In 1980s MTV and new medium of music video allowed Hollywood and American music industry to create very powerful and mutually beneficial convergence, even more so when having great talent at their disposal. One of such talents was Prince, arguably the most iconic rock musician of its time. In 1984 with Purple Rain he became the first artist to have song at top of US Singles Chart, album at top of Bilboard 200 and semi-autobiographical film at the top of US box-office, all three at the same time.
In the film, which represented his acting debut, Prince played the protagonist who was himself in all but a name. Purple Rain begins with “The Kid” as already established name on the music scene in his home city of Minneapolis, where he and his band Revolution represent one of the main attraction in popular First Avenue night club and gather huge following. Success at stage, however, can’t compensate for troubles in private life, caused mainly by his father (played by Clarence Williams III), failed musician who turned to alcoholism and started to abuse protagonist’s mother (played by Olga Karlatos). “The Kid” found found escape for that in music, which gradually made him arrogant and detached from other people, even his band members like Wendy and Lisa (played by themselves) whose song he refuses to play. Things begin to change when he meets Apollonia Kotero (played by herself), aspiring and attractive singer who sees “the Kid” and First Venue as a way to advance her own career. Her ambitions are recognised by protagonist’s main rival Morris (played by Morris Day) who hires her as a lead singer in his own girl group, which puts serious dent in her relationship with “the Kid”.
This film represented feature directing debut for Albert Magnoli, young film maker who would later work on Prince’s music videos and become his manager. His lack of experience didn’t hurt the film, just like lack of acting experience of almost anyone else (Kotero, Williams and Karlatos were only professional actors in the cast) didn’t matter much because almost all members played themselves, with all of them being accomplished stage performers. Magnoli wisely puts less emphasis on dramatic scenes and more on energetic music numbers in which Prince delivers powerful performances and which make Purple Rain function as a concert film. Prince is adequate in his role, while Morris Day leaves good impression as combination of villain and comic relief. Apollonia Kotero, who was cast as replacement for Prince’s former girlfriend Vanity (and, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t romantically involved with Prince in real life) is also good in her role, although her appearance will probably be better remembered for provocative clothes than for particularly impressive display of acting ability. In the end, it was music that mattered the most and Purple Rain skilfully presented the talent of an artist as peak of his career. Even those who might find Prince’s appearance, mannerisms or eccentricities annoying would probably appreciate this film for giving good insight into one of the more interesting moments in the history of popular culture. Some of Prince’s fans, on the other hand, might see this film with some sadness, knowing that it was Prince’s peak after which his career would begin inevitable downward trajectory.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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