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Prince took his stardom to new heights when he made a splash with Purple Rain.

Director Albert Magnoli’s musical drama starred Prince as the Kid, an aspiring musician from an abusive upbringing who navigates a rivalry with another performer (Morris E. Day) and a romance with a fellow singer (Apollonia Kotero).

Following the success of his 1982 album, 1999, Prince told manager Robert Cavallo of his big-screen aspirations. After facing resistance from studios, Cavallo produced the project himself, with Prince writing the songs and culling story ideas from his own journey.

Magnoli worked on the script with screenwriter William Blinn (Fame) but also encouraged collaboration from Prince’s friends who were cast in supporting roles, including Day, who fronted the band Prince put together. Recalls co-star Jerome Benton, who was the sidekick in the band: “Albert would ask me, ‘If Morris said this, what would you say?’ [And then,] ‘Morris, if you said this,...

The Los Angeles Herald Examiner’s Mika Gilmore compared it to Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece “Citizen Kane.” The L.A. Times’ venerable critic Robert Hilburn thought the film succeeded due to the star’s “presence” and the Hollywood Reporter’s Duane Byrge proclaimed it “sensitive and highly visual, this Albert Magnoli-directed film is an accomplished and sophisticated example of storytelling “

But not every critic 40 years ago went crazy over Prince in his landmark musical “Purple Rain.” The New York Times’ Vincent Canby was even a bit cruel in his criticism of Prince, who died at the age of 57 in 2016. Though he admitted the legend’s performance scenes “can be a riveting spectacle,” Canby noted in repose he looked like a “poster of Liza Minnelli in which someone has lightly smudged a mustache. When astride his large motorcycle, as he is from time to time, the image suggests one of Jim Henson...

39 studio albums. 97 singles. 33 Grammy nominations, with 7 wins. One Oscar. It’s fair to say that Prince was one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. In 1984, the songwriting legend brought his musical genius to the big screen with Purple Rain – a semi-autobiographical romantic rock opera starring Prince as The Kid, the talented but troubled frontman of Minneapolis-based band The Revolution, who are regular performers at nightclub First Avenue. One night, he meets aspiring singer Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), and the pair fall for each other, as The Kid gets to grips with his difficult family situation and musical ambitions.

The film won Prince that Oscar, for Best Original Song Score, and as such is packed with many mega goosebump-inducing on-stage sequences and musical moments – now available to watch in higher quality than ever, with the film receiving a 4K restoration in honour of its 40th anniversary. Here's a list of...

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its theatrical release, Purple Rain, the iconic 1984 film starring Prince in his film acting debut, will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on June 25.  Purple Rain will be available to purchase on June 25 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.  Purple Rain stars music icon Prince in his first film role as The Kid, alongside Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams ... Read more...

“The Beautiful Ones” are about to look more beautiful than ever.

On June 25, Warner Home Video will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Prince’s “Purple Rain” with a rerelease of the breakthrough film on 4K Uhd and digital platforms. In addition to upgraded picture and sound, the release will be accompanied by legacy bonus content including eight music videos.

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Co-written and directed by Albert Magnoli, “Purple Rain” was released on July 27, 1984. Loosely inspired by Prince’s own life, the film earned more than $70 million worldwide, earned an Academy Award for best original song score and immediately catapulted the then 26-year-old artist to superstardom. It co-starred Apollonia Kotero as the protégé and love interest on Prince’s character, The Kid, as well as members of his band the Revolution and additional artists for which Prince had written or produced songs such as The Time.

The first movie role for Prince – Purple Rain – is getting a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release this summer, for its 40th birthday. More here.

Warner Bros continues its support of catalogue physical media – and good on it for that – with the news that Purple Rain is to make its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut. It’s arriving on the 4K format in part to mark its 40th birthday which, as usual when running these pieces, makes some people out there feel really old. Not me though, obviously. Cough.

The film stars the late Prince in his first ever movie role, and is as famous for its score as the feature itself.

It’s coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on 24th June 2024 in the UK, in a set that will also feature a Blu-ray disc in the box. As such, previous extra features are being carried over.

You can find...

Purple Rain, Prince’s smash 1984 music-packed film, is being developed for the stage by a Broadway producer, with a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and direction by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate is currently a hit on Broadway and an all-but-certain shoo-in for multiple Tony nominations this year. Blain-Cruz was Tony-nominated for her direction of the Lincoln Center Theater’s 2022 production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.

