Purple Rain

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Lore & Background

Development on Purple Rain began in 1982, stemming from Prince's desire to star in a film: his manager, Robert Cavallo, commissioned Blinn to adapt plot points written by Prince into a screenplay. Magnoli was hired as director and changed several elements of Blinn's initial screenplay. Casting for Purple Rain was extensive, with studio executives attempting to replace Prince as the film's lead. Principal photography began in October 1983 and lasted until that December, with filming primarily taking place across Minneapolis. Production faced delays or schedule alterations due to a feud between Day and Prince.

In Their Own Story

The Kid is the talented but troubled frontman of his Minneapolis-based band The Revolution. To escape his abusive home life, The Kid spends his days rehearsing and nights performing at the First Avenue nightclub. The Revolution, the flashy Morris Day and his group the Time, and Dez Dickerson and his group the Modernaires hold the nightclub's three house band slots. Morris, aware that the Revolution's guitarist Wendy and keyboardist Lisa are frustrated that The Kid is unwilling to play their compositions, lobbies Billy Sparks, the club's owner, to replace The Revolution with a girl group which Morris is already forming. Morris targets The Kid's girlfriend Apollonia, an aspiring singer and new arrival to Minneapolis, to lead his group, and tries to persuade her that The Kid is too self-centered to help her. She eventually joins Morris's group, which Morris names Apollonia 6. When Apollonia reveals her newfound partnership to The Kid, he becomes furious and slaps her.

Reader's Guide

At the club, The Kid responds to the band's internal strife, the pressure to draw larger crowds, and his strained private life with the uncomfortably personal 'Darling Nikki'. His performance publicly humiliates Apollonia, who runs off in tears, and angers both Morris and Billy, worsening his situation. Billy confronts The Kid, castigating him for bringing his emotional baggage onto the stage, before warning him that he is wasting his musical talent as his father did. Apollonia 6 successfully debuts, and Billy warns The Kid that his First Avenue slot is at risk. The Kid seizes Apollonia from a drunken Morris, leading them to argue and fight; Apollonia then abandons him. Returning home, The Kid finds the house in tatters, with his mother nowhere to be found. His abusive father, who had been lurking in the basement with a loaded handgun, attempts suicide with a gunshot to his head. Frenzied after a night of torment, The Kid tears apart the basement to release his frustration, only to find a large box of his father's musical compositions. The next morning, The Kid picks up a cassette tape of one of Wendy and Lisa's compositions, a rhythm track named 'Slow Groove', and begins to compose.

Did You Know?

• The film's script was originally titled 'Dreams' and was much darker before director Albert Magnoli revised it.
• Studio executives asked if John Travolta could replace Prince as the film's lead during an early meeting with Warner Bros.
• The character Apollonia was originally written for Vanity, who left the group Vanity 6 before filming began.
• The song 'When Doves Cry' was written and fully produced by Prince in a single day after director Magnoli asked for one more song.
• The First Avenue nightclub was paid $100,000 for usage during filming and was closed for 25 days.

Origins and Production Challenges

After the success of his album 1999, Prince confronted his then-manager Robert Cavallo and told him he would not renew his contract with him unless he got to star in a studio film. Every studio they had met with rejected the premise of a musician-led film, leading Cavallo to produce the film himself. David Geffen and Richard Pryor were among those who passed on the film. Prince spent months writing down the basic plot points of the film. Impressed with his work on Fame, Cavallo commissioned William Blinn to write the script. Blinn's original script, titled Dreams, was much darker. Reckless director James Foley was offered to direct the film, but was not interested and instead passed it on to his editor Albert Magnoli, who disliked Blinn's script for lacking 'truth', and was then hired to direct and edit after delivering a pitch on the spot to Cavallo. Allegedly during the first meeting with Warner Bros., the studio executives asked Cavallo if John Travolta could replace Prince as the film's lead. Principal photography began on October 31, 1983, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spanned 42 days. According to Alan Leeds, several days of shooting were altered due to Day refusing to show up to set due to a rivalry with Prince.

Narrative Arc of The Kid

The film follows the turbulent life of 'The Kid,' a gifted but troubled musician fronting the band The Revolution in Minneapolis. To escape an abusive household, he immerses himself in music at First Avenue nightclub, where he competes with rival Morris Day and his group, The Time. Tensions escalate when Morris attempts to poach The Kid's girlfriend, Apollonia, for a new girl group called Apollonia 6, leading to a physical altercation between the lovers. Following a disastrous performance of 'Darling Nikki' that alienates the club owner and humiliates Apollonia, The Kid returns home to find his father attempting suicide. Discovering a box of his father's old compositions amidst the chaos, he finds redemption by composing new music based on a rhythm track written by his bandmates Wendy and Lisa.

Cinematic Climax and Resolution

The narrative reaches its emotional zenith during a pivotal performance at First Avenue. After being taunted by rival musicians, The Kid takes the stage to perform 'Purple Rain,' a song dedicated to his father and composed from the work of his female bandmates. Initially intending to flee the venue on his motorcycle immediately after the set, he is compelled to return upon realizing the profound impact the song has had on the audience. This moment marks a turning point where he reconciles with Apollonia and earns the respect of both his band and his rival Morris Day. The film concludes with a montage showing The Kid visiting his parents in the hospital and sorting through his father's musical legacy, accompanied by encores of 'I Would Die 4 U' and 'Baby I'm a Star,' symbolizing his healing and artistic triumph.

Critical Reception and Enduring Legacy

Purple Rain was theatrically released in the United States on July 27, 1984, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $70.3 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Prince's score and its soundtrack but criticism for its depiction of its female characters. The film won for Best Original Score at the 57th Academy Awards and its songs 'When Doves Cry', 'Let's Go Crazy', and 'Purple Rain' went platinum in the United States. Purple Rain, in 2019, was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

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