Original hand-edited copy of an early draft script for the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, 56 pages, 8.5 x 11, no date but circa early October 1987. The script features two pages of Prince’s handwritten revisions and numerous handwritten notations and emendations made by Prince in pencil and ballpoint. The reverse of pages 7 and 18 feature lengthy sections of revised dialogue in Prince's hand. The reverse of page 7, in part: “SAX / ‘They’ve been together since they were kid. Both of them homeless. Orphans.’ Joshua—‘Inseparable they was.’ SAX—Yeah but complete opposites. Man, when those 2 fight, it’s like brother and sister. / VIENNA (grabbing SAX by the suit) ‘What do they fight about?’ SAX—‘Not the suit baby, it’s rented. Well, Camille hates 2 be told he’s a nobody. Their last fight Ruthie called him that and then some. ‘Joshua’—Yeah she said somewhere there had 2 be a better land than real and she left him. / SAX, ‘Now Camille’s talking about this bridge, the boy’s gone nuts, I tell ya’…VIENNA—‘Camille, darling if u say there is a Graffiti Bridge, then I believe u. I’ll help u find it. U don’t need Ruthie. U don’t need anyone.’” The reverse of page 18 reads, in part: “Camille (slowly circling them) Dead weight. Yeah, that’s what u 2 are. Dead weight traitors. So what, I haven’t gotten us a gig in a minute. U can’t say my heart wasn’t in it. So what u haven’t eaten 4 week. I haven’t 4 2. Times are bleak. So what else is new? What’s up on the sob story I gave the oinks 2 get u 2 knuckleheads out of jail. U so hungry, u forget that? (getting louder). I should a left you there! Yeah, maybe I shoulda left u there with all the other side-talkin, dead weight, good-4-zilch bums. (turning 2 walk away). Don’t show up 2 none of our gigs no more!” In fine condition. From the collection of Prince’s former assistant and accompanied by a letter of provenance.
In mid-September of 1987, Prince finished his first script for a musical film project entitled Graffiti Bridge, which featured himself in the lead role as Camille, and costarred Madonna as his former flame, Ruthie Washington. In keeping with his vision of “a musical fantasy shot on theatrical sets,” Prince planned to cast several of his own band members in the film, with these notes mentioning several of their character names—Atlanta Bliss as Joshua, Eric Leeds as Sax, Cat Glover as Vienna, Greg Brooks as Gruff, and Wally Safford as Puff. In mid-October, a brief three-day script conference with Madonna proved disastrous, with the singer-actress publicly ridiculing the script and dismissing any potential collaboration. As a result, the original Graffiti Bridge script was abandoned and the project placed on hiatus until 1989. Graffiti Bridge continued to have script problems and underwent several revisions before a screenplay was finalized on February 7, 1990; the script alterations effectively made the film a quasi-sequel to Purple Rain. Although the film earned negative reviews and poor box-office totals, the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack was regarded highly and reached gold sales figures in both the UK and America.
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