Synopsis

A gifted but volatile Minneapolis musician known as The Kid struggles to control his temper, escape an abusive home life, and keep his band together. As tensions rise with a rival performer and a new romance challenges his guarded nature, The Kid must confront his past and find the confidence to express himself through music.

Factoids & Trivia

• Purple Rain marked Prince's feature-film acting debut and drew heavily on his public image, Minneapolis music scene, and experiences as a working musician.

• The concert material was filmed at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Prince's home club. The basic tracks for "I Would Die 4 U," "Baby I'm a Star," and "Purple Rain" came from a benefit performance held there on August 3, 1983.

• Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985.

• The soundtrack became a major commercial success, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide. The film itself earned nearly $70 million at the box office.

• The piano piece heard as "Father's Song" was composed by Prince's father, John L. Nelson, and performed by Prince for the film.

• In 2019, the Library of Congress selected Purple Rain for preservation in the National Film Registry because of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.