Happy 30th Anniversary Purple Rain

Today, 27^th June 2014 the phenomenal Purple Rain movie turns 30 years old. Although there's no official word of marking the celebration from Mr Nelson himself, fans worldwide are lapping up the purple rain fever today. Here is my personal reflection of the movie.

Thirty years ago I was an itty bitty 9 year old who knew of Prince through hits 1999 and Little Red Corvette but I wasn't a bona fide fan back then so the release of the Purple Rain movie was of no importance to me. It was almost a year later, when my older cousin came to our house with a VHS copy of the film, that I was introduced to the Purple world...and I wasn't all that impressed.

Mr Man - The Kid

Now remember I was only 10 years old... I don't think I sat and watched Purple Rain the whole way through that first time, playing with my little sister in between, grabbing refreshments for the adults and I most definitely remember being sent out of the room during the "love scene". I enjoyed the music in the film and I was impressed with Prince's dance moves, being a big fan of dance performances. However, my young self thought Prince 'The Kid' was a mean bully. He wouldn't let Wendy and Lisa play their music, he made Appolonia jump in the lake Minnetonka, slapped her for working with Morris then had the nerve to keep the beautiful white guitar she had bought for him after the break-up. Obviously I didn't understand the whole concept of love and relationships so I really wasn't feeling his character. For me, back then, the stars of Purple Rain were the female characters.

Jill Jones

I loved the sassiness of Wendy, strumming at the guitar, her badass frilly lingerie outfits and she cursed The Kid out. Lisa, cool, calm and sultry blowing her cigarette smoke from her pouty lips. Appolonia was the female lead and stunningly pretty but it was Jill Jones' pouty, doey eyed, witty waitress that I believed was the beauty in the film. With that big blonde hair... Jill was like an 80s Marilyn Monroe.

Sassy Wendy Melvoin

It wasn't until the age of 13, a very grown up 13, and an official Prince fan, that I sat and thoroughly watched Purple Rain, and I've probably watched it over a hundred times since. I fell in love with the Kid, understood his anger and the visionary is a perfect compliment to the fabulous soundtrack. Purple Rain tells a great story of hurting love, a dysfunctional family, ambition, drive, jealousy, competitiveness, friendship and the power of music. Thrown in the mix is some outlandish humour (Morris Day and Jerome Benton), dark/sarcastic humour (Prince, of course) humour, unforgettable show stomping performances and a vivid imagery of 80s Minneapolis that made me want to be there. It still does now thirty years later.

Jerome Benton (l) and Morris Day (r) - The Time

I know the whole script of the film now, as much as I know the lyrics and guitar licks of the soundtrack. I've seen non-Prince fans dig the movie, my kids love it and the older it gets, the more finer the view and powerful the concept. Critics and the media always refer to Purple Rain as the highlight of Prince's career, but Purple Rain, with all its grandeur, does not define Prince. He's a whole funking lot more with the big bag of chips with the dip. Purple Rain is just an insight to his brilliance, captured beautifully on screen. He's moved way on in his journey as a musician, performer, as a gentleman, it's kind of clear to see why he hasn't publicly dipped into the hysteria of the 30^th anniversary (as of yet). Purple Rain is a radiant Rock movie though and will continue to shine its Purple light on many generations to come.

"Don't get my seat all wet"

The "love scene" - Prince with Appolonia