The Color Purple is a story of female strength and independence. Whether in its many incarnations, from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to Steven Spielberg’s film and the Broadway musical, this sweeping tale is powerful and moving.
Barrino brings a raw soulfulness to the role of Celie, who was raped by her father and sold into marriage with Mister. She also nails the complexity of Shug, who stomps her resistance to male violence and encourages her sister’s self-reliance.
Starring Fantasia Barrino
The Color Purple is a decent movie with some great production designs and solid direction. The film features some beautiful musical singing moments and some good performances from its cast members. The story is pretty interesting and shows the injustices that black women had to face back then. The movie is a must watch for all fans of music and drama.
Former American Idol powerhouse Fantasia Barrino is at the center of this new adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel, and her portrayal of Celie is nothing short of astounding. In her feature film debut, the Grammy winner delivers a riveting performance that highlights how the character endured decades of emotional and physical abuse.
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Blitz Bazawule, who made his directorial debut with Beyonce’s visual album Black Is King, brings his a-game to The Color Purple, and the result is a powerful and rousing movie musical. He sets the stage with a gospel-tinged banger ‘Opening/Mysterious Ways’ and keeps things moving with kinetic choreography. He also nudges the screenplay away from the harrowing bleakness of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film with some imaginative flights of fancy (one number takes place on a giant turntable). Henson and Brooks deliver showy supporting turns, while Corey Hawkins is terrifying as Mister.
Directed by Blitz Bazawule
With a panoply of powerhouse actors and a Grammy-winning score, this adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning book tends to elicit radically different reactions from viewers. Some will find the story overly sentimental and sappy, while others are moved to tears by its visceral meditations on abuse and self-determination. Director Blitz Bazawule (Beyonce’s Black Is King) works hard to structure a compelling hybrid that combines the kinetic energy of musical performance with the intimate vignettes of the text. However, the film’s jumbled page-to-screen translation often feels choppy.
The film’s strength lies in the ensemble performances, with Barrino and Henson especially remarkable. The actresses bring to life the emotional arc of Celie’s journey, and their bond sells her aggrieved resilience with such a sense of authenticity that it becomes believable. The movie’s other big-screen musical moments — Shug’s eerie gospel anthem “Opening/Mysterious Ways,” Sofia’s stomping rejection of male violence, and her cheeky “Push Da Button” — are also exuberant. However, some flights of fancy, such as one number staged on a giant gramophone, feel out of place.
Music by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones provides a rich score for this film adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The music is a combination of classical and period jazz, blues, and gospel. Jones’ score adds a layer of emotion to this movie that wouldn’t be possible without it.
The Color Purple isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is a powerful story of a woman’s struggle for independence. This story takes place in the rural South in the early 1900s. Celie is raped, impregnated twice, and abused by her father and her husband, Mister. Throughout her life, other Black women show her the way to self-esteem and empowerment.
Barrino’s performance as Celie is riveting, and she is beautifully supported by a strong ensemble cast. Colman Domingo is terrifying as Mister, and Corey Hawkins and Vivica Avery give memorable performances. The movie isn’t without its flaws, though. It fails to fully explore some aspects of Celie’s life, especially her queerness. This is a missed opportunity in a time when Black queer community members face increasing threats and violence.
Adapted by Alice Walker
Unlike Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film, which sometimes sounded like a 1940s Hollywood melodrama, Bazawule’s “Color Purple” is attentive to the role of art and fantasy in serving as solace for women facing violent lives. Phylicia Pearl Mpasi is terrific as Celie, selling her character’s ruminations and hesitancy as well as her aggrieved resilience.
Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel tells the story of a dark-skinned young girl who grows into a fiercely independent woman after suffering abuse from men in turn-of-the-century Georgia. During that time, she endures being repeatedly raped by the man she thinks of as her father and loses contact with her beloved younger sister Nettie, who escapes from a violent husband into Africa.
Along the way, various women — such as confident Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the intriguing Shug Avery (Danielle Brooks) and Nettie’s written correspondence with her sister in Africa — help Celie find her strength. Despite the horrific events, the story has a message of hope and demonstrates that Black women are powerful, resilient and worthy. This vibrant adaptation starring Barrino is a true triumph.
Starring Colman Domingo
Despite its graphic content, The Color Purple is a visually stunning movie. Director Blitz Bazawule and his crew have a good grasp on handling the tone, setting and production designs. They have also made the musical songs quite interesting. The performances are pretty good too.
In the movie, Fantasia Barrino reprises her Broadway role as Celie. She has a raw soulfulness that’s just right for the character. She gives a remarkable performance and shows the indomitable spirit of a woman who survives years of abuse at the hands of her husband Mister and their brutal father.
The real star of this remake is Colman Domingo, who plays Bayard Rustin. He’s a dynamo with sleeves rolled up, tie askew and eyes ablaze. He’s a firebrand who contained multitudes: rage and defiance, woundedness and wit. Unlike some of the other characters in this film, Rustin never sinks into self-pity.