Purple Rain. It was more than an album, more than a movie. It was Prince's bid for world domination. He had moderate success with his albums Dirty Mind and Controversy earlier in the decade, breaking through to the mainstream with his double album 1999. However, the success he was enjoying from the singles "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" was just a small taste and Prince saw there was so much more to the pie. Thus, he devised a plan to star in a roughly biographical movie which would showcase his abilities as an actor and a live musician.

The plan worked, better than expected. Prince became an overnight sensation, and the soundtrack album went on to become a multiplatinum hit, still selling millions of copies to this day. For many, Purple Rain was their first and only exposure to Prince. For others, it was a gateway to the rich musical worlds Prince was offering. And for some it was just a good time. But it didn't hurt that no matter why you went to see it, Purple Rain was a well-made movie. At the time, most films revolving around rock musicians were a gimmick or a novelty. Elvis Presley obviously starred in several popular films, but those days were long gone. The last really big blend of rock and film was A Hard Day's Night in 1963, 21 years prior. Bands like The Who had experimented with films like Tommy and Quadrophenia, but those didn't go over so well with critics or fans. Thus, at the time, the idea of a rock movie was far from a sure thing.

Prince avoided the excesses of over the top films like Tommy or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band by keeping Purple Rain firmly grounded in his real home town of Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent in his real life. The film opens with Prince and his band, The Revolution, playing to a sold out audience in a real Minneapolis nightclub, and you can sense the atmosphere of excitement. Right at the beginning we meet not only Prince, but his future love interest Apollonia and his rival, Morris Day of The Time (with whom Prince is actually very good friends). The scenario unfolds quickly and cleanly. The Revolution and The Time both struggle for performance space in the nightclub. Both want to woo Apollonia, as a singing talent and for more personal reasons. Prince (called "The Kid" in the picture), despite having an excellent band and a phenomenal batch of songs (more on them later), finds himself in a bit of a slump. Lisa and Wendy, two members of his band, keep pressuring him to perform some of their material. And to make things worse, things are out of control at home, where The Kid's father (Clarence Williams III) is a raging alcoholic, taking his temper out on his wife.

Using these relatively simple elements, Prince and his director Albert Magnoli simply let things play out. But in between we get some of the best songs ever written in the rock world. "When Doves Cry" was the mega hit, a song so unique and compelling that it feels simultaneously fresh and like a timeless classic all at once. But really, every single song in Purple Rain is an out-and-out Prince masterstroke. He's both at his most focused and accessible with these tunes. Rip-roaring tracks like "Let's Go Crazy" sit next to the dry funk of "Computer Blue" and Darling Nikki," and Prince still has time to duet with Apollonia on "Take Me With U" while writing songs for both her and The Time. And the title track set the template for how a rock ballad should be done, with the song's melody intertwining with Prince's vastly underrated guitar work. The songs alone make Purple Rain required viewing for any music fan.

But the great thing about the movie is that it works as a film, and not just concert footage with a storyline attached. While Prince, Apollonia, and Morris Day may not be the best actors in the world, they all have enough youthful conviction and passion to turn in believable performances that carry the piece. The script is a solid, no-frills bit of work, and Magnoli is smart enough to let his actors sink their teeth into their roles without chewing the scenery.

And now, all these years later, Purple Rain stands as a record of a moment in history where an ambitious and talented young man decided it was time to leave his mark on the world. When you watch it, you're transported back, too. So, as Prince sings, "Let's go crazy!"

The HD DVD:

The Image:
Warner Bros. presents Purple Rain in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 in this VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer. No matter how big Prince might be now, it cannot change the fact that Purple Rain was shot on a very modest budget. The image is grainy and often lacking in depth. However, that's not to say it all looks bad. Great care was taken to make sure Prince looked good when performing on stage, and that translates here, with a a very vivid and pleasing image. In fact, I'd say this is some of the best concert footage I've seen on either HD format. Also, outdoor scenes during the daytime look pretty darn good as well, with plenty of detail and pop. The transfer has serious issues with darker scenes, to the point where the drop off to black is massive. There's one scene in particular, where Prince is showing Apollonia into his basement bedroom, and the image is literally pitch black except for the sequins on Prince's jacket. The best looking scenes are a definite improvement over the recent DVD special edition, but at times there was just nothing more WB could do.

The Audio:
Warner Bros. splurged and provided us with a Dolby True HD 5.1 mix. Despite the care taken to make sure the music sounded as good as possible, 1984 recording techniques just don't sound as good today. Thus, the Dolby True HD track has a little more fidelity and depth than the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix also available on the disc, but not by much. However, it does seem that Warner did what they could to get the soundtrack sounding as good as they possibly can, and it's still fun to crank it up and rock out with The Revolution (or The Time, if that's your thing).

The Supplements:
All of the extra features from the recent 2-disc special edition have been included here. However, Prince does not appear in any of them (outside of period footage), due to his long-standing beef with Warner Bros. that prompted him to change his name.

• Commentary by Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo, and Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin: Magnoli dominates this group track, being understandably proud of his work. But even then, there aren't too many comments that can't be found more succinctly in the other special features, and at times the group trails off to watch a scene, leaving dead space.
• First Avenue - The Road To Pop Royalty: A look at the Minneapolis music scene that gave Prince his start, as well as the nightclub where they filmed Purple Rain.
• Purple Rain Backstage Pass: A 28 minute behind the scenes documentary, featuring new interviews with Albert Magnoli, Robert Cavallo, Dr. Fink of the Revolution, Wendy and Lisa, and more. Notably missing are Prince, Apollonia, and Morris Day. Still, there's some good information to be had, and watching the players recount some of the best times of their lives is definitely fun.
• Riffs, Ruffles, and a Revolution - The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain: This featurette focuses on how Purple Rain made a splash after its release, from how Prince's fashion sense invaded mainstream fashions, to how the music affected everyone and changed attitudes.
• MTV Premiere Party: Now this is a real blast from the past. It's a hoot to see everyone dressed in the most outlandish outfits they can find, and seeing all of those MTV VJ's that we've pretty much forgotten about at this point.

• Music Videos: Poor-looking transfers of all the songs they made videos for, including "Let's Go Crazy," "Take Me With U," "When Doves Cry," "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star," and "Purple Rain." Also included are the videos for "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" by The Time and "Sex Shooter" by Apollonia and her group. Of these, a few are live, but the most affecting by far is still "When Doves Cry," which is just a brilliantly made piece of work.
• Trailers: For the film in question, Under The Cherry Moon and Purple Rain's unfortunate sequel, Graffiti Bridge.

The Conclusion:
Purple Rain turned Prince into a superstar, and all these years later, it's still a joy to watch. How can you not crack a smile when watching Prince and The Revolution perform such classics as "Let's Go Crazy," "Darling Nikki," and "Purple Rain." While Warner Bros. has ported over everything from the 2-disc special edition set, the improvements in picture and sound are too minor to warrant an upgrade. However, for those who haven't yet purchased Purple Rain on home video, this is undoubtedly the release to get. Recommended.

Daniel Hirshleifer is the High Definition Editor for DVD Talk.