Prince Movie Collection

The artist formerly known as Symbol, formerly known as Prince, and finally, once again, known as Prince was a great singer, songwriter, showman, and musician. As an actor he was no great shakes, but so what? Watching the three feature films that comprise the "Prince Movie Collection" is less an exercise in cinema than in style.

The first of these films, "Purple Rain" (1984), is also the best -- not for the thin narrative upon which its glorious set list hangs, but for the sheer drive and dynamism of the filmed music performances. Elements of Prince's own life were, supposedly, used to construct the plot, which has to do with romantic competition for a girl called Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), a rough home life dominated by an abusive father (Clarence Williams III), and rival bands. It's The Revolution, fronted by The Kid -- Prince's character -- versus The Time, fronted by Morris, who is played by Morris Day. Both bands were real, and the venues specified in the film, First Avenue and 7th St. Entry, remains a cultural hub in the music world. But here's bit of legerdemain: The Time was a side project of Prince's. It makes sense: If you're going to make a film in which Prince is challenged, musically, by a rival artist, then you need top-grade stuff all around. You probably need Prince to pen all the songs you're going to include.

Creating the songs wasn't a problem from the prolific composer and multi-instrument playing showman. We learn in the special features that Prince had written 100 songs for the film before a frame of it was shot. We also learn that "When Doves Cry" and the title track were not among them -- Prince composed those classics while the film was in production (and the latter was a song he allowed his band to help shape).

The most amusing aspect of "Purple Rain," aside from the musical performances, is the comedy duo comprised of Day and Jerome Benton. The two pull of a James Brown/Bobby Byrd dynamic that includes a dash of Laurel and Hardy.

The extras featured on the "Purple Rain" Blu-ray are arguably better than the movie. The film's production is a fascinating story, and the interviews -- ported over from the 2004 DVD release of the film -- include input from the members of The Time and The Revolution, as well as director / co-writer Albert Magnoli and various others. (The other screenwriter on the project was William Blinn.) In addition to an audio commentary there's a trio of featureless ("First Avenue: The road to Pop Royalty," "Purple Rain: Backstage Pass," and "Riffs, Ruffles, and A Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain"), a slate of eight music videos, and a half hour MTV program covering the film's 1984 premiere.

The film itself has been remastered for this Blu-ray release, and it looks and sounds fantastic.

The other two movies also look and sound great, though they are similarly second (or even third)-rate as films. After 1984's "Purple Rain" came 1990's de facto sequel, "Graffiti Bridge," which looks and feels like a dream, having been filmed mostly on interior stage sets and dealing with fantastical subject matter like a muse evidently sent from heaven to prevent The Kid -- now half-owner of his own establishment -- from being run out of business by the greedy Morris. The angel is called Aura, and she's played by Ingrid Chavez; there's no mention of Apollonia, though the film does reference The Kid's now-deceased father and, curiously, a club owner character from "Purple Rain" called Jimmy. As with the first film, The Kid and Morris spar not only over bragging rights as to who offers the best music, but also over who is going to win the heart of the beautiful girl. Jerome Benton is back as Morris' right-hand man, and their comic spark remains intact.

The third movie in the set falls chronologically in the middle. Released in 1986, "Under the Cherry Moon" stars Prince and Benton as Christopher and Tricky, a couple of American gigolos living in Nice, where Christopher plays piano at a classy restaurant and picks up lonely, well-heeled women. When a wealthy young debutante named Mary enters the picture, the two hatch a plan to secure a share of the $50 million she has coming to her. Of course, if you've ever seen a movie of this sort, you know what's coming: Both Prince and Tricky fall in love with Mary, and though Mary is obviously meant to choose Christopher in the end, her thuggish father Isaac (Steven Berkoff) does everything in his power to ensure that his daughter will never end up with him.

This film offers a slick back and white retro style, and looks like a screwball comedy from the 1930s (though it's set in the 1980s). Prince is the credited director, but he's obviously gotten a lot of guidance from uncredited co-director Michael Ballhaus, because the camerawork and filmic composition are far more assured than the Prince-written and -directed "Graffiti Bridge." Becky Johnston provides the screenplay here, and she's obviously having fun playing with romantic and comedy tropes from classic films. "Under the Cherry Moon" also boasts Kristen Scott Thomas as Mary, with Thomas starring in her first full-length feature film.

Neither "Graffiti Bridge" nor "Under the Cherry Moon" have any special features (unless you want to count their theatrical trailers), but both have their Blu-ray debuts in this set, and while neither can be considered a classic by any means they each have their own culty, campy charms. "Graffiti Bridge," like "Purple Rain," has a slew of electrifying musical performances, while "Under the Cherry Moon" has a certain nostalgic charm. In all three cases, Prince provides the magnetic anchor. Though he wasn't a great actor, he was an unparalleled performer, and his charisma carries him through his acting roles. He's fun to watch whether he's showing of this mastery as a singer and guitarist, or doing his amiable best as a thespian.

"Prince Movie Collection"
Blu-ray
$24.98
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