The Color Purple (1985 film)

• Movie     – The Color Purple (1985)
• Director – Steven Spielberg
• Genre     – Drama
• Cast         –
  • Whoopi Goldberg (Celie)
  • Margaret Avery (Shug Avery)
  • Oprah Winfrey (Sofia)
  • Danny Glover (Albert Johnson)
• Run Time-2 hr. 34 min

The movie, The Color Purple, is an adaptation from Alice Walker’s novel of the same name. It is the story of an African-American woman in the early twentieth century United States. Renowned director Steven Spielberg, who gave the world movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, has done a marvellous job by directing the revolutionary film The Color Purple. The movie succeeded in reaching the depths of mind and making one aware about the lives of African-American women. It has truly brought out the essence of the novel. Through the character Celie, one can see how a woman longs for a free and independent life. It inspires people especially women. Whoopi Goldberg has done justice to Celie by bringing out the true feelings and emotions of the character. Her skills as an actor can be seen in the movie, as she makes one feel that she truly is Celie. Margaret Avery as Shug and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia have done an incredible job. Danny Glover as “Mister” did a wonderful job without losing the character’s essence, that he became a noteworthy part in the movie. The movie is slightly depressing, but, at the same time, carries revolutionary ideas that suppressed black women have. It was filmed in the lovely location of North Carolina. The music by Quincy Jones gives a soothing touch to the movie.

The film begins with purple flowers shown in a field and two little sisters dancing happily. The older girl, Celie (also the narrator), still a teenager, is pregnant with her step-father’s child. She is shown as a cheerful girl who wants to spend the rest of her life with her loving sister. However, later she loses her children and is forced to marry a man who never cared for her, a wealthy black man she only calls “Mister”. “Mister” or Albert is a cruel man, despite his manners being polite to outsiders. He beats his wife and later attempts to rape her sister, who escapes, promising Celie that she would write. Celie develops a tolerant attitude towards all the disrespect that she receives from her husband. Then, one day, “Mister” brings home a singer, Shug Avery, on whom he had had an eye for a long time. Shug Avery and Celie do not get along at first, but, later on, Celie begins to share her troubles with Shug, who then starts to understand her loneliness and the reason for shutting herself up almost completely. finds the sparkle in Celie that her husband failed to notice. Shug and Celie end up in a relationship that makes Celie

Shug Avery singing about Celie

eventually realize what all she missed in her life including her independence, her feminine life and so on… She finds a friend, sister, and lover in Shug. Then, a letter arrives from Celie’s long-lost sister, Nettie, who is apparently leading a fairly comfortable life in Africa. During the course of the movie, we also see the character of Sofia, a radical black woman, whose life is shattered when she hits out at a white man for insulting her in public. Her character showcases independence, pride, and strength. Even though she literally gets beaten up in jail for refusing to get patronised, her spirit survives and she comes back to her life as a strong woman. At the end of the story, we see that Celie, gathering courage from the letters written to her by Nettie in Africa, breaks her bondage and is soon reunited with her sister in Memphis, Africa, where she travels to with Shug and her husband.

Sofia’s character is a representation of independence, pride, and strength

Now, there are some themes which become prominent as the movie progresses; themes like marriage, women exploitation and oppression, religion, race, family, etc. of which we shall be discussing some in the following few paragraphs.

Firstly, as an African-American female living in the pre-Civil Rights South, Celie sees nothing in her race to be particularly proud of. Those were the days of legal segregation; African-Americans were frequently the targets of bitter discrimination. Black women in this period of time were far too often victims of violent crimes committed by white as well as black men. However, as the story progresses, Celie reimagines her own vision of God, she gains some pride in her ethnic heritage.

Secondly, Celie initially imagines God as a white old man. But as a black woman who’s been abused by men all her life, Celie eventually begins to rebel against this image of God. She begins to see God as genderless and raceless, a more universal being who wants humans to enjoy all aspects of life.

Thirdly, many female characters are faced with a tough choice—fiercely (and sometimes unsuccessfully) fight against men’s attempts to oppress them, or completely submit and get trampled all over, like the character of Sofia. The only women able to stand up for themselves without severe consequences are the ones who are economically independent, like Shug Avery, and they’re few and far between.

Through all these characters, and the way in which the actors have brought them to life, the movie turns out to be an extraordinary one. Celie’s plight, Shug’s independence and Sofia’s determination together makes the movie one that is  worth to be watched and admired. Moreover, the scenes and the background where the story happens contradict what happens inside the four walls. Thus the movie makes the audience truly capture the feelings of Celie and what she misses. The scenic and the picturesque beauty of the place add up to the movie’s success. The way in which this beauty is captured from different angles speaks for itself and the costumes are chosen wisely according to the character and the time period in which the story takes place. The movie makers have given special consideration in avoiding some things in the book that may rather seem awkward in silver screen. They have done so without ruining the spirit of the movie.

In spite of all this, the music composition has a major part in the effect that the scenes create. For all the emotional scenes, the melodies played in the background do a huge help in rendering the sentiments. The dialogues are also touching and well scripted.

In a nutshell, with all these components it has become one of those movies that generations will remember because of its meaning, incomparable success and the message that it gives out not just to the African-Americans but to the women around the world, irrespective of country , language, race and time. Though the movie stereotypes black people, it touches hearts; invoking in viewers a feeling of love, hope and the spirit of survival even during the darkest phase of our lives.

Sources:

1. Wikipedia
2. http://www.shmoop.com/color-purple/themes.html
3. Google Images