The 1984 rock musical drama has been upgraded for optimal & video quality
Warner Brothers is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain, the iconic 1984 film starring Prince in his film acting debut, with a 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital release on June 25th. Purple Rain stars music icon Prince as The Kid, alongside Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos, and Clarence Williams III.
The film was directed by Albert Magnoli from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn and was produced by Robert Cavallo, Joseph Ruffalo, and Steven Fargnoli. The original songs were composed and produced by Prince.
Purple Rain won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score (Prince), the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special (Prince and the Revolution), and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Prince).
In 2019, Purple Rain was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc will include the theatrical version of the feature film in 4K with HDR and a Digital download of the film.
For the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain, the film has been completely restored digitally from an 8K scan of the 35 mm 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 35 mm magnetic film source elements containing the separate dialogue, music, and effects (DME) tracks. These restored elements and the 20th anniversary’s 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film.
Headstrong, vulnerable young musician The Kid (Prince) struggles with his inner demons and with his alcoholic father who beats his mother. But the madness infects his music, fueling a sound that transforms the struggling young rocker into a star.
Special features include commentary by director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo, and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin; First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty featurette; music videos for “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Take Me With U,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star,” “Purple Rain,” “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” and “Sex Shooter.
