The Color Purple (1985)

The Color Purple (1985)

Steven Spielberg is probably the world’s most gifted storyteller. As children, he enlightened our minds and made us feel emotions in gems like E.T and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He terrified our souls with that one shark film we all know as Jaws. Up until 1985, Spielberg used science-fiction or fantasy to develop his incredible gift of storytelling. Just like any excellent filmmaker would, he made us cry tears of sadness and tears of laughter. With his first attempt at serious filmmaking, he does the same thing except within the framework of a serious topic. This movie had me grinning and bawling my eyes out. With eleven Oscar nominations (and sadly no wins) it shows that Spielberg has a hand for this kind of material. I was not expecting much, but Spielberg delivered an amazing film.

The film, written by Menno Meyjes, is based off the literary classic by Alice Walker. Many people thought the story, about a young black girl suffering from men most of her life in rural Georgia, was unfilmable. The book was a series of letters from the main character, Celie. She would write to different people, but most importantly God. The book is darker than the film depicted. The movie also notches down the idea of lesbians to a simple kiss in which Spielberg defended as trying to keep his movie PG-13. Unfortunately, that does make sense. Some people complained that Spielberg and his trademark sentimental ways of storytelling made the film a happier place and time. To me, I think all that did was add heart. The film could have been utterly depressing, but Spielberg made sure there were moments of joy mixed in with all of the ugliness. On top of that, it gave the film a more of an epic scope. Those feelings mixed with the excellent cinematography skills of Allen Daviau and Quincy Jones’s score gave the film that feeling.

Given the subject matter, the film is an important story to tell. Even in today’s society, it remains relevant and timely. Spielberg has received some backlash from people claiming, as a white man, Spielberg is not the right man to tell an African-American story. In 2020, I do not think he would touch this project. But in 1985, he treated the story with respect and with grace, and I believe that is one of the main reasons why the film continues to get amazing reviews. As director Oliver Stone mentions, Spielberg was probably the only one who could have gotten the film made. The film could have been more confusing in any other director’s hands, but we all know the gift of storytelling the auteur has.

The film takes place over a span of thirty years. Celie Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) is a tortured young woman who hasn’t seen much love over the span of her young life, outside of her sister Nettie. Her incestuous father (Adolph Caesar) kept getting his daughter pregnant and giving the babies away. He eventually marries her off to the evil farmhand, Albert (Danny Glover) or “Mister” according to Celie. Albert abuses Celie in a horrible fashion. The turning point in Celie’s life is when she meets Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), Albert’s lover. Shug considers Celie really ugly at first, but she becomes more attracted to Celie as they get to know each other more. Through Shug, Celie may find that there are reasons to smile.

For her screen debut, Whoopi Goldberg nailed her scenes. What a juicy role to begin your career with and she was even nominated for an Academy Award. Her character was a tortured soul, and Goldberg really pulled that off. Margaret Avery is also incredible, although I needed to warm up to her character. Danny Glover can play jerks very well as we see twice in 1985 with first Witness, now this film. Also, Oprah Winfrey! Yes, that Oprah! She plays a soul who seems to get everything she wants but goes through a complete personality change after standing up to a local white mayor. Oprah is definitely a presence!

Despite some sentimental presence, prepare yourself for some heartbreak. The biggest scene to me is when Celie and Nettie are ripped apart from each other. Gosh, it felt like my soul was being shredded. The way that they have their hand games is very touching. I felt really bad for Celie with everything she has been through, but she will earn her strength. The name of the film/book comes from the beautiful purple fields and flowers. Daviau did an amazing job capturing those poignant scenes. Despite the mental torture and the beatings, there is no senseless revenge acts. This is a movie that attempts to find joy within the ugliness.

The Color Purple is a straightforward drama that packs many emotional punches. This is Spielberg’s most mature film. Despite the serious subject matter, we can see his trademarks. Fun trivia fact. This is one of the few films he directed that is not composed by John Williams. Anyhow, the subject matter is prevalent. Black women are often mistreated by black men, as this film shows. It’s not so much of a film about race as it is about the treatment of each other within one race. This is a powerful and a must-watch.

My Grade: A