Movies The message behind Purple Rain (movie)

mixmastermo said:
Soo what's the message here exactly?

The Kid is admired by a beautiful up and coming artist. He helps her get noticed.

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She asks what she needs to do to take things a step further, the Kid tells her she needs to purify herself in the waters of Lake Minetonka

She complies!

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He ends up ditching her in a super vulnerable moment for her, but then allows her to get her things and they leave together.

At some point, while the Kid is on stage, he once again embarasses her by playing Darling Nikki while she's in the audience (I KNOW RIGHT?)



While the Kid is off emotionally abusing this poor woman and telling the rest of The Revolution they have no say in what music gets played, the Kid is ALSO holding a deep resentment for his father for being abusive to his wife (the Kid's mom).

He's so protective of mom, he takes one for the team! (what a son)

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In the end, the Kid, in a moment where he loses control, hits Apollonia.



At some point he goes home, to find his father wracked in guilt playing some mediocre music. The father tells him that the Kid's talent comes form him, albeit diluted because dad never writes his music down (he doesn't have to)

The Kid leaves, dad kills himself.

Once the Kid decides he's going to try to work things out with dad, he finds him dead at home, and all of the music dad wrote down. (?)


The Kid, in a moment of clarity, realizes The Revolution can write good music after all, so he ends the film by appropriating the song and everyone lives happily ever after.



So if I understand this film correctly, it actually is ok to hit women and take credit for your bandmates' music. As long as you crush it on stage.

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the misogyny did not only NOT age well, it wasn't well thought of at the time.

The father didn't die in the movie, I've heard that Prince's original vision was even darker as a whole but they wisely decided to allow a profession screenwriter take his ideas and make them a bit more palatable.

As far as the music, the band wanted to contribute to Prince's music, it wasn't a case of him stealing or appropriating music, that's part of the message of the film the Kid becomes less self-centered. A lot of the film was biographical but not much of it. However, the part where Prince opened up more to contributions was fairly true. He always allowed his bandmates to contribute but on a very limited basis, on Purple Rain, there were songs like the title track, where he allowed them to come up with their own parts, and you can tell because some of the chords are countryish and Prince would never write stuff like that, the gospel stuff, sure he would but I think Matt Fink and Lisa (the keyboardists, came up with most of the keyboard parts on their own and that was very different than anything Prince had done before. Apparently, Wendy also altered Prince's original guitar part, ever so sublty but effectively.
If there was a message, it was forgiveness. It wasn't a particularly deep film though but the timing was perfect, the music was terrific and for the first time for many of us of that generation we were seeing real dysfunction that reflected our own homelives. I could definitely see myself in the home life scenes, having had the angry black stepdad and submissive white mother.
 
mixmastermo said:
So for what it's worth, as ridiculous as Prince's character is in that movie, I think it's not far off from who he was.

Here he is enjoying a tribute to George Harrison. He gets on stage in the middle of the performance and makes it about himself.



Here he is making fun of his fans for trying to sing along



At one point he just stops playing the song to talk about himself.
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the funny thing about the Harrison tribute is it really is a Rashomon type of thing, everyone sees something totally different, from how good or bad the solo was to how Prince 'made it all about himself" for everyone who says that, there is someone saying that wasn't the case, EVEN amongst his own bandmates and crew there is disagreement about that performance, Michael Bland (former Prince drummer) thought it was selfish of him to do that and to do it in front of George's son, Scottie Baldwin (Soundman and not someone swayed a bit by the Prince mystique) said that the way the finish product was presented, it did come across like he was trying to make it all about himself and steal the show, however, he also said that the real performance had more input from the other guitarists that was edited out, prince apparently traded solos with some of the others but we don't see or hear that, what we get is a long assed solo, but we don't realize that Petty told him to keep going, of course, the part where he falls into his bodyguards hands obviously looks self aggrandizing. Everyone saw it differently, I just saw a performance that had my jaw hit the floor, I didn't think about any of the other stuff until other people suggested it.
 
