THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Some stories are so important, you have to break apart your comfort zone to share it. Director Steven Spielberg did just that when adapting Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.
PLOT
The 1985 follows African American teen Celie Harris who grew up in the 1900s Hartwell, Georgia, sexually abused by her father and having two of his babies that would be given away. The only one she can bond with is her younger sister Nettie who taught her to read. In 1909, she would be arranged to marry a widowed Mister Albert Johnson only to go through more domestic abuse. Nettie would take shelter with her to avoid her father’s harassment, but the trauma wouldn’t stop due to Mister’s attraction to her. When he tried making advances on her, she would turn him down, only for him to respond by kicking her out. When that happens, Nettie promises to write to her only sister as much as she could. By 1916, Celie would grow meek to all the abuse. When one of Albert’s sons, Harpo, marries a woman named Sofia, she would be so envious of her self confidence that she advises her stepson to beat her. This backfired because Sofia would fight back unlike her. When it goes on too long, she would leave him and take their children. The only thing that appears to make Mister happy is his long time mistress, ailing blues singer Shug Avery. Celie would grow fond of her own strong will and as she would nurse her back to health, the singer would take a liking to her as well by writing a song about her she would later perform at a juke joint personally made by Harpo and his new girlfriend Mary Agnes aka Squeak (Rae Dawn Chong). The same night, Celie would confide to Shug on the abuse she’s put up with, causing the artist to cheer her up by telling her she is beautiful and shares a tender kiss with her. Celie would try to leave to Memphis with Shug, but Mister stops him. In 1922, Sofia would encounter the mayor’s wife Miss Millie (Dana Ivey) complimenting her on raising her children only to ask her to work for her as a maid. When she turns her down, the mayor himself (Philip Strong) slaps her for it and when she punches him back, she gets pistol whipped by an officer, swarmed by a white mob and imprisoned for 8 years. Upon release in 1930, the judge would order her to be a maid as requested by the Miss Millie. When she comes home, the reunion with her family would be short lived when the mayor’s wife become startled with the group of black men trying to assist her in driving, causing Sofia to leave early. When Shug returns with a new husband named Grady (Bennett Guillroy), the latter gets so intoxicated with Albert that the artist would check the mailbox on the latter’s behalf and find a letter for Celie from Nettie. Celie would read it and discover her sister is residing in Africa, working for the same couple that adopted her children. This one letter would confirm Mister has been hiding dozens of past letters she’s sent, which she would find in a hidden compartment. Enraged that something so personal was taken kept from her, she almost kills her husband for it with a straight razor, but Shug stops her. In a family gathering, Celie would confront him after all the years she’s been abused by him, inspiring herself and Squeak to go with Shug to Memphis. Celie would not return to Georgia until 1936 when her father died and she inherited her childhood home. She would work as a tailor and Harpo would make amends with Sofia who would help him run his bar. Shug would also reunite with her pastor father who she was estranged with for years after disapproving the life she chose. As for Albert, he became a lonely drunk to the point where his home/farm is into ruin. When he finds a letter from US Immigration & Naturalization Service to Celie. Rather than keep it from her, he does the unthinkable by arranging Nettie to return to the US from Africa. The film would end with Celie reuniting with her sister and seeing her children for the first time since they were babies.
THOUGHTS
When you think of Spielberg’s name, you first think of exciting blockbusters that make you feel good all day, and then its second thought where you think of period pieces that don’t hold up back on emotional weight. Nobody in the 80s would have expected this to pay off on his end, but we’re glad it did because it paved the way for him to continue making more stories just as important (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan etc.). This film is a standout of its own for being the first of Spielberg’s films to be the most grounded. And with that feeling created such power we never thought we’d see in storytelling at the time. Quincy Jones’ score would set an accurate tone of how trial and tribulation will always lead to a moment of triumph. And the combo of Allen Daviau’s cinematography & Francine Jamison-Tanchuck’s costume design got the setting right to make an accurate atmosphere we didn’t think we’d be a part of. I think this is a positive standout of its own when you think Spielberg’s filmography because it is its own I inspiring tale of overcoming oppression and do what your heart tells you. This message does not pay off without a lead who goes through hell and back to gain unlikely strength to become her own person. Celie was that protagonist whose trauma made her so suppressed where she almost couldn’t feel anything. From being abused by one was not her father all along, to being separated by her sister to going through another era of abuse by another man who only saw her as an object. The young Deserta Jackson captured all the innocence be taken from her, yet it’s through the adult Whoopi Goldberg who slowly regains the confidence to be her own person. After all of it, you can’t help wondering if all the pain was worth it and I can proudly say it was because it did get to end and she got the reunion she never thought she’d get. Besides ET, Celie reuniting with her family is an ultimate tearjerker of a finale because her life can truly start without worry and you can’t help being happy about it. Without question, Celie would not have made this possible without the ladies in her life that paved the way for her to take a stand. Now it’s obvious Nettie wasn’t able to be there for her, but it will never how much she meant to her to be strong inside. Before seeing her as an adult, Akosua Busia was able to accurately portray her one brave from the start as a child. Had she not kept in touch like she promised, Celie likely would’ve not taken action the way she did. Moving on, Oprah Winfrey may have not been a consistent career as an actress due to the phenomenal success that came from her own talk show, but it does not take away the impact she made in her breakout role as Sofia. We’re in love with her the way we are with Celie because she became independent the moment she first felt pain from another. Since she dealt with it just as long as Celie did and had the mindset unlike her where she was not gonna put up with it. She did try when it came to Harpo since she saw just like we did how Willard Pugh played him as one who was good hearted yet easily manipulated by his imposing father. You respect her for keeping up such an attitude for so long, but still wish it didn’t backfire when it came to whites. She became broken from that moment for a long time, but then Celie would return the favor in inspiring her when she stood up to Mister. Shug Avery was another highlight because Margaret Avery shows her to have her own independence and remain compassionate throughout. She proves it when it came to Celie because she saw how fragile she was at first and was able to pave the way in telling her she can be loved no matter where she goes. She chose to kiss her as proof of it as well. Celie truly came out of her shell thanks to her and would’ve not been able to gain such strength without her. And when Shug made an unexpected reunion with her father, it proved its never too late to make amends with family. Like any journey, the only true struggle is one who stops you in being yourself and that’s exactly what you get Mister is onscreen. Danny Glover went all the way in making him a slime of an individual who believed dominance over women was the only way to be a man. With every action he made that entirely involved any form of abuse towards Celie, you become emotionally drained of seeing someone be so evil. It doesn’t get too surprising because when you look at his father, Old Mister played by Adolph Caesar, you pick up that the wrong lessons were taught from him which doesn’t make it any better. Because of all said pain he gave Celie, you only wish for him to be killed. Yes it would’ve stopped sooner but Shug was in the right of stopping that from happening because she knew it wasn’t gonna undo all he’s done. I was just as surprised as many when it came to seeing him arrange the return of Celie’s family because you would assume one who lived so selfishly would never display kindness. It may feel too late for him make an act of redemption, but it came to show he saw all his wrongs eventually and had to do something to be at peace with himself at least. We definitely will never like this character, but well damn sure respect his sole act of kindness because even he knew Celie deserved to be happy. In conclusion, The Color Purple is one of 1985’s best films for being an uplifting story we didn’t think we needed until we saw it, earning all 11 Oscar nominations in the process (including Best Picture). You want to feel inspired to break your own barriers, see this film.
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