SIGN O' THE TIMES
A film review by Craig Good
Copyright 1987 Craig Good
Oh, yeah.
SIGN O' THE TIMES, the new concert film from Prince, has so much energy that I'm surprised it can be screened in California without violating Nuclear Free Zone ordinances. I'm not a Prince fan per se, (I liked PURPLE RAIN but avoided UNDER THE CHERRY MOON), and I don't often like what he's saying, but I have to admit the kid knows how to put on a show. His story instincts are good enough to have provided the barest thread of a story line to hold the film together and prevent it from being just a random collection of songs.
The Revolution has regrouped and recouped since Wendy and Lisa left, and the new band is at least as good as it ever was. Whatever they did to keep up the pace, I hope it was legal. The production values of the film are very high. It was mildly disappointing that "U Got The Look" was printed up from video -- I guess they did the post-production for that one on tape. Everything else is well-photographed in 35mm and tightly edited.
Prince has to be one of the most inconsistent song writers in the business. His lyrics range from the near-brilliant ("Sign O' The Times") to sheer dreck ("U Got The Look"). But I've been somewhat fascinated for a while with Prince's aesthetic. Look at the members of his band individually and you see a motley collection of Halloween dropouts. Look at his band as a group and somehow it all fits together. Maybe it's because they all wear more attitude than clothing. I don't get it, but I kinda like it.
I also kinda like his taste in women. Okay, okay. I'm only human. Don't ask me why, but I get a kick out of Cat (Yes, Cat. At least Prince is out of "V" names for his protegees) and her high-frequency gyrations. The big drum solo by Sheila E may well be worth the price of admission. Her rap lick near the end of the film is an impressive demonstration of her near-perfect sense of rhythm. All of her stickwork proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the lady knows her way around a drum set. Not bad, as the icon-laden minstrel himself says, for a girl.
SIGN O' THE TIMES is, as I'm about to say, not bad for a concert film. If you don't enjoy yourself it's probably because Prince is just plain not your cup of tea.
--Craig
...{ucbvax,sun}!pixar!good
[And congrats from the moderator of r.a.m.r. to Craig for having his name in the credits of *two* of the films in the 20TH INTERNATIONAL TOURNEE OF ANIMATION. -ecl]
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