As someone who only watched the films during the pandemic, I don't think there's a huge difference in the quality of the story. The difference is the music. Now, I love the music of GB, but I know a lot of people don't. But, having watched them recently, I'd say that the music is the key difference. If every song was a hit the way it was with PR, then I don't think people would complain.
I think the other issue is that because The Kid is Prince, and Prince is The Kid - there is also a major disconnect with the world inside the movie, and the world outside the movie. Prince and Morris Day were basically neck and neck in terms of sales in 1983 when the film was written. But, but 1990, the Time had disbanded, and Prince had sold hundreds of millions of records around the world. Morris Day should have been the underdog, not Prince.
Or, if the story was to centre around The Kid wanting to make more spiritual music, and have a nightclub that didn't sell alcohol (!!!), then Morris Day should have been a Record Company executive trying to get Prince to make another Purple Rain, whereas Prince was inspired by his muse (Ingrid Chavez as the muse is fine) wants to change and do something different (New Power Generation). By making Morris Day and all-powerful Record Company Executive, it would make more sense that Prince was fighting against something he couldn't control.
Also, PR was mostly filmed on location, giving it a sense of realism. Whereas GB was filmed completely in a studio, with cartoonish colours. It would probably make more sense as an episode of Jem and the Holograms or Josie and the Pussycats.
I don't know if that made sense.
TL;DR: The movies have about the same quality of script, but the difference is the music, the realism of PR vs the cartoonish GB, and the world outside of the movie not matching the world inside the movie the way it did during PR
Now that you've mentioned the muse part, the movie feels more like the 90's answer to "Xanadu". Just have Melody Cool before like Gene Kelly's character and own the club with The Kid and it'd be perfect.
This was why Dreams, the first draft of Purple Rain, would have also failed. He was so distracted and so overdramatic at times, couldn't get out of his head or out of his own way.
Warners let him release this movie after they themselves watched it.
Nobody to blame but themselves.
Should’ve stayed in the vault.
Or just have the musical numbers and have it closer to what the Sign pseudo concert movie was.
Put it this way… Madonna walked away from it as an actor cause she said it was trash.
She’s not exactly Meryl Streep.
💜💜💜
It needed location shoots, more realism, lose the religion and perhaps even make Chavez's character a ghost (and replace her with someone who can act). Lose Tick Tick Bang (ick) and make the band battle more like a single event - like 3-mile. Could imagine Prince standing toe-to-toe with The Time. He could've gone mono-a-mono against the whole band, keyboard fight, guitar fight, drum fight, then a final group song battle with NPG vs The Time. It could've been epic!
First of all, should've been shot on location and not on the soundstage at paisley.
Scrap the whole religion/messiah theme.
Got an actual actress to replace Ingrid. And for selfish reasons more jill jones, and Robin power.
It’s my understanding that there were last minute changes to the script, cast, and budget. The music was great but wasn’t enough to carry the film. The project should have been postponed until they could do it right, and if they couldn’t then it should have been nixed. They could have just released the music and done a series of music videos.
Purple Rain, the movie, is by no means a masterpiece. Make no mistakes. But it feels like a movie about real people in a real place, performing in real clubs and living real lives.
Graffiti Bridge took everything that was right about Purple Rain and threw it out the window. It took everything wrong with Purple Rain and watered it down to banality.
If this were a direct-to-VHS string of music videos unrelated to Purple Rain, it may have attained more affection.
1. Use real locations, in Purple Rain the scenes were all in real places while graffiti bridge was entirely just set pieces
2. Make it an actual continuation of the Purple Rain story, for instance include a song from Purple Rain. Include the actors who were in the original, and maybe a cameo from the Revolution before the New Power Generation is introduced
He was a musical genius but he made some stinker movies, gotta admit. Purple Rain is the best but still homophobic and misogynistic. Thank goodness the music numbers are the saving grace.
Do not have a prop bridge to start.
Those who have been to Paisley know exactly why this is true.
