50 minutes with Prince's dentist and still no Purple Rain secrets? Tragic.
The people usually left in a superstar’s wake — first managers, original band members, childhood friends — are good sources for two things: rare memorabilia and dirt. Unfortunately Prince: Unauthorized provides neither. This 50-minute documentary about Prince’s early years in Minneapolis tries to dissect the man by examining the boy. But though the filmmakers have excavated relatives, mentors, and grainy black-and-white photos of His Royal Badness sporting an outsize Afro, not one offers much insight into what makes this one-man music industry tick.
Production
Grainy archive footage of Afro-era Prince is *chef's kiss*.
Sound
Early demos that somehow weren't destroyed.
Director
Scott McCullough
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This dropped during Prince's notorious name-change/symbol era, making its unauthorized status almost rebelliously quaint.
Scott McCullough later directed episodes of Beverly Hills 90210—explaining the synthetic drama energy throughout.
US
