounds fresh, especially the minimalist When Doves Cry which could even be released today.
Hopefully Warner brothers will release a 20th anniversary edition DVD with loads of extras as well as deleted scenes which were featured in the trailer.And with Prince's comeback in 2004 including his Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction, Grammy performance and tour,it would really be the year of Prince.