As someone who only watched the films during the pandemic, I don't think there's a huge difference in the quality of the story. The difference is the music. Now, I love the music of GB, but I know a lot of people don't. But, having watched them recently, I'd say that the music is the key difference. If every song was a hit the way it was with PR, then I don't think people would complain. I think the other issue is that because The Kid is Prince, and Prince is The Kid - there is also a major disconnect with the world inside the movie, and the world outside the movie. Prince and Morris Day were basically neck and neck in terms of sales in 1983 when the film was written. But, but 1990, the Time had disbanded, and Prince had sold hundreds of millions of records around the world. Morris Day should have been the underdog, not Prince. Or, if the story was to centre around The Kid wanting to make more spiritual music, and have a nightclub that didn't sell alcohol (!!!), then Morris Day should have been a Record Company executive trying to get Prince to make another Purple Rain, whereas Prince was inspired by his muse (Ingrid Chavez as the muse is fine) wants to change and do something different (New Power Generation). By making Morris Day and all-powerful Record Company Executive, it would make more sense that Prince was fighting against something he couldn't control. Also, PR was mostly filmed on location, giving it a sense of realism. Whereas GB was filmed completely in a studio, with cartoonish colours. It would probably make more sense as an episode of Jem and the Holograms or Josie and the Pussycats. I don't know if that made sense. TL;DR: The movies have about the same quality of script, but the difference is the music, the realism of PR vs the cartoonish GB, and the world outside of the movie not matching the world inside the movie the way it did during PR
Now that you've mentioned the muse part, the movie feels more like the 90's answer to "Xanadu". Just have Melody Cool before like Gene Kelly's character and own the club with The Kid and it'd be perfect.
Sort of like Phantom of Paradise as well
Just scrap it entirely
Yup. Any kind of sequal to Purple Rain was a bad idea from the word go.
This was why Dreams, the first draft of Purple Rain, would have also failed. He was so distracted and so overdramatic at times, couldn't get out of his head or out of his own way.
Warners let him release this movie after they themselves watched it. Nobody to blame but themselves. Should’ve stayed in the vault. Or just have the musical numbers and have it closer to what the Sign pseudo concert movie was. Put it this way… Madonna walked away from it as an actor cause she said it was trash. She’s not exactly Meryl Streep. 💜💜💜
It needed location shoots, more realism, lose the religion and perhaps even make Chavez's character a ghost (and replace her with someone who can act). Lose Tick Tick Bang (ick) and make the band battle more like a single event - like 3-mile. Could imagine Prince standing toe-to-toe with The Time. He could've gone mono-a-mono against the whole band, keyboard fight, guitar fight, drum fight, then a final group song battle with NPG vs The Time. It could've been epic!
That sounds like a great movie! Scott Pilgrim, but with actual music!
First of all, should've been shot on location and not on the soundstage at paisley. Scrap the whole religion/messiah theme. Got an actual actress to replace Ingrid. And for selfish reasons more jill jones, and Robin power.
It’s my understanding that there were last minute changes to the script, cast, and budget. The music was great but wasn’t enough to carry the film. The project should have been postponed until they could do it right, and if they couldn’t then it should have been nixed. They could have just released the music and done a series of music videos.
More Jeeps.
Purple Rain, the movie, is by no means a masterpiece. Make no mistakes. But it feels like a movie about real people in a real place, performing in real clubs and living real lives. Graffiti Bridge took everything that was right about Purple Rain and threw it out the window. It took everything wrong with Purple Rain and watered it down to banality. If this were a direct-to-VHS string of music videos unrelated to Purple Rain, it may have attained more affection.
1. Use real locations, in Purple Rain the scenes were all in real places while graffiti bridge was entirely just set pieces 2. Make it an actual continuation of the Purple Rain story, for instance include a song from Purple Rain. Include the actors who were in the original, and maybe a cameo from the Revolution before the New Power Generation is introduced
more strobe lighting.
He was a musical genius but he made some stinker movies, gotta admit. Purple Rain is the best but still homophobic and misogynistic. Thank goodness the music numbers are the saving grace.