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Graffiti Bridge (film)
Encyclopedia
Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 drama
/musical
written, directed, and starring Prince
. It is a sequel to his first film, Purple Rain
, though notorious for its relatively low quality and poor performance at the box-office. However, like Purple Rain, it was accompanied by a soundtrack album also entitled Graffiti Bridge
.
), in his future life as a performer and club owner. Morris (Morris Day
), his rival from Purple Rain, returns as co-owner of The Kid's club, Glam Slam, as well as several others in the area, including his mainstay, Pandemonium. The Kid is forced into paying Morris $10,000 so Morris can pay off the mayor; The Kid in turn can keep co-ownership of his club. Losing clientele, The Kid challenges Morris to a music battle for ownership of Glam Slam.
and Sign o' the Times have become cult classics, Graffiti Bridge has yet to achieve any status outside its initial box-office flop.
The critical response for the film was far from favorable, with many reviewers arguing that Prince was attempting to position himself as a "Christ
-like" figure, particularly during the sequence for the songs "Still Would Stand All Time" and "Graffiti Bridge". It was also thought that The Kid was made into a far different character from the one in Purple Rain and the only characters that remained unchanged were Morris Day and his sidekick Jerome Benton
. Cameos included gospel
singer Mavis Staples
, up-and-coming teen star Tevin Campbell
and funk icon George Clinton
, although each were confined to roughly one song in the film. The music of the film was seen as the highlight of the movie.
The title "Graffiti Bridge" comes from a now torn-down bridge located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
. The bridge was torn down in the early 1990s to make way for new construction, but to this day remains a local legend.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
/musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
written, directed, and starring Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
. It is a sequel to his first film, Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
, though notorious for its relatively low quality and poor performance at the box-office. However, like Purple Rain, it was accompanied by a soundtrack album also entitled Graffiti Bridge
Graffiti Bridge (album)
Graffiti Bridge is the twelfth studio album by Prince and the soundtrack to the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge.The album was much better received in sales than the film, reaching #6 in the US and #1 in the UK. Nearly every song on the record was written by Prince despite the handful of artists...
.
Plot
The plot re-joins Purple Rain's lead character The Kid (PrincePrince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
), in his future life as a performer and club owner. Morris (Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
), his rival from Purple Rain, returns as co-owner of The Kid's club, Glam Slam, as well as several others in the area, including his mainstay, Pandemonium. The Kid is forced into paying Morris $10,000 so Morris can pay off the mayor; The Kid in turn can keep co-ownership of his club. Losing clientele, The Kid challenges Morris to a music battle for ownership of Glam Slam.
Cast
- PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
as The Kid - Ingrid ChavezIngrid ChavezIngrid Julia Chavez is a Mexican-American poet, vocalist, songwriter and photographer.-Personal life:Chavez was born January 21, 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, and raised in Marietta, Georgia...
as Aura - Morris DayMorris DayMorris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
as Himself - Jerome BentonJerome BentonJerome Benton is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson and Prince, but he is best known for his association with The Time....
as Jerome - George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
as Himself - Tevin CampbellTevin CampbellTevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
as Tevin - Mavis StaplesMavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
as Melody Cool - The TimeThe Time (band)The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
as Themselves
Reception
While Prince's earlier theatrical failures Under the Cherry MoonUnder the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 film directed by and starring Prince as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy and Time member Jerome Benton as his partner, Tricky. Together, the pair swindle wealthy French women...
and Sign o' the Times have become cult classics, Graffiti Bridge has yet to achieve any status outside its initial box-office flop.
The critical response for the film was far from favorable, with many reviewers arguing that Prince was attempting to position himself as a "Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
-like" figure, particularly during the sequence for the songs "Still Would Stand All Time" and "Graffiti Bridge". It was also thought that The Kid was made into a far different character from the one in Purple Rain and the only characters that remained unchanged were Morris Day and his sidekick Jerome Benton
Jerome Benton
Jerome Benton is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson and Prince, but he is best known for his association with The Time....
. Cameos included gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
singer Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, up-and-coming teen star Tevin Campbell
Tevin Campbell
Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
and funk icon George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, although each were confined to roughly one song in the film. The music of the film was seen as the highlight of the movie.
The title "Graffiti Bridge" comes from a now torn-down bridge located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 per square mile...
. The bridge was torn down in the early 1990s to make way for new construction, but to this day remains a local legend.