women beater the movie? oh god - Purple Rain (1984) Discussion

[–] sarahb2 9 years ago

That is definitely one aspect of this movie that would not fly today. That combined with the fact that at the end of the movie Appolonia just goes back to Prince when he never even apologizes for smacking her around, let alone makes any effort to change, or that he even needs to. The message seems to be, "Yeah, he smacks you around, but he's so cool just go ahead and put up with it." Blech.

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[–] sueb1863 9 years ago

Yeah, that surprised me a bit when I saw it on MTV last week, there's quite a bit of violence against women in this film. I guess it was OK in 1984 but not a thing audiences would accept today.

Sort of like when "Arthur" came out in 1981 and everyone laughed at Dudley Moore's endearing alcoholic, but when they remade it with Russell Brand a few years back they had to have him go to AA to make his character more acceptable.

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[–] koko-10 9 years ago

It wasn't OK in 1984, either. That's why he does some soul-searching about not repeating his father's pattern. And audiences would accept it today if it were a necessary part of the narrative and was shown in a negative light, as it was in this.

The difference with Arthur was that in that original, his alcoholism was accepted and the audience laughed along with him, as you say. Nobody was siding with the men who assaulted women in Purple Rain, even "way back" in 1984. It wasn't like Jimmy Cagney shoving a grapefruit in Mae Clark's face in The Public Enemy in the '30s.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

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[–] Cyclo Rider 9 years ago

The film doesn't make it acceptable. Abusive husbands like the Kid's father in the film did exist in marriages. Ike Turner used to beat Tina Turner.

The whole point is the Kid runs the risk of following in his abusive father's footsteps and throwing his talent, his life, away. As so often happens when children grow up with bad role models.

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[–] blaque108 9 years ago

That's true.

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[–] peacefulwarrioress 9 years ago

But there was no resolution and it showed the woman just tolerating it. She forgave him why? He never said he was sorry, he just became successful. It came off like a happy ending.

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[–] BrooklynMarie 9 years ago

But there was no resolution and it showed the woman just tolerating it. She forgave him why? He never said he was sorry, he just became successful. It came off like a happy ending.

To be fair, Kid's performance of Purple Rain is supposed to serve as his apology. Each verse is directed at someone (his father, Apolonnia then his bandmates). I do think, however, that the movie could have benefited from adding a face to face apology, because without it it just comes off as her writing off his bad behavior now that he was successful.

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[–] AfroGeek 9 years ago

That was the point I think, the Kid was following in the footsteps of his father.

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Project Mayhem ID: In life I am ur432978. In death, I have a name. My name is AfroGeek.

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[–] thatguy_78757 9 years ago

I agree they are trying to make the point about The Kid trying to not become like his father

BUT

we see women thrown into garbage dumpsters and rivers for comic effect...

slapped around with no consequence

all the women dress like prostitutes, even those in the crowd shots

the only non whore looking woman in he film is The Kids mother- a battered waif ( and.... an older Appolonia look a like?)

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[–] Strazdamonas 8 years ago

all the women dress like prostitutes, even those in the crowd shots

Oh please, go out into a busy city street in summertime. The constumes in this movie would be considered conservative by todays standards.

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The spirit of abysmal despair

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[–] blaque108 8 years ago

we see women thrown into garbage dumpsters and rivers for comic effect...

slapped around with no consequence

all the women dress like prostitutes, even those in the crowd shots

That is true, I agree about how the women dress that was the style then in the 80s the women dressing in the lingere.

Oh please, go out into a busy city street in summertime. The constumes in this movie would be considered conservative by todays standards.

I can agree with that too, I can picture most of mainstream artists wearing outfits like Apollonia 6 wore, even Beyoncé dress like that in some of her videos.

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[–] rascal67 8 years ago

wow i did not remember all the cruelty against men in this movie:
The Kid having to deal with an abusive father
The Kid having to deal with Morris attempting to undermine him
The Kid being used by women, so they can get ahead

Don't eat the whole ones! Those are for the guests. 🍪

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[–] Thomas-FordJr-1 8 years ago

This movie, just like many movies of yesteryear, were not afraid to show reality. You hardly see this in the PC, everybody's offended of the world today.

But just because this topic "may not fly" today on TV and in movies, it doesn't mean that violence against women doesn't exist today in the real world.

There are probably more woman beaters, and women running back to them today, then there were back then.

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