llperez22 said:
yeah the movie wouldnt make it if it was made today with the chauvinistic female abuse stuff. But other then that, the movie was about a guy who had his own demons and was trying to make it past his rival and get his act together. By the end he appears to have done just that. The movie is nothing special but I do really enjoy the "purple rain" performance at the end. Sometimes when Im drunk Ill pull that scene up on youtube.
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I think Prince actually had himself commiting suicide in his personal version, they did the right thing getting a hollywood screenwriter to soften that shit up. Prince was into some dark shit in those days, even some rumored devil worship, the toying with gender wasn't dark but it was pretty ahead of it's time for a star of that magnitude. The era was androgynous but Prince was really taking it all as far as he could.
 
Thrawn33 said:
I don't doubt that. Never fully appreciated his genius until I was older, shame, I would've love to see him live.
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I got to see him twice and that really wasn't enough now that he's gone. I love springsteen as much or more and only got to see him once.
 
mozfonky said:
the funny thing about the Harrison tribute is it really is a Rashomon type of thing, everyone sees something totally different, from how good or bad the solo was to how Prince 'made it all about himself" for everyone who says that, there is someone saying that wasn't the case, EVEN amongst his own bandmates and crew there is disagreement about that performance, Michael Bland (former Prince drummer) thought it was selfish of him to do that and to do it in front of George's son, Scottie Baldwin (Soundman and not someone swayed a bit by the Prince mystique) said that the way the finish product was presented, it did come across like he was trying to make it all about himself and steal the show, however, he also said that the real performance had more input from the other guitarists that was edited out, prince apparently traded solos with some of the others but we don't see or hear that, what we get is a long assed solo, but we don't realize that Petty told him to keep going, of course, the part where he falls into his bodyguards hands obviously looks self aggrandizing. Everyone saw it differently, I just saw a performance that had my jaw hit the floor, I didn't think about any of the other stuff until other people suggested it.
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Here's another take:

He LOVED George Harrison

But not like he loved his guitar

 
I used to go to the Village Underground in Manhattan. A few years back they had a weekly even every Friday and Saturday night where they had the house band play covers of a mix of music- rock, rap, pop, all kinds of stuff. They were really good! Every single time I went there I had a good time. There was a rotation of band members on some nights and they even had people from the audience contribute at times. One of the singers even ended up on The Voice on NBC (she didn't win tho).

The place got so popular at a point in time that Prince would start randomly showing up there- either in the crowd to hang out or sometimes he would get on stage himself to play. They even started advertising that if you go to this club you might catch Prince.

Those times passed and the club still exists... as a comedy club. There is no music anymore.

WTF NY
 
mixmastermo said:
Here's another take:

He LOVED George Harrison

But not like he loved his guitar

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my take, upon reflection was, you ask a great musician to give tribute to another, now, do you want him being somber, respectful, reserved or do you want everything that guy has, that's my overall take although I could see the stage antics being criticized. Prince also claimed he'd never heard the song before rehearsals, which was pure Prince and his ego. How could you not hear that song or Hendrix, who he claimed in the early 80's to not know his music. Prince was flawed, in fact, it was only after he died that the good stories came out. It's almost the opposite with everyone else, the good side is shown in life and the bad shit comes out after death, with Prince, the good shit came out after and the bad shit came out in life. Prince went above and beyond for his family, his employees and his friends, financially and support wise. Most of them realized what we do today, that he was an asshole in a lot of ways but they still loved him and realized the good in him. Most of them anyways, some of them still hate the guy, most of them don't say too much publicly because they know they'd get vilified.
 
