PURPLE RAIN (1984) (WBDHE 4K Ultra HD + Digital HD Review)

PURPLE RAIN (1984) 

4K Ultra HD + Digital HD 

Label: WBDHE

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 111 Minutes 11 Seconfs 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Original Theatrical DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Albert Magnoli

Cast: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos, Clarence Williams III.

Directed by Albert Magnoli (Tango & Cash)
the music-drama Purple Rain stars Price, in his film debut, playing pretty much a version of himself as The Kid,  singer/guitarist/leader for the Minneapolis-based band The Revolution, performing as one of the three house bands for The First Avenue nightclub, alongside Morris Day and the Time, and the Modernaires. 

We learn of The Kid's shitty home life, living with his abusive father Clarence Williams III (Tales from the Hood), a failed musician, and his put-upon mother (Olga Karlatos, Lucio Fulci's Zombie) who he beats when drunk. Dad also takes it out The Kid from time to time when he comes to his mother's defense. Enter into the fray new-girl Appollonia (Apollonia Kotero) who is looking to make her break in the Twin Cities, and catches the eye of The Kid in the process. Things turn bitter when she joins an all-girl group put together by The Kid's musical nemesis Morris Day, dubbing the group the Apollonia 6, the group also including two of Kid's female band members who are resentful that he refuses to play any of the songs they've written. Morris creates the girl group in an effort to get The Revolution ousted as one of The First Avenue nightclub's house bands. 

The autobiographical flick is brisk and well-paced for nearly two hour flick, Prince comes off as charismatic and multi-facted, while I think the film is pretty clumsy dramatically and noy all that well-scripted I like the look of, the musical performances from The Revolutio, The Modernaires, The Time and Apollonia 6 are terrific, capturing the electric-fun sound of Minneapolis with electrifying performances, both Morris Day and Prince were both in their prime and dazzle with their charismatic showmanship, and those glitzy 80's stage costumes are something else!

The story itself is pretty threadbare, the melodrama is superficial, but the charisma of Prince and the music are what make this film. Rolled out in conjunction with his same-titled Purple Rain  album it was something of a cross-media pop culture takeover in 1984. At the time I was enthralled by metal and punk and didn't initially have interest in seeing the flick, but I did eventually catch up to it on cable TV or VHS a year or so later, and I was a convert from that moment on. As a horror fan I also get a hoot out of seeing both Clarence Williams III from Tales from the Hood and Olga Karlatos, the woman who gets that nasty splinter in her eye in Lucio Fulci's Zombie as The Kid's parents, so even if you;re not a Prince fan there is a horror movie connection. 

Audio/Video: Purple Rain (1984) debuts on 4K Ultra HD from WBDHE in 2160p UHD in the proper widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio with HDR10 color-grading.  

Notes about the transfer from WBDHE: "For the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain, the film has been completely restored digitally from an 8K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative (OCN). The picture was also conformed to the original theatrical release aspect ratio of 1.85:1 to provide the most authentic theatrical presentation framing ever to be released to the home. The digitally restored picture was color graded in High Dynamic Range (HDR). The film’s audio was also restored from the original Dolby Stereo (LCRS) archived 35mm magnetic film source elements containing the separate dialogue, music, and effects (DME) tracks. These restored elements along with the 20th anniversaries' 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film."

Notes about the audio from WBDHE: "The film’s audio was also restored from the original Dolby Stereo (LCRS) archived 35mm magnetic film source elements containing the separate dialogue, music, and effects (DME) tracks. These restored elements along with the 20th anniversaries' 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film."

I have not re-watched Purple Rain since the 2007 Blu-ray release, so it's been awhile. All I can say is wow, what we have here is a wonderfully filmic presentation with colors that far surpass what I remember, The image is blemish free, grain is tight and well-managed, and the HDR really does reinvigorate the colors, as well as deepening black levels, as well as improved depth and clarity. The live shows and The Kid's purple jacket and custom purple Honda motorcycle all look terrific, as do skin tones and the colored-lighting during the perfromaves look fantastic as well. Likeswise the English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround mix, which is full-bodied throughout, the live shows sounds wonderful with deep bass and crisp higher ranges, the surrounds kicking in to give it an immersive concert experience. Another nice inclusion is that we get the original theatrical stereo track uncompressed, I preferred the fuller surround track this time around, but I do believe this is the first time that the film has had the original theatrical mix on home video, which should please the purists. Truly, the film has never looked or sounded better on home video. 

Onto the extras, perhaps my only disappointment about the 40th Anniversary Edition is that not all the extras have been carried over from the 2007 or 2016 Blu-rays. We do get the archival Audio Commentary by director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin, a host of Music Videos, and the 12-min First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty featurette, but we do not get the 3-min Purple Rain: Backstage Pass; the 10-min Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain; the Trailers for Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon, and Graffiti Bridge,or the 28-min MTV Premiere Party. So Hang onto your 2007 or 2016 Blu-ray edition if you fancy extras. Also, the 2016 Blu-ray omitted the Trailers, the 2007 edition has the most complete extras package. I have also redeemed the digital version and can confirm that it only redeemed the Digital HD (not UHD) version on both Fandango and Movies Anywhere, and there are no digital extras. 

The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with the traditional key artwork for the film, the wrap is single-sided, the Slipcover features a glossy metallic finish that attracts fingerprints like a magnet. Inside is the redemption code to redeem for a Digital HD version of the film. EDIT: I redeemed my digital copy pre-release date as I was sent the disc early for review by WB, on the official release date it was upgraded to digital UHD on the digital platforms. 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary by director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin
- First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty - featurette (12:22) 
- Let’s Go Crazy – music video (4:04) 
- Take Me with U – music video (4:52)
- When Doves Cry – Music Video (5:57) 
- I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star – music video (17:55) 
- Purple Rain – music video (7:04) 
- Jungle Love – music video (3:26) 
- The Bird – music video (3:48)
- Sex Shooter – music video (3:49)

- Digital HD Copy

- Slipcover 

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