De Angela presented at the Black Portraitures[VII] conference: Play and Performance on Feb 18, 2022, at Express Newark at Rutgers University-Newark in Newark, NJ, on the What Else Can There Be? Black Play / Cultural (Dis)Locations panel.

“Under The Cherry Moon: Prince at Play”

Abstract:

This presentation will discuss Prince at play in his second feature film and directorial
debut, Under The Cherry Moon (UTCM)! On the heels of the massive success of Purple
Rain, most artists would have followed up with a sequel. Prince did not. UTCM was a
black and white, artistic buddy film, shot in France, and released in 1986.

While UTCM is often maligned by most, the film is the ultimate public document of
Prince as his most authentic self. While Purple Rain conjures the mystique that Prince
constructed and carefully crafted for the public, UTCM reveals him as he truly was with
his close friends and associates: hilariously funny and always at play.

Moreover, the most pervasive theme throughout UTCM is play. The film’s reception can
shift massively if viewed through this lens. Let me guide you through a “new position” of
this brilliant motion picture.