The stage adaptation will feature music and lyrics from Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album.

The project was announced today by Broadway producer Orin Wolf. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months.

Although Wolf’s announcement did not specifically mention Broadway, instead simply saying the project is being developed for the stage, Broadway almost certainly must be on minds given the high-profiles and previous credits of the individuals involved, not...

Performer Apollonia Kotero recently recalled how musician/filmmaker Prince was so magical, that he even smelled like the color purple.

“He smelled great. He smelled like purple. If that makes any sense. He was as cute as a button, really cute. Beautiful eyes and extremely shy, super shy. I could just tell he was,” she recalled during a podcast appearance.

Prince was ‘terrified’ to meet Apollonia

Kotero auditioned and ultimately landed the role of Apollonia in Prince’s seminal film Purple Rain. Loosely based on his own life, Prince played the role of “The Kid,” an aspiring musician who hoped to avoid the same mistakes his father had made. He falls for Apollonia, who was another singer at a local club.

Casting Prince’s leading lady in Purple Rain was important to Prince. “It was almost like he was terrified of just meeting me,” Kotero said on the Behind the...

Actor Gina Gershon from films like Cocktail and Showgirls turned down an offer to star in Prince‘s film Purple Rain. While she said that the film wasn’t the right fit for her, she told Prince she was in a play at New York University, and needed to return to school.

She recently recalled meeting Prince and his disbelief when she told him she was going to pass on a role that eventually went to Apollonia Kotero. Gershon said Prince was pretty unhappy being told “no” at the time too.

Gina Gershon didn’t like that the role in Prince’s film involved nudity

Gershon knew the role wasn’t right for her, mainly because it involved nudity. “He flew me to Minneapolis. I had a fun night singing and dancing and hanging out. And then I said, ‘I didn’t really want to do the movie because there was nudity in it.

Vanity

Denise Katrina Matthews was a model and actress redubbed Vanity by Prince, who encouraged her to become a musician.

Wendy and Lisa

Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were members of The Revolution who went on to great success as a solo act.

Apollonia

Model-actress-singer Apollonia Kotero landed the lead role opposite Prince in “Purple Rain” after Vanity dropped out, propelling her own music career.

Kim Basinger

The actress dated the Purple One after they met while working on “Batman.”

Sheila E.

Sheila Escovedo was an accomplished percussionist in her own right when she met Prince, to whom she was engaged in the 1980s.

Bria Valente

Valente was a model, dancer and singer who came under Prince’s tutelage, eventually dating the singer in 2010.

Sheena Easton

Easton and Prince collaborated on several hit songs, including Easton’s “Sugar Walls,” which Prince wrote for the Scottish singer.

Misty Copeland

The celebrated...

Purple Rain star Apollonia Kotero slammed Prince collaborator Sheila E. in a social media post following the release of Sheila E.’s Prince tribute song “Lemon Cake” earlier this week.

“Lemon Cake” arrived a week before the Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince special, featuring Sheila E., airs on April 21st. The drummer also took part in the Grammys’ tribute to Prince in February.

In an interview with Billboard after the release of “Lemon Cake,” “The Glamorous Life” singer said, “One day I mentioned to him that...

Purple Rain, The Last Waltz, Platoon, She’s Gotta Have It and Clerks were among the 25 films added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, the organization announced Wednesday.

2019’s list of motion pictures — selected for their “cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage” — include an “unprecedented” seven films by female directors, including Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, Elaine May’s A New Leaf and Patricia Cardoso’s Real Women Have Curves.

In addition to Prince’s 1984 classic and Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s all-star farewell gig,...

“Ladies and gentlemen… The Revolution!”

Purple Rain screens Thursday May 17th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks. This is part of the A Film Series “Culture Shock” Film Fest which has moved to the second Thursday of every month.

Purple Rain is pure ‘80s. The late Prince was at the top of his game in 1984, a musical genius who was bringing together everything from punk to funk to heavy metal in a singular fusion that pointed the way to a race-blind future. Everyone wanted to see this movie, which was not much more than an extended music video. The plot of Purple Rain is hackneyed and has a paper-thin screenplay, Something about Prince as a small-time nightclub star in Minnesota known as ‘The Kid’ who dreams of making it big, but there always seems to be something standing in his way. That’s about it. But the film was outstanding,...

