‘Prince: Sign O’ The Times’ comes to IMAX

Prince: Sign O’ The Times getting released in IMAX? Seeing the film again in theaters after decades is reason enough alone for celebration. Over at Vanyaland, I talked it up for the V3: Weekend.

From the desk of senior writer Michael Christopher: 

Decades before Prince left us hanging at the afterparty for his 2013 Mohegan Sun performance – though he did supply copious amounts of apple juice – he was trying to figure out how to turn American audiences onto his then-new album Sign o’ the Times. The 1987 LP wasn’t resonating close to the same way Purple Rain did in 1984 or even Parade the year prior. Instead of simply going back to the drawing board and trying again like another musician might, the always innovative and ahead of his time superstar tried another approach: A concert film.

If the masses couldn’t understand what he was trying to get across sonically, then perhaps a video accompaniment would help open their eyes. The result was Sign o’ the Times, or Sign “☮︎” the Times – because, Prince – which begins a weeklong run in IMAX tonight. Originally released in the fall of 1987, the movie was a flop, dead on arrival at the box office, but retrospectively has been praised across the board as a masterpiece, as it captures the Purple One at the peak of his creativity and showmanship prowess.

Simply put, the 85 minutes of Sign o’ the Times is all someone needs to see if they want to know just what made Prince so special. Earlier that year, he had filmed the final handful of European concerts but was unhappy with the outcome and reshot the entire show at his Paisley Park compound outside of Minneapolis in front of several hundred lucky extras. Backed by arguably his most talented band ever, including drummer/singer Sheila E., keyboardist Dr. Fink, dancer/singer Cat Glover, and singer/keyboardist Boni Boyer, the energy is off the charts.

Meant to replicate the experience of seeing Prince live, as the film also served as a stand-in for a U.S. tour to support the record, it’s like being at the best show by the most talented performer on the planet. This marks the first time Sign o’ the Times has been seen widely since its initial release almost four decades ago, and seeing it in IMAX is like watching lightning in a bottle caught by the late icon in real time.

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