If you’re still reeling from the sudden death of music icon Prince at the age of 57, Warner has made three of his banner vanity films available for collectors. While the discs are compiled together in a very slim and deluxe boxed set, Warner also makes a lot of bells and whistles available to Prince fans, including a treasury of his music videos from “Purple Rain” and his other films. Even if you’re a Prince fan you have to admit that collecting his trio of films is purely approached from a fan standpoint. Critics and fans alike consider “Purple Rain” is absolute master work that fueled his popularity even more, while “Graffiti Bridge” and “Under the Cherry Moon” were critically derided flops that didn’t make an impact at all. Regardless you have to appreciate the inherent ambition behind Prince’s cinematic efforts.
They’re purely vehicles to help polish his ego, and like every other musician, he has a clear love for himself and creates the latter two films as a means of displaying his talent and charisma on-screen. Prince takes his character “The Kid” in to further adventures beyond the eighties and they just don’t have the impact as “Purple Rain.” Released in 1984, “Purple Rain” is arguably the quintessential eighties movie starring Prince and it’s a fine movie. It’s not a great movie, or even a masterpiece, but it’s definitely a fine one where Prince plays the flawed anti-hero “The Kid.” He’s a genius guitarist and musician who is struggling with rising fame and internal band problems with his group “The Revolution.” As “The Kid” lets his ego get the best of him and begins alienating his band mates, he has to deal with an abusive home life. This involves his father and mother constantly at war with one another which creates misery for “The Kid.”
Not only does he find himself acting like his father but he begins resolving his problems with violence which creates a definite conflict with girlfriend Apollonia, a new arrival in Minneapolis seeking her musical start. “Purple Rain” is a definite charmer of an eighties musical drama filled with great music and an antagonist who often feels like he’s trying to out do Prince in over the top outfits and quirks. There’s even an odd injection of comedy as Morris Day and sidekick Jerome off a take on the “Who’s on First?” skit arguing over a secret password. As Morris works behind the scenes to dismantle The Revolution and put himself front and center, The Kid has to overcome his demons and salvage what career he has. Prince definitely has a great presence in “Purple Rain” offering a flawed by interesting protagonist we want to see redeemed by the time the film closes. It also has an incredible soundtrack, to boot. “Under the Cherry Moon” from 1986 is Prince’s directorial debut and yet another musical drama in which Prince plays Christopher Tracy, an “irresistible” gigolo who swindles women out of their money with his brother Tricky.
When they both plan to swindle heiress Mary Sharon out of her fortune, Christopher begins falling for her, and the pair begin competing for her love. Much like “Purple Rain” the soundtrack to this follow up is much more superior to the film itself, but Prince tailors his directorial debut to mainly his hardcore fan base, rather than the broader audiences. That is essentially where “Under the Cherry Moon” falters as the former film at least had a wider appeal, despite being a semi-autobiographical vanity film for the singer. Prince enters the nineties in “Graffiti Bridge,” the 1990 follow up to “Purple Rain” sees “The Kid” owning the original night club he and his group played in. Meanwhile rival Morris Day who owns a competing night club desires to own all of the others in the city. With “The Kid” now alone and left to his own grief he channels in to music, Morris begins trying to take the club away from him.
As they’re swayed by an angel named Aura, the two battle it out for control of the city’s club scene. Despite continuing the story of “The Kid,” much like “Staying Live” to “Saturday Night Fever,” the character is not really meant for further exploits beyond his one film. Prince attempts to stretch out his story with lackluster results, ending up with a film that was included on a ton of “Worst of” lists of that year. I’ve read that Warner were planning to release a box set for Prince’s films either way, but upon his death rushed out this release. Aside from “Purple Rain,” the last two movies are a bust, but it’s a neat set if you love Prince and want to keep his cinematic efforts as a way of honoring his charisma and incredible talent.
Featured in the Blu-Ray three Disc Set is a commentary for “Purple Rain” with Albert Magnoli, Robert Cavallo, and the late, great Donald E. Thorin. There’s “First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty” in which musicians and Minneapolis locals discuss the history of the actual First Avenue nightclub, and how it affected their careers, and the music scene in general. There’s “Purple Rain: Backstage Pass,” a behind the scenes featurette which explores the making of “Purple Rain.” Here they discuss the difficulty making the film, and how hard it was to convince producers of its potential to be a success. There’s the 1984 premiere party for “Purple Rain,” and finally a slew of music videos from Prince. Included are “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Take Me with You,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die for You/Baby I’m a Star,” “Purple Rain,” “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” and “Sex Shooter.”