Prince: Sign O' the Times (1987)
In 1987, to capitalize on his growing success in Europe, Prince toured extensively to promote the album of the same name and sales increased accordingly. However, the United States remained resistant to his latest album, and sales began to drop; it was at this point that Prince decided to film a live concert promoting the new material, for eventual distribution to theaters in America. Featuring the band that accompanied Prince on his 1987 Sign o' the Times Tour, including dancer Cat Glover, keyboardist Boni Boyer, bassist Levi Seacer, Jr., guitarist Miko Weaver, drummer Sheila E. and former member of The Revolution keyboardist Dr. Fink, the film sees the group perform live on stage (although "U Got the Look" is represented by its promotional music video).
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good back-story, and good acting
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
Sign 'o' the Times (1987) **** (out of 4)Excellent concert film has Prince and his band performing tracks from various albums with the main focus being on 'Sign 'o' the Times.' If you ask most people what their favorite Prince album is I'd guess that the majority would answer 'Purple Rain' and there's no question that it's a classic but to me 'Sign 'o' the Times' is another masterpiece and deserves a lot more credit than it deserves.The concert isn't a complete concert from that tour as there were many more songs performed live but this is pretty much a "greatest hits" package that shows off classics like Little Red Corvette but also takes us through the current album. The title track is one of the musician's greatest numbers and he turns in a great version here to get things started. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man gets an incredible jam that's certainly the highlight of the film but we also get great tracks in Hot Thing, Now's the Time and The Cross.The band is certainly at the top of their game but what's so great about this concert is that it shows people what a genius Prince was. Not only is his voice wonderful but so are the lyrics that he wrote and he can also dance, play guitar, piano and various other things. Watching him work his way around the stage doing various jobs is certainly something to behold as it's pure beauty.
The versions of many of the tracks on this are better than the album. Particular praise must go to 'The Cross', 'If I was Your Girlfriend', and best of all 'Forever in my Life', which is just about the best thing that he has ever done and is simply spellbinding. Shelia E shows what a great drummer she is on 'Now is the Time' and the dream sequence to bring in 'You've Gor the Look' is a nice touch, topped off by the little smile at the end from Prince. He has good reason to smile with this video. When is it coming out on DVD ????? Totally essentual.
If you like concerts or never have seen one on film...Don't see this one because every other concert will have a hard time measuring up. Prince is definitely one of the best performers of the 20th century. Unlike some of the new cats playing music now in days, Prince's concerts have been known to go over 3 hours...and that is not an exception. You get your money's worth of funk, dance, and message. His music not only is loaded with talent but the lyrics offer hope, such as "The Cross", while others are pure dance like "Housequake". No one else in the 1990's offer this much funk. So if you are ready to see and experience a real genius you've got to see this movie.
This movie portrays the concert tour of 1987 that had Prince performing material from the "Sign O The Times" album. The album is arguably his best, as it improves with every listen. The movie is high energy, and the short vignettes between songs, while corny, do not detract from the overall enjoyable film.