Vanity Denise Katrina Matthews was a model and actress redubbed Vanity by Prince, who encouraged her to become a musician. Wendy and Lisa Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were members of The Revolution who went on to great success as a solo act. Apollonia Model-actress-singer Apollonia Kotero landed the lead role opposite Prince in “Purple Rain” after Vanity dropped out, propelling her own music career. Kim Basinger The actress dated the Purple One after they met while working on “Batman.” Sheila E. Sheila Escovedo was an accomplished percussionist in her own right when she met Prince, to whom she was engaged in the 1980s.

This article originally appeared on EW.com.

Purple Rain may always be considered the crowning achievement of Prince Rogers Nelson’s career. But in many ways Sign o’ the Times — released 30 years ago today — is the definitive Prince album. Certainly, this ambitious (even for him) double LP is most representative of the many different musical shades of the Purple One. In celebration of the anniversary, EW is ranking all 16 tracks of His Royal Majesty’s masterpiece.

16. “It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night”

This nine-minute concert jam—recorded at a Paris stop on the Parade Tour—is the only song...

Prince's former bandmates threw the ultimate "Purple Rain" party for their fallen leader ... and brought along a bunch of his closest friends. The Revolution got back together to perform a tribute show at First Avenue -- the Minneapolis nightclub where most of the music scenes for "Purple Rain" were shot.  Prince's leading lady from the flick, Apollonia Kotero, got onstage too along with Bilal. Apollonia even recreated the classic earring toss from the movie.

Two months after Prince's tragic passing, some of the biggest names in R&B came together at the Bet Awards to pay tribute to the musical trailblazer. Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monáe, the Roots, and Sheila E. all brought their best to multiple musical medleys, which ran throughout the night, highlighting hits from the Purple One's legendary career. Erykah Badu delivered the first tribute of the evening, belting out a sultry version of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" while the Roots served funky back up duty. She looked every inch the neo-soul goddess in a floor-length white faux-fur coat and leather pants,...

Two months after Prince's tragic passing, some of the biggest names in R&B came together at the Bet Awards to pay tribute to the musical trailblazer. Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae, the Roots, and Sheila E. all brought their best to multiple musical medleys, which ran throughout the night, highlighting hits from the Purple One's legendary career. Erykah Badu delivered the first tribute of the evening, belting out a sultry version of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" while the Roots served funky back up duty. She looked every inch the neo-soul goddess in a floor-length white faux-fur coat,...

“Ladies and gentlemen… The Revolution!”

Purple Rain plays this weekend (June 3rd and 4th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.

Purple Rain is pure ‘80s. The late Prince was at the top of his game in 1984, a musical genius who was bringing together everything from punk to funk to heavy metal in a singular fusion that pointed the way to a race-blind future. Everyone wanted to see this movie, which was not much more than an extended music video. The plot of Purple Rain is hackneyed and has a paper-thin screenplay, Something about Prince as a small-time nightclub star in Minnesota known as ‘The Kid’ who dreams of making it big, but there always seems to be something standing in his way. That’s about it. But the film was outstanding, wonderfully scored and was a huge hit. Prince’s...

Geno Havens, a casting director whose credits include Carl Reiner's The Jerk and Brian de Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, has died. He was 75. Havens died Friday of complications from a stroke at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, screenwriter, producer and actor Kevin Bernhardt told The Hollywood Reporter. They were friends for 30 years and worked together on several films. Havens helped launch the acting careers of Dennis Quaid and Bernhardt's ex-wife, Purple Rain co-star and Prince protege Apollonia. Havens also served as casting director on such films as More American Graffiti (1979) — he was

read more...

As Prince's death has reminded us, Purple Rain was a landmark: a film that blended gritty cinematic intensity with one of Hollywood's most eruptive original scores. Released in 1984, the film – which has returned to over 200 theaters since his death – turned Prince into a movie star and grossed $70 million at the box office, making it the 10th highest-grossing movie of that year.

But it's also easy to forget that, over 30 years ago, the idea of making a movie around a pop star – especially a relatively new one like Prince –was considered a risky move,...

