Purple Rain

Meaning is conveyed in a myriad of diverse ways through the use of various theatrical techniques. The form and manner in which meaning is presented can have a profound impact on its interpretation by the audience. In the film Purple Rain, meaning is introduced through the usage of the elements of editing, cinematography, and mise-en-scene.
The meaning for particular scenes are revealed by the many different aspects that make up the mise-en-scene of the film. For example, throughout the film Prince’s character is shown wearing a long, purple jacket, a white, long sleeved shirt, and a pair of dark pants. His hair is unruly and at times he can be seen wearing mascara and eye liner. All of these features of his appearance make up his costume and …show more content…
For example, when Price’s character sings The Beautiful Ones the camera begins to zoom in on Apollonia. This is done to show that the song is a confession of his feelings for Apollonia and so that the audience can see her reaction as he sings. Another example, is when ‘the kid’ sings Darling Nikki. Close up shots are used to capture the reactions of Apollonia, the boss, Morris, and a couple of women from the audience. This is done to display everyone’s disapproval and dislike of the song. Morris and the boss shake their heads, the women stare with distaste, and Apollonia is shown with tears in her eyes. A close up shot of Prince’s character’s face is shown in the basement after his father shot himself. The audience see his panic and distress which is demonstrated to show that he thinks he will end up just like his father. Near the end of the movie, Morris and his group walk past Prince’s character’s band’s room and cruelly asks ‘the kid’ how his family was doing. The audience then sees Morris and his band walk away laughing and talking obnoxiously. As the band turns the corner, the audience gets a medium close up of Morris with his back against the wall. He looks back at the direction of Prince’s character’s band’s room with a look of regret and remorse. This offers the meaning that Morris feels guilty about what he said and that perhaps he wishes he had not said it at all. After that, Price’s band goes out onstage to perform their part of the music act. There are several close up shots of Prince and certain people in the audience. This demonstrates the audience’s dissatisfaction for The Revolution and their lack of excitement to the band’s upcoming concert. There is another close up of Prince’s character’s face when he smirks at seeing Apollonia with Morris across the room. This signifies to the audience that Prince’s character