Prince’s Personal ‘Graffiti Bridge’ Script Up for Auction

Prince’s personal copy of an early Graffiti Bridge script has been placed on sale by an online auctioneer, with a closing date of Dec. 12 and a current bid of $605.

You can see over 20 pages of the script, complete with Prince's handwritten notes, below.

The 58-page document, which spells the title “Grafitti Bridge,” carries the note “A work in progress” and is dated Dec. 2, 1987, contains 145 words written by Prince as he worked on the movie, which went through a number of revamps before its release in 1990.

“Prince’s meticulous attention to detail is on full display,” RR Auction said in the listing. “[H]e adds stage directions, modifies dialogue, and makes various notes lending insight into the film's characters. Among the more substantial notes by Prince are about Ruthie Washington ("Even in her tattered clothes her eyes dance. Even though she has no home, no money, she is proud") and a conversation between Ruthie and Camille ( "She notices 2 scraggly hobos approaching the group—Gruff & Puff distraught and seeking forgiveness, watch the proceedings from nearby. Camille sees them. His tone changes"). In fine condition. From the collection of Prince’s former assistant and accompanied by a letter of provenance.”

The date of the script is later than the October 1987 moment when Prince worked with Madonna in the hope that she’d play Ruthie to his Camille. RR Auction noted that the “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.” By the time the final script came into being in 1990, “the script alterations effectively made the film a quasi-sequel to Purple Rain.”

The listing also noted that the Prince Estate had no affiliation or association with the auction, that it did not endorse or authenticate the item, and that no intellectual property rights came with the document.