Musical genius Prince died April 21 at the age of 57. Subscribe now for an inside look into his private life and shocking death, only in People.June 1985 Playboy centerfold model Devin Devasquez is opening up about her fleeting but passionate romance with the late musical singer Prince in the 1980s. "He was small, but such a sexy, charming guy. I was absolutely in love with him," Devasquez, now an actress and producer, tells People. "During the Purple Rain tour he would fly me to all of the concerts, all over the country." The pair dated on and off again for six...

Musical genius Prince died April 21 at the age of 57. Subscribe now for an inside look into his private life and shocking death, only in People.June 1985 Playboy centerfold model Devin Devasquez is opening up about her fleeting but passionate romance with the late musical singer Prince in the 1980s. "He was small, but such a sexy, charming guy. I was absolutely in love with him," Devasquez, now an actress and producer, tells People. "During the Purple Rain tour he would fly me to all of the concerts, all over the country." The pair dated on and off again for six...

In the wake of the surprise death of legendary musician Prince, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas have announced that they have teamed with the Warner Bros. Pictures distribution team to bring "Purple Rain" back to cinemas.

The 1984 film stars Prince as a young man with a talent for music who meets an aspiring singer, Apollonia, and finds that talent alone isn't all that he needs. At the same time he tries to overcome his father's self destructive behavior, loses Apollonia to another singer, and works out his own connection to others.

Both theater chains begin limited screenings of the film today and will continue them through this coming Thursday April 29th. Check your local listings for showtimes.

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures...

What do you say about Purple Rain that hasn't already been said? Not only is it one of the greatest music films of all time, but it's one of the defining films of the 1980s and earned Prince an Oscar. The soundtrack spent nearly a full half-year at Number One on the Billboard charts, sold 20 million copies worldwide and won two Grammys. But as with all things Prince, that's not the full story. A number of truly excellent books and articles have been written about the making of Purple Rain, and we're here to share some of the best bits of them with you.

It's entirely possible to be a massive Prince fan — to recognize him as the most influential musician since James Brown and the most dexterous since Stevie Wonder — and still admit that he never quite cracked his ambition to be a movie star. His three fictional films — the iconic Purple Rain and the forgotten Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge — never enraptured the way his albums did, partly because there was always something otherworldly and ephemeral about Prince Rogers Nelson that never translated to the screen. Like his fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylan,...

As the world mourns the death of Prince at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota, fans are also remembering Vanity, the music icon's onetime protégé and paramour, who died just two months before the music icon. Sheila E, who was close to both stars, confirmed Vanity's death on Twitter on Feb. 15, just before the Grammy Awards. Like Prince, Vanity was 57 when she passed away. Prince and Vanity had a sizzling partnership at the height of his fame, with the Minnesota native serving as a mentor for the Canadian-born star. Vanity's best-known hit was 1982's "Nasty Girl," which was produced by...

As the world mourns the death of Prince at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota, fans are also remembering Vanity, the music icon's onetime protégé and paramour, who died just two months before the music icon. Sheila E, who was close to both stars, confirmed Vanity's death on Twitter on Feb. 15, just before the Grammy Awards. Like Prince, Vanity was 57 when she passed away. Prince and Vanity had a sizzling partnership at the height of his fame, with the Minnesota native serving as a mentor for the Canadian-born star. Vanity's best-known hit was 1982's "Nasty Girl," which was produced by...

With Prince's shocking death, the monumental scope of his influence on music is just starting to become clear. The rock, funk and R&B icon has inspired dozens of today's award-winning artists and has crafted numerous albums that ended up greatly reshaping our current musical landscape. He is not just Prince; he is a king. And unlike some royalty, Prince loved to share his wealth, writing numerous songs for his fellow artists and allowing his music to be covered by other performers as well. Some of Prince's successful pieces may surprise you, especially since he doesn't sing a word on the tracks.

In 2014, in advance of 30th anniversary of Purple Rain, Warner Brothers announced a "new partnership" with Prince — one that promised remastered and unreleased music from his vaults in exchange for returning ownership of the master recordings to all of his albums to him. Broadly, the announcement felt like a harmonious and happy end to the very public battle he fought with the label in the 1990s. At the time, you either thought that he was rightfully standing up for the rights of musicians, or merely indulging in the increasingly odd...

