(source: barthel)
Finally saw Purple Rain (I know, LATE). But man, CUTS DEEP.
The dialogue is severely disconnected (both sound and coherence-wise) but trudges through cliches in almost dream-like fashion. In the back of your mind, it will put itself together.
Every shot seems instantly iconic, visionary in the sense that it seemed tailored for .gifs.
Morris Day and the time are the bad guys! (apparently in the script they beat the shit out of each other, would have been into one or two gang warfare type scenes, even though there’s already enough at stake by the film’s “up from the muck” ending)
Had to close the blinds so no one in the parking lot would mistake it for porn. This movie is SEXUAL. Even when there’s no fucking there’s fucking. Is that a guitar? Not in Prince’s hands. Is that a speaker? Not when Prince is on top of it. Is that an audience? PRETEND YOU’RE SEEING GALLAGHER.
Poor Appolonia, turbulent male history is basically written on her body.
I.e. was not expecting the brutal cycle of domestic violence narrative. My original conception of Prince’s redefinition of masculinity primarily revolved around him doing a straight Liberace schtick, a pre-Lil B “I’m so not a fag I can call myself a fag” bit, thus making Prince and the Revolution the real Bitch Mob vol. 1. This takes it to a whole other level, though. It’s where the faltering dialogue makes way for blaring subtext (this whole movie is subtext, so forget the dialogue anyways), particularly the scenes where Prince lands blows or comes close to before stopping himself from doing so on Appolonia.
Given the sheer force of iconography this movie tries to will on the audience, there’s a sense that he’s working it out for males (and indirectly, females) in general. This is not just a goofy 80’s musical, it’s as dark as anything from that era could be (a sign o the times, if you will). I imagine this was an awkward fucking date movie, with the bi-polar sexual and violent extremities, but even in the haphazard dream-logic of its quilted imagery there’s a Drive-like vividness to the surprise roughness that comes off like Prince reaching his hand out to audience (or shaking them), saying “DON’T LET THIS BE YOUR LEGACY.” The “I’ll never beat you” line in I Will Die 4 U becomes so much weightier and consequential in that regard.
The finale’s ceding of the spotlight (kind of) to Wendy and Lisa’s composition (even though it’s Prince’s IRL) also upends the dictatorial male musical supremacy pushed in the film’s first half, giving a “WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER, BB’S” vibe to the whole thing, as does the “happier” ending where Prince kisses his father and mother’s foreheads in the hospital.
Spoiler: though the original “darker” script had his father successfully committing suicide and taking his mother with him in the process, there’s something about his surviving that constitutes yet another aspect of failure in his life (musical, occupational, marital), and living also means having to deal with it. #LIFESUPPORT
So much crying in this movie. So much GOOD crying in this movie.
Something about Rihanna’s new video.
Bummed Wendy and Lisa’s kiss ended up on the cutting room floor.
Tempted to revisit Batman.
What if Prince had fronted one of the Big 4?
Must find this Roseanne episode.
That is all.
