Nine-Hour Prince Documentary Profiles Physical and Emotional Abuse, NYT Review Reveals — Will the Film Ever See the Light of Day?

Back in July, reports indicated that the long-awaited Prince documentary might not release at all amid opposition from the artist’s estate. Now, new details about the project, which reportedly profiles physical and mental abuse across its nine-hour runtime, have come to light.

Those details emerged in an all-encompassing review and analysis penned by the New York Times’ Sasha Weiss, who per the piece watched the film, including alongside Questlove and others at a Brooklyn screening, last year.

For a bit of quick background, director Ezra Edelman (who also directed O.J.: Made in America) spent four years working on the Netflix-commissioned Prince documentary. Primary Wave previously bought a sizable interest in the Purple Rain creator’s IP via deals with heirs, and the documentary is facing continued opposition from different heirs via their Prince Legacy LLC company.

As laid out by Puck two months ago, Prince Legacy allegedly capitalized on the nine-hour length to prevent the film’s release. Per that same report, the initial deal calls for a six-hour documentary. And unsatisfied with certain depictions of the namesake artist, Prince Legacy reportedly sought to hold the work to that time limit.

To state the obvious, the documentary (which multiple accounts say has been meticulously put together) cannot very easily have its runtime cut by a third. Getting down to brass tacks, the mentioned Times account, spanning north of 9,000 words, simply reiterates that talks have yet to produce a compromise. “As of today, there is no indication that the film will ever come out,” the author summed up.

Needless to say, the impasse raises interesting questions about the exact qualms of Prince Legacy (which includes attorney L. Londell McMillan, who’s said to vehemently oppose the documentary in its current form).

Thanks to a lengthy look at the film and related behind-the-scenes talks, we no longer lack insight here. As described by the Times, the documentary shows “a side of Prince many of his fans would rather not see,” referring in part to an incident where the artist allegedly “began to punch” a girlfriend in the face “over and over” after she’d slapped him during a 1984 argument.

While far from positive, that alleged episode does, of course, date back four decades. Also well in the rearview are alleged hardball negotiating tactics (a normal part of many professional relationships) used by Prince when bandmembers sought raises.

Closer to the present, Prince’s estate is said to have called on the documentary to “reshoot” Paisley Park due to concerns with its on-screen appearance and to remove “Let’s Go Crazy” from a scene depicting Prince’s death. The song’s lyrics mention an elevator, and when called to the scene in 2016, first responders found Prince dead in an elevator at his home.

Drawing further Prince estate pushback were (and presumably are) elements of interviews that allegedly cast the artist in a less-than-ideal light. (Edelman reportedly carried out over 70 interviews in connection with the documentary.)

However, as Edelman evidently believes the components are crucial to the work – and as neither side seems interested in compromising anytime soon – it’s unclear whether a resolution is in the cards.

Addressing the matter in a joint statement, Prince Legacy and Primary Wave relayed: “Those with the responsibility of carrying out Prince’s wishes shall honor his creativity and genius.

“We are working to resolve matters concerning the documentary so that his story may be told in a way that is factually correct and does not mischaracterize or sensationalize his life. We look forward to continuing to share Prince’s gifts and celebrate his profound and lasting impact on the world.”