The Color Purple (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Color Purple', based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel & directed by the great Steven Spielberg, spans the years 1909-1949, relating the life of Celie (an amazing Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman raped by her father since she was a little girl (eventually giving birth to her own siblings). Thrown away by her father to a sharecropper referred to as 'Mister' (a vile Danny Glover), Celie is forcibly separated from her beloved sister, Nettie (Akousa Busia). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letters to Nettie, but Mister has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to think that Nettie has died. Finally, Celie finds an ally/champion in the take-no-guff Sofia (a surprising Oprah Winfrey); the spunky wife of Glover's son from a previous marriage.
Unfortunately, Sofia is "humbled" when she is severely beaten to a pulp by a mob of angry white folks. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong (even intimate) friendship with Mister's mistress/chanteuse named Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins searching through her husband's things & finds Nettie's letters! So though Shug is a tormented alcoholic, she gives Celie some strength, and helps her to understand that she is much more than Mister's servant-like wife. Having finally found her own voice, the movie culminates in a cathartic showdown btwn. Celie & Mister. Matters may turn out alright for some of the main characters. There's a heartfelt ending. But a lot of pain & heartache resonate well after the credits roll.
I think it shows a lot that a director like Steven Spielberg (with films like Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters ..., Indiana Jones) can be as versatile as making this literary, powerful, black drama. Spielberg is known as a very visual filmmaker. And that is no different, here. The movie begins with a camera following Celia & Nettie while they play in a sea of purple flowers. When they come out, you see that one of the girls is pregnant. It's just a strong opening visual. I also liked a shot where a youthful Celie sits down to read (we see her silhouette against the wall), and when she stands up again, we see that some years have passed & she is an adult {beautiful stuff}. And I also loved the cinematographer's knack for catching the descending sun. It's metaphorical. But it's also just gorgeous.
As expected (when dealing with a film like this), Spielberg shows how ignorant most of the white community was in the early 1900s. The mayor's wife talks about helping 'colored' kids by giving them toys, & she tugs on their cheeks. BUT, she also suggests that the normally lively & proud Sofia should be her own personal maid, leading to a tragic situation which results in Sofia being put in jail for some 8 years. Upon her release, a subdued Sofia is forced to be the maid anyway ... so it's basically one imprisonment for another. There are many difficult scenes to watch. But the ones with this character of Sofia are some of the hardest.
The most affecting segments of 'TCP' involve the discovery that Nettie did write to Celie all that time. As Celie reads her sister's letters, we see visuals of Nettie's descriptions of Africa. A great cross-cut occurs where Celie prepares a razor in anticipation of cutting Mister's throat (he wants her to shave him), and coincidingly, we see an African initiation ceremony. You'll be peeking through your fingers for this segment {haha}. You know, critics of Spielberg shoot him down for giving his audiences unashamedly emotional & happy endings. We get that, here. But as mentioned, there is SO much heartache that the ending felt necessary/warranted. The film earns its uplift. 'The Color Purple' is a great, warm, if unforgiving movie about generations of black women in America. Great direction, wonderful storytelling, Oscar-worthy performances, stellar rendering of the time & place ... 'The Color Purple is a triumph of the heart, the mind, & the visual.
Unfortunately, Sofia is "humbled" when she is severely beaten to a pulp by a mob of angry white folks. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong (even intimate) friendship with Mister's mistress/chanteuse named Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins searching through her husband's things & finds Nettie's letters! So though Shug is a tormented alcoholic, she gives Celie some strength, and helps her to understand that she is much more than Mister's servant-like wife. Having finally found her own voice, the movie culminates in a cathartic showdown btwn. Celie & Mister. Matters may turn out alright for some of the main characters. There's a heartfelt ending. But a lot of pain & heartache resonate well after the credits roll.
I think it shows a lot that a director like Steven Spielberg (with films like Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters ..., Indiana Jones) can be as versatile as making this literary, powerful, black drama. Spielberg is known as a very visual filmmaker. And that is no different, here. The movie begins with a camera following Celia & Nettie while they play in a sea of purple flowers. When they come out, you see that one of the girls is pregnant. It's just a strong opening visual. I also liked a shot where a youthful Celie sits down to read (we see her silhouette against the wall), and when she stands up again, we see that some years have passed & she is an adult {beautiful stuff}. And I also loved the cinematographer's knack for catching the descending sun. It's metaphorical. But it's also just gorgeous.
As expected (when dealing with a film like this), Spielberg shows how ignorant most of the white community was in the early 1900s. The mayor's wife talks about helping 'colored' kids by giving them toys, & she tugs on their cheeks. BUT, she also suggests that the normally lively & proud Sofia should be her own personal maid, leading to a tragic situation which results in Sofia being put in jail for some 8 years. Upon her release, a subdued Sofia is forced to be the maid anyway ... so it's basically one imprisonment for another. There are many difficult scenes to watch. But the ones with this character of Sofia are some of the hardest.
The most affecting segments of 'TCP' involve the discovery that Nettie did write to Celie all that time. As Celie reads her sister's letters, we see visuals of Nettie's descriptions of Africa. A great cross-cut occurs where Celie prepares a razor in anticipation of cutting Mister's throat (he wants her to shave him), and coincidingly, we see an African initiation ceremony. You'll be peeking through your fingers for this segment {haha}. You know, critics of Spielberg shoot him down for giving his audiences unashamedly emotional & happy endings. We get that, here. But as mentioned, there is SO much heartache that the ending felt necessary/warranted. The film earns its uplift. 'The Color Purple' is a great, warm, if unforgiving movie about generations of black women in America. Great direction, wonderful storytelling, Oscar-worthy performances, stellar rendering of the time & place ... 'The Color Purple is a triumph of the heart, the mind, & the visual.