Purple Rain (1984) (40th Anniversary) (Warner Brothers) 4K Ultra HD Review

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 anniversary's 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film.

About the Film: Rock star Prince makes a spectacular feature film debut in this highly autobiographical blockbuster that won both an Oscar® and a Grammy®. Headstrong, vulnerable young musician The Kid (Prince) struggles with his own 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.

Winner of Grammy and Academy Awards for its pulsating song score; Purple Rain marks the electrifying movie debut of Prince as The Kid, a Minneapolis club musician as alienated as he is talented. The Kid struggles with a tumultuous home life and his own smoldering anger while taking refuge in his music and his steamy love for sexy Apollonia Kotero. Prince and the Revolution scorch with "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4U", "When Doves Cry" and the title song in what Rolling Stone calls "the smartest, most spiritually ambitious rock-'n'-roll movie ever made."

Special Features and Technical Specs:
EXCLUSIVE NEW RESTORATION FROM AN 8K SCAN OF THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
RESTORED AUDIO
HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Audio Commentary by Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo and Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin
First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty: Visit the Nightclub Where Prince Started
Purple Rain Backstage Pass: Behind the Scenes
Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain
MTV Premiere Party Original Broadcast
8 Music Videos: 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
Original Trailer
Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature