'Purple Rain' and 'The Muppets Take Manhattan': Two great movies about performing turn 40

In July of 1984, Kermit and friends took the Broadway stage, while Prince and the Revelation did the same at First Avenue.

Two of my favorite movies were released in July 1984, 40 years ago this month. They’re very different from each other in most ways, but both are musicals; both are about the joy of performing on stage and what the pressure of doing so can do to one’s relationships. 

Prince was in a lot of movies, and so were the Muppets. But Purple Rain and The Muppets Take Manhattan were the best movies each were ever a part of. 

Purple Rain was shot entirely in my hometown of Minneapolis. Along with the Coens’ Fargo and A Serious Man, the Holy Trinity is one of the best Minnesota movies, and it’s the best Twin Cities travelogue movie, with the possible exception of Jingle All the Way. 

Directed by Albert Magnoli, Purple Rain is set in a slightly bizarro version of the early-1980s downtown Minneapolis music scene. It’s centered on the real-life rock club First Avenue and 7th Street Entry, and most of the characters — including Morris Day, Dez Dickerson, Apollonia, and Prince’s bandmates Wendy and Lisa — are named after the people who play them.