mozfonky said:
my take, upon reflection was, you ask a great musician to give tribute to another, now, do you want him being somber, respectful, reserved or do you want everything that guy has, that's my overall take although I could see the stage antics being criticized. Prince also claimed he'd never heard the song before rehearsals, which was pure Prince and his ego. How could you not hear that song or Hendrix, who he claimed in the early 80's to not know his music. Prince was flawed, in fact, it was only after he died that the good stories came out. It's almost the opposite with everyone else, the good side is shown in life and the bad shit comes out after death, with Prince, the good shit came out after and the bad shit came out in life. Prince went above and beyond for his family, his employees and his friends, financially and support wise. Most of them realized what we do today, that he was an asshole in a lot of ways but they still loved him and realized the good in him. Most of them anyways, some of them still hate the guy, most of them don't say too much publicly because they know they'd get vilified.
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Alright dude, I get that you're a fan. You don't have to defend him. I thought I made it pretty obvious I am also a fan, and even some of the people who responded in his thread admitted he was a great musician after criticizing his actions.

This is what I was getting at in the post you quoted

Guitar - lyrics

[Intro]
(Oh Yeah)
Yeah
Uh uh

[Verse 1]
Getting dirty at the club again
I'm usually 'round your waist like a chain but then
I got that call
So I jumped in my car

[Chorus]
I love you, baby
But not like I love my guitar
Uh huh
Not like I love my guitar
No

[Verse 2]
You couldn't do it all by yourself
You had to go and get somebody else
You're high enough to call me
But you can't reach the bar

[Chorus]
I love you, baby
But not like I love my guitar
No
Not like I love my guitar

https://genius.com/Prince-and-the-revolution-purple-rain-lyrics
[Ad lib]
Oh, listen, turn it up
Uh uh, yeah, now dig

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
I tried to warn you that it's hard to be a star
Especially when you're driving other people's car
I would have gave you mine, girl
But you took it too far

[Chorus]
I love you, baby, huh
But just not like I love my guitar - whoo, uh uh
Not like I love my guitar
Oh
Click to expand...
 
mixmastermo said:
Alright dude, I get that you're a fan. You don't have to defend him. I thought I made it pretty obvious I am also a fan, and even some of the people who responded in his thread admitted he was a great musician after criticizing his actions.

This is what I was getting at in the post you quoted

Guitar - lyrics
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no, I'm not "defending" him, I won't disagree with people who say he was a punk for doing what he did, not at all. People will always find something to criticize though, that's just human nature. I'm hardly a blind fan, I didn't even really like Prince the person that much during his life because of all the stories I'd read and heard. Dude was a straight up punk to his employees, friends and family. Perspective changes with death, always does, but it's more dramatic with Prince because all the good stories that came out after.

Elvis or Bruce Lee or MJ have had some real scandals hit them post-death and it's just odd that it's the opposite with Prince.
 
Shonuffbrad said:
Best concert I’ve ever been to .
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the lovesexy concert in 88 was the best i've ever been to, although, stevie wonder and terence trent d'arby outsang him, they didn't put on as great a show. Incidentally, he had such an elaborate stage settup he lost money.
 
mozfonky said:
the lovesexy concert in 88 was the best i've ever been to, although, stevie wonder and terence trent d'arby outsang him, they didn't put on as great a show. Incidentally, he had such an elaborate stage settup he lost money.
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I saw him on the musicology tour. Went with a girl I was dating and wasn’t expecting much. He blew my damn mind. I think it was the following year when he played the sbhts, and blew everyone’s minds.
 
Shonuffbrad said:
I saw him on the musicology tour. Went with a girl I was dating and wasn’t expecting much. He blew my damn mind. I think it was the following year when he played the sbhts, and blew everyone’s minds.
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i saw the musicology tour too, those two were the only ones. I had a couple other real opportunities to see him but I was getting older and I didn't have as much patience for his antics. For lovesexy, i couldn't bring in my walkman, had to hide it in some bushes. In 2011 i had the chance to see him again and didn't go, as it turned out, he got pissy with some fans recording him on their phones or fans running under the stage, (i heard both stories) and he walked off early, after about an hour. Those sorts of antics were wearing very thin on me as a fan. It's not easy being a fan of Springsteen either, he's a greedy mofo. I couldn't even get scalped tickets for 100 the last time, his regular tickets went into the thousands, that's absolute horshit.
 
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