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The Color Purple
1985
Steven Spielberg's masterful adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel stars Whoppi Goldberg (GHOST, SISTER ACT), in her impressive screen debut, as Celie, a sharecropper's daughter living in rural Georgia. The film opens in 1909 when Celie is a young girl, a victim of incest, pregnant with her father's child. .. Read more
| Starring | Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Leonard Jackson |
|---|---|
| Director | Steven Spielberg |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Color Purple
Steven Spielberg's masterful adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel stars Whoppi Goldberg (GHOST, SISTER ACT), in her impressive screen debut, as Celie, a sharecropper's daughter living in rural Georgia. The film opens in 1909 when Celie is a young girl, a victim of incest, pregnant with her father's child. Ugly and unloved, separated from her children and her sister, Celie's only option is marriage to an abusive, philandering husband (Danny Glover - LETHAL WEAPON, BOPHA) who treats her little better than a slave. Her life changes forever when her husband brings his mistress, a beautiful blues singer named Shug (Margaret Avery), into the house. THE COLOR PURPLE was also the film debut for Oprah Winfrey, who beautifully plays Celie's sister-in-law, Sofia. THE COLOR PURPLE was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including one each for Goldberg, Avery, and Winfrey) but surprisingly won no Oscars, and although the film was nominated for a Best Picture award, Spielberg was snubbed by the academy and was not nominated for Best Director.
| Starring | Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Leonard Jackson, Akosua Busia, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong |
|---|---|
| Director | Steven Spielberg |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 28 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | Arabic, English |
| Released | DVD: 21 Jul 2003 Production year: 1985 |
| Format | DVD |
The Color Purple (1985)
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Critics' reviews (5)
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On this film's release, it was fashionable to castigate director Steven Spielberg for his somewhat glossy, sugar-coated version of Alice Walker's celebrated and hard-hitting Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a young black woman's struggle for self and racial identity. Yet this is actually an impressive, dignified attempt to turn a radical and often difficult novel into mainstream entertainment with a message, which is a ticklish task at the best of times, but one to be tackled devoutly. Whoopi Goldberg is wonderful in the lead, Danny Glover and Margaret Avery are sublime, and watch out for a pre-TV-fame Oprah Winfrey playing very out of character.
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Well-intentioned and gracious but not always dramatically cohesive generation saga from a director trying to prove he has depth.
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Most helpful member's review
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14 out of 17 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
A strong adaptation...
This film, based on Alice Walker's award-winning epistolary novel of the same name, is a very strong adaptation of the book. Performances by the entire cast, especially Whoopi Goldberg (her debut screen appearance), is very impressive and worthy of admiration. Music by Quincy Jones is emotive and fitting for the piece. A masterful classic of huge proportions, both emotional and engaging, this film will remain with you for a very long time after watching it.
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Makin' Whoopi
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
This is the film that became notorious for being shunned at the Oscars, despite a large number of nominations. Who can say why Spielberg didn't get Best Director, or Whoopi Goldberg, Best Actress? They both so richly deserved to win.
Based on the novel by Alice Walker, the movie chronicles the life of Celie Harris Johnston. She has two children (by her father) by the time she's fourteen, is forced into a violent marriage, and suffers a life of ignominy and abuse. And it's the most heartwarming, joyous film you'll ever see. If you're not sobbing like a baby throughout the last ten minutes then you should carry on poisoning puppies and pretending you're the gas man to pensioners.
(NB Remember to turn the disc OVER after the kiss. Otherwise, you'll think unkindly of me) -
News and features
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Oscar oversight
- 23 Sep 2004
Gritty prison thriller The Shawshank Redemption has topped a poll of the best films never to win an Oscar. In a glaring oversight the Academy failed to bestow a gong on the inspiring tale starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Shawshank received the overwhelming support of Radio Times readers, beating feel good classic It's A Wonderful Life and Spielberg family favourite ET into second and third place respectively. Bank holiday stalwarts Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Great Escape also... Read more
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