Prince, iconic singer-songwriter and seven-time Grammy winner, has died. He was 57. In the mid '80s, just as his career hit an all-time high following the release of his hit single "Purple Rain", Prince sat down with People to discuss his life and rique music. Read the 1984 cover story below:He glittered in a white sequined cape, ornately futuristic atop a bank of speakers in the darkened hall. Eerie synthesizer chords echoed through the arena, laser lights dappled the crowd and a garbled heavenly voice rumbled, "I'm confused." And as confetti rained down, 19,000 fans at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena saw the...

Prince, iconic singer-songwriter and seven-time Grammy winner, has died. He was 57. In the mid '80s, just as his career hit an all-time high following the release of his hit single "Purple Rain", Prince sat down with People to discuss his life and rique music. Read the 1984 cover story below:He glittered in a white sequined cape, ornately futuristic atop a bank of speakers in the darkened hall. Eerie synthesizer chords echoed through the arena, laser lights dappled the crowd and a garbled heavenly voice rumbled, "I'm confused." And as confetti rained down, 19,000 fans at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena saw the...

Prince’s most memorable place in cinema is certainly Purple Rain. But the prolific pop music superstar, who died on Thursday at age 57, made his mark on the big screen in many other ways. Among them: Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. The 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy is often remembered for how it dazzled the eyes, but it also dazzled our ears. A children’s gospel choir rendition sang Prince’s “When Doves Cry” at a key moment in the film. Prince wrote “When Doves Cry” for the rock musical movie Purple Rain. In that 1984 film, the song plays after Prince’s character loses his girl, Apollonia. In Romeo + Juliet, the song is sung as our star-crossed lovers are about to come together. The choir, led by then-14-year-old Quindon Tarver, sings as Friar Laurence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, just after the start of their whirlwind romance. The...

Music icon Prince, who won multiple Grammy awards as well as an Oscar during his storied four-decade career, has died. He was 57.

According to TMZ, which first broke the news, Prince’s body was discovered at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota early Thursday.

Prince cancelled a pair of concerts in Atlanta earlier this month, citing the flu. A week later, his private jet had to make an emergency landing in Moline Ill., when he fell ill.

RelatedPrince Honored With MTV Marathon; Regular Programming Suspended

The Minneapolis native broke through to mainstream success in 1979 with the release of his self-titled sophomore album,...

As music fans mourn Vanity, the Prince protege known for “Nasty Girl,” her friend Apollonia Kotero shared her deep remorse over the loss. “With a heavy heart I write this. Today marked the end of an era for me. My friend, Denise ‘Vanity’ Matthews, has died,” Apollonia (above right) said in a statement to TheWrap on Tuesday. “A truly sad day for all of us who have been a part of the Prince Family. Vanity was an inspiration for me and for all the ladies of the Family who followed,” added the star of Prince’s 1984 film “Purple Rain” and...

“Ladies and gentlemen… The Revolution!”

Purple Rain plays this weekend (September 5th and 6th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.

Purple Rain is pure ‘80s. Prince was at the top of his game in 1984, a musical genius who was bringing together everything from punk to funk to heavy metal in a singular fusion that pointed the way to a race-blind future. Everyone wanted to see this movie, which was not much more than an extended music video. The plot of Purple Rain is hackneyed and has a paper-thin screenplay, Something about Prince as a small-time nightclub star in Minnesota known as ‘The Kid’ who dreams of making it big, but there always seems to be something standing in his way. That’s about it. But the film was outstanding, wonderfully scored and was a huge hit. Prince’s Academy Award...

It's been 30 years since Prince - in the infamous words/lyrics of Kanye West - was "on Apollonia," and on Saturday night, the duo marked the occasion with a private concert at Paisley Park, Prince's Minneapolis compound. In her first visit to the mansion/studio space, Prince's 1980s muse had a front-row seat as her former onscreen paramour celebrated the 30th anniversary of both the album and the film Purple Rain with an eight-song set. In a since-deleted post on her Facebook page, Apollonia described the experience in glowing terms. "He had a cool chair for me on...

In this YouTube age, a time when I can find any episode of Peyton Place or Herman's Head with a few simple clicks, it's hard to tell what kinds of old TV shows I genuinely miss and which I just like to revisit for kitsch value. Every year I feel like I'm slipping away from regular TV viewing and losing myself more and more in ancient YouTube footage, which is both edifying and horrifying. I think it's time that TV programmers start minding my departure and adjust TV schedules to accommodate more of the stuff I miss.

