Prince: Purple Rain - 20th Anniversary Special Edition (2004) 2xDVD

How can a movie with atrociously bad acting, a wafer thin script and haphazard direction be released as a Two Disc Special Edition DVD? Well, for all its flaws, and there are many, Purple Rain is a gloriously entertaining film and one of the films that personifies the "me" decade that was the 1980s. Ninety-eighty four was supposed to be the ominous year of Orwell and big brother, but instead, 1984 was ruled by the Purple Prince. In 1984, Prince managed to have the number one album, number one single and number one film at the same time, something that only the Beatles and Elvis Presley had accomplished before him. Prince was the king in 1984 and this movie is what propelled him to the heights of superstardom.
Purple Rain is the story of the Kid (Prince), a Minneapolis musician who fronts the rock group the Revolution (keyboard players Lisa Coleman and Matt “Doctor Fink, bassist Mark “Brownmark” Brown, drummer Robert Zajonic and guitartist Wendy Melvoin) one the house bands at the First Avenue Club and Seventh Street Entry. The crowds at the club are not really fans of the Revolution and the band itself is falling apart due to infeuding, mainly between the Kid and the women of the band who want to write and perform their own songs. But the Kid has no interest in material other than his own. The Revolution's internal fighting is not helped by the popularity of the rival house band The Time, fronted by Morris Day (himself) and percussionist Jerome Benton (himself). Rivalries reach breaking point when Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero) arrives in town and catches the interest of both the Kid and Morris. Apollonia is interested in the Kid, but Morris can offer her a start in the music business. The Kids jealousy abounds when Apollonia joins Morris’s all girl group, Apollonia 6. The Kid’s situation isn’t much better at home, with his parents constant abusive fighting and then heartwarming reconciling creating a spin cycle on the Kid’s mind. With his would be girlfriend working for his rival, his parents fighting, his band falling apart and the owner of the First Avenue Club threatening to cancel the Revolution’s slot at the club, the Kid is in major trouble. Will everything work out in the end?
Purple Rain is a flawed film, but every flaw cannot diminish the fact that Purple Rain is a great film. No really, it’s a great film! Prince has said that the whole Purple Rain situation was a time period and he’s right; if Purple Rain had been released in say 1987, it may not have been as successful. MTV began in 1981 and by 1984, the music video was just becoming a bona-fide art form and artists were becoming known for their style rather than their music. Purple Rain was released at the perfect time when music videos were just becoming a major part of popular culture. Purple Rain fuses a superb soundtrack, an immensly talented (with an ego to match) musical star with a groundbreaking visual style to make a gloriously entertaining 'rock musical' that is unrivalled in it's success.

Tracklist:
DVD1
01. Let's Go Crazy; Nightlife. [8:13]
02. Jungle Love. [2:46]
03. Crazy… at Home. [1:03]
04. Search for Sexy-But-Not-Dirty. [4:04]
05. Take Me With U. [2:54]
06. Wrong Lake. [4:39]
07. The Password. [1:26]
08. Modernaire; Still a Group? [3:25]
09. Morris on the Make. [3:49]
10. The Beautiful Ones. [5:20]
11. Who's the Lucky Girl? [6:27]
12. Gettin' Off It. [1:22]
13. Wanna Be a Star? [1:39]
14. The Matter With This House… [2:59]
15. …Across the Generations. [2:40]
16. When Doves Cry. [4:17]
17. Never Get Married. [3:16]
18. Computer Blue. [4:26]
19. Darling Nikki. [2:38]
20. Like Father, Like Son. [1:22]
21. Sex Shooter. [:34]
22. Ride of Rage. [2:58]
23. Breaking Point. [4:15]
24. The Day After; The Bird. [4:16]
25. Purple Rain. [6:24]
26. I Would Die 4 U. [8:52]
27. Baby I'm a Star. [4:59]
28. End Credits. [4:21]
Extra:
- Commentary by Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo and Director of Photography Donald E. Thorin
- Prince: The Trailers

DVD2
- First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty
- Purple Rain: Backstage Pass
- Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain
- MTV Premiere Party
- The Videos:
01. "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince
02. "Take Me With U" by Prince
03. "When Doves Cry" by Prince
04. "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm a Star" by Prince
05. "Purple Rain" by Prince
06. "Jungle Love" by the Time
07. "The Bird" by the Time
08. "Sex Shooter" by Apollonia 6


Features:
- Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu