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IMDbPro

Purple Rain

  • 19841984
  • RR
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
Trailer
Play trailer0:16
2 Videos
73 Photos
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Romance
A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Albert Magnoli
  • Writers
    • Albert Magnoli
    • William Blinn
  • Stars
    • Prince
    • Apollonia Kotero
    • Morris Day
Top credits
  • Director
    • Albert Magnoli
  • Writers
    • Albert Magnoli
    • William Blinn
  • Stars
    • Prince
    • Apollonia Kotero
    • Morris Day
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 7 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos2

    Purple Rain: Special Edition
    Trailer 0:16
    Purple Rain: Special Edition
    Does "Mayans M.C." Creator Kurt Sutter Know His Movie Bikes?
    Video 1:57
    Does "Mayans M.C." Creator Kurt Sutter Know His Movie Bikes?

    Photos73

    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Costume design by Marie France
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero at an event for Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero at an event for Purple Rain (1984)
    15 x 21 Mini Movie Poster
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Prince
    Prince
    • The Kid
    Apollonia Kotero
    Apollonia Kotero
    • Apollonia
    Morris Day
    Morris Day
    • Morris
    Olga Karlatos
    • Mother
    Clarence Williams III
    Clarence Williams III
    • Father
    Jerome Benton
    Jerome Benton
    • Jerome
    Billy Sparks
    • Billy
    Jill Jones
    • Jill
    Charles Huntsberry
    • Chick
    Dez Dickerson
    • Dez
    Brenda Bennett
    • Brenda
    Susan Moonsie
    • Susan
    • (as Susan)
    Sandra Claire Gershman
    • Beautiful Babe
    Kim Upsher
    • Kim
    Alan Leeds
    Alan Leeds
    • Stage Hand
    Israel Gordon
    • Taste M.C.
    Gil Jacobson
    • Cop in Basement
    Joseph A. Ferraro
    • First Avenue M.C.
    • Director
      • Albert Magnoli
    • Writers
      • Albert Magnoli
      • William Blinn
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A few days before the premiere, Prince had a nightmare that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert despised the film, with Ebert ripping the film apart. He said, "I dreamed those two guys on the TV were reviewing the movie and that fat guy was tearing me up!" Siskel and Ebert both loved the film in their reviews.
    • Goofs
      When Jerome and Morris are walking around the block, discussing the problems with the girls' group, Morris says "That Apollonia babe we saw last night," and his lips don't move in sync with the dialogue. He's actually mouthing "Vanity" instead of "Apollonia", indicating that the scene was filmed before Vanity backed out of the shoot.
    • Quotes

      Apollonia: Will you help me?

      The Kid: No.

      Apollonia: Pardon me?

      The Kid: Nope... Wanna know why?

      Apollonia: Nope.

      The Kid: Because you wouldn't pass the initiation.

      Apollonia: What initiation?

      The Kid: Well, for starters, you have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

      Apollonia: What?

      The Kid: You have to purify yourself in Lake Minnetonka.

      [She strips down, and runs towards the lake]

      The Kid: Hey! Wait a minute! That's...

      [She jumps in. She gets out shivering]

      The Kid: Uh, hold it...

      Apollonia: What?

      The Kid: That ain't Lake Minnetonka.

    • Crazy credits
      "May u live 2 see the dawn"
    • Alternate versions
      Network TV versions omit the song "Baby, I'm a Star", and simply have it playing over the end credits.
    • Connections
      Edited into Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Let's Go Crazy
      Words and Music by Prince

      Performed by Prince and The Revolution

      © 1984 Controversy Music

    User reviews137

    Review
    Top review
    Eau-de-Eighties!
    It's no use. Arguments about the potato-chip thin script, the haphazard direction and some of the most laughable non-acting ever photographed for a film, will prove ineffectual. Such conditions have existed in the realm of film vehicles for music stars since the genre began, (with some mind-boggling examples of the worst of the lot offered by every star from Elvis, to Frankie Avalon, to Vanilla Ice.) What you watch these movies for is not the deep plots, solid writing or impeccable direction. It's for those moments of electricity that leap off the screen, strike you right in the butt and have you dancing in your theater seat, as the magic of a performer at his or her peak, in their heyday, turns a few minutes of film into a literal celebration of life.

    Such is the case with PURPLE RAIN, the one film that, as far as I'm concerned, effectively captured the raw essence of the good ol' "ME" Decade.

    In a thinly-disguised version of the events that shaped his career and his life, The Purple One starred as a brilliant songwriter and musician simply known in Minnesota music circles as "The Kid." There are three distinct storylines, all of which have been around since Mickey and Judy put on shows for the neighborhood. One documents the intensive rivalry existing between Prince's band and the Time, fronted by the charismatic poseur and self-described "Lay-deez Man" Morris Day, (who in a satirical and self-effacing performance, manages to effectively steal every scene he is in.) The battle is waged nightly at Minneapolis' legendary First Avenue Club, (where Prince really did get his start with other leading lights like Andre Cymone, Jesse Johnson and Morris).

    In the second, the two frontmen battle even harder for the affections of new-girl-in-town Appolonia (Appolonia Kotero, in her debut, and biggest screen role to date.)

    The third reflects "The Kid's" struggle with his inner demons and the source of his problems dealing with his career and his personal relationships: the volatile, strained marriage between his equally brilliant but tragically broken father, Francis L. (Clarence Williams III) and headstrong mother (Olga Karlatos). The scenes between the three of them have provoked uncontrollable snickers with their over-the-top hystrionics, but those few moments they work, they do carry an undeniable power, and a window into "The Kid's" tortured psyche that fans were only privy to before through the music.

    And ultimately, that is what PURPLE RAIN is all about: the power of music to transcend, transform and uplift everything it touches for good or for ill, though good is ultimately the strongest influence it exudes. Prince's chart-topping, Oscar winning song score found The Artist at his dazzling best, and director Magnoli made a wise call including as much scintillating concert footage as possible.

    The Battle of the Bands sequences are wondrous to behold, with both The Revolution and The Time at their tightest, loosest and funkiest all at once. Even the vocally-deficient, amply-augmented Appolonia 6 (formerly Vanity 6) sparkles.

    The remaining cast all do the best they can with what moments they're given, the standouts besides Williams III and Karlatos being the hysterical rapport between Day and Time mascot Jerome Benton, and some refreshingly confrontational moments between "The Kid" and former bandmates Wendy and Lisa, which threaten at times to edge into the territory of cinema verite, rather than just popcorn-driven melodrama.

    But capturing one of the decade's defining cultural touchstones is the true purpose of PURPLE RAIN, and to this day, you can talk to people who can still remember where they were and what day and time it was the first time they heard "When Doves Cry." With "1999" running a close second, this was Prince's masterwork, and even though he still produces material with flashes of profane, profound, funk-fueled brilliance, he still has yet to top the creative bar he raised for himself and everybody else back in 1984.
    helpful•79
    17
    • cchase
    • Dec 18, 2000

    FAQ1

    • What did Prince pick up at the end and why did he throw it to Appolonia?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 27, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 紫雨
    • Filming locations
      • First Avenue Club - 29 N. 7th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Purple Films
      • Water
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $70,261,052
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,766,201
      • Jul 29, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $70,263,155
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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