Thus, I'm counting down five old -- and perhaps outdated -- genres of television series that I still miss. I'd personally love if some wild TVLand exec could exhume them promptly. Let's begin.

1. Variety specials

Every Thanksgiving someone like Carrie Underwood will land a primetime special and sing a few standards, but I'm...

News is slow and it's Friday, so I'm gonna do you a favor. It's called Purple Rain (1984). Prince, the pint-sized, purple crushed-velvet-clad sexual deviant whose concert at Madison Square Garden last year was lauded as "a spiritual experience" and "moist," plays The Kid.

The Kid is the child of an abusive relationship, though it's unclear why he still lives with his parents. And why he's called The Kid, because he's at least thirty. More importantly, he shreds on the guitar. Prince's girlfriend Apollonia is played by Apollonia. There's not much of a plot. Most of what you need to know is:

Memorable Quotes for

Purple Rain (1984)

read more...

Of all the pop stars who broke out in 2010, Ke$ha might be the most complicated. That's something of an ironic statement considering the nature of her music. On the surface, Ke$ha seems to embody an entirely empty pop universe — one that includes all the fashion, make-up, posturing and attitude of modern pop (like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry or Rihanna) without any of the substance secretly lurking underneath. But Ke$ha might secretly be more brilliant (and more talented) than any of her contemporaries, as she seems to have tapped into a particular vein that craves cheap thrills and only worries about the quality of the hooks (and the sparkliness of the glitter).

But Ke$ha didn't come from nowhere. In fact, as multiple people have pointed out, Ke$ha is merely the latest in a very particular series of stars who embody a particular idiom in pop music.

A few days ago, Celebrate Brooklyn!, the series of concerts and events held in the Prospect Park Bandshell, held a Purple Rain sing-a-long in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary. The 2,000 seats and additional lawn space were full, with many fans clad in purple regalia, paying tribute to the man and his movie. The park joined media entities like Spin Magazine and NPR's New York station, Wnyc, which have hosted their own Rain discussions and commemorations. (Spin has even produced a tribute album by a variety of artists, including a remake of "When Doves Cry" by The Twilight Singers, featuring Apollonia, one of the film's stars.) The plot: Prince, starring as The Kid, is the head of a Minneapolis-based band whose sound falls outside of popular sensibilities. The group is barely hanging on to its headlining role at a...

By Selina Kaye

I love all things Prince — his music, his movies, his clothes and his hair. Most of all, I have a very special appreciation for "Purple Rain," because my parents went on their first date to see the movie. So on the 25th anniversary of the opening of the film, this is my official thank you to Prince for bringing my parents together. I couldn't have made it here without you.

When Prince first hit the music scene in 1979, he was eccentric, daring and reclusive. Hard to believe he was an introvert, right? But back then, Prince didn't give any on-camera interviews. So when "Purple Rain" premiered in 1984, fans were eager not only for his new music but for a chance to hear him speak and get an insight into what made him tick. Even when he showed up to his own red carpet, he walked right by...

Prince's landmark achievement still stands.

Apollonia Kotero and Prince in "Purple Rain"

Photo: Warner Bros.

It's not hard to grasp why Purple Rain was such an event when it was first released, 25 years ago this summer: The album was a dizzying synthesis of rock, pop and R&B, and it still sounds groundbreaking today. (Look back at MTV's coverage of the "Purple Rain" premiere here.)

This was a defining moment for Prince and his greatest band, the Revolution (with which he shared, for the first time, both an unambiguous cover credit and, inside, some co-songwriting nods). The musicianship displayed on the record is exceptional: The arrangements are intricately structured, and the vocal work is dazzling; the electro-percussion is fat and beautifully ornamented, the guitars range from full-crush to feathery arpeggiation, and there are times when synthesized or actual orchestral beds drift off into stretches of harmonic abstraction that's rare...

What could Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers possibly have in common with Prince and his former protégé Apollonia? They're both on the bill for a holiday-weekend near-marathon of musicals spanning six decades.

Astaire and Rogers turn up in the series opening today at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater in the best of their 10 musicals.

Fred is an unemployed dancer and Ginger a dancing teacher in George Stevens' art deco masterpiece "Swing Time" (1936), which won a Best Original Song...