User reviews

Review following a 2020 rewatch of this brilliant movie. Tears streaming down my cheeks on several occasions throughout and writing after a few minutes to reflect and recover. Leads all fantastic, particularly Whooping Goldberg. She was gentle, pathetic, strong and fierce and times throughout and all felt honest and believable. I was truly taken in her journey and came out almost exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions that she, and me, went through. Danny Glover does the impossible by being genuinely unlikeable through the majority of the movie. Oprah was another standout and well deserved of her Oscar nom. Overall, an outstanding movie that crushed my heart and had me sobbing but beautiful at the same time. Long yet fast paced. I'll watch again in a decade and have no doubt that I will be crying again.

Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, D.W. Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisaical purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed. In a way it's a shame that Whoopi Goldberg, a stage monologist who made her screen debut in this movie, went on to become so famous, because it was, in part, her unfamiliarity that made her understated performance as Celie so effective. (This may be the first and last time that the adjective understated can be applied to Goldberg.) Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and actress (supporting players Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery were also nominated), it was quite a scandal--and a crushing blow to Spielberg--when it won none.

Beautiful adaptation of Alice Walker's riveting novel that captures your heart and soul with each frame. The cast of Goldberg, Glover, Winfrey and Avery are amazing and director Speilberg brings us into their lives with care and with passion. Snubbed at Oscar time, this is one of Speilberg's most important films.

A film that can make you shed tears of sadness and tears of joy would be considered quite a step in the career of a common filmmaker. The fact is, Steven Spielberg, probably our greatest story-teller, has been doing this in various movie formats for years. THE COLOR PURPLE, at the time, was considered risky, especially after action classics like JAWS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. In hindsight, this film should have come as no surprise, for Spielberg had made us cry tears of joy and sadness in E.T. Critics called COLOR PURPLE his entrance into intellectual fare. It is quite an entrance. No special effects, no swashbuckling, just brilliant story-telling based on a literary classic by Alice Walker. One surprise is how Spielberg could present such a moving film about African-Americans in the deep south. Slavery is gone, but in the south depicted here, it seems as though blacks are using other blacks as slaves.

Spielberg is always put down for sentimentalizing his pictures or adding an element of childishness to please the audience. This is really the first of overlooked films from his career that you cannot make these observations. It is the first in a line of films people either didn't see or wouldn't see because there are no aliens. EMPIRE OF THE SUN, ALWAYS, SCHINDLER'S LIST, etc.. His awesome talent is obvious with this specific picture because A) he uses mostly untrained, first-time actors, B) he tackles a subject most felt was unadaptable to the screen, and C) it is pure drama with no strings pulled where characters grow and change over the passage of roughly 30 years. It is almost epic-like in look and scope and the fact that it did not garner a single Academy Award from 11 nominations is a travesty and an insult.

Whoopi Goldberg is fabulous as the tortured Celie, an unattractive woman given away by her incestuous father to an abusive Danny Glover, who she only knows as "Mister". The film follows a path of occasional beatings and mental torture she goes through while with "Mister". The PG-13 rated film is pretty open to the sexual issues raised by the Walker novel. This is not "The Burning Bed" in Georgia by any means. There is no blatant revenge taken as might be expected. It happens gracefully. Goldberg perfectly plays a human being, someone in need of love and someone who deserves it. The films' most poignant and heartbreaking moment comes when Goldberg and her sister, Nettie (played by Akosua Busia) are separated, maybe forever. (Possibly foreshadowing Holocaust separation of child and parent?) You may have to check for a pulse if you are not moved by this sequence.

The color purple stands for the beauty of the fields and flowers surrounding these poor people. There really is something to live for, but love triumphs over all. Spielberg bashers take note: the guy can make an unforgettable classic without any cute aliens.

RATING: 10 of 10

The Color Purple (1995) is a movie I recently watched for the first time in a long time on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a little girl who was given away for marriage. Her husband is a lying, cheating abusive man who separates her from her family and forces her to live a life under his rule. When friends from her past get more involved in her life some years later, hopefully she gains the confidence to stand up for herself. The movie is directed by Steven Spielberg (Jaws) and stars Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Whoopie Goldberg (Jumping Jack Flash), Oprah Winfrey (The Butler), Margaret Avery (Magnum Force) and Rae Dawn Chong (Commando). The storyline for this is so well written and delivers compelling characters and brilliantly shows their evolution. It is very compelling. The cast delivers their roles perfectly and he cinematography and settings are magnificent. I wouldn't change a single thing about this movie. I loved it. I'd score this an easy 10/10.

The film version of Alice Walker's hugely emotive and influential 1983 novel (written largely as letters from the central character Celie to God) was a massive Oscar success, and rightly so.

In the role of the abused and awakened Celie, Whoopi Goldberg gave her best screen performance by miles. Not far behind her was Oprah Winfrey as Sofia, the fiery woman tamed by fate. Others in the cast fleshed out the characters Walker had introduced so clearly on the page - Danny Glover as Albert, Celie's abusive husband; Margaret Avery as Shug, a force of change for the good; Willard Pugh and Rae Dawn Chong as Harpo and Squeak; Susan Beaubian as Corrine, the preacher's wife; and the much-missed Carl Anderson (otherwise best known as Judas in the 1973 film of Jesus Christ Superstar) as preacher Samuel.

Beautifully paced and sensitively written, 'The Color Purple' does justice to its source while opening out the story to involve viewers of a feature-length drama.

This film captured my heart from the very beginning, when hearing Quincy Jones' first notes or seeing the wonderful color of purple of the flowers in the meadows. This is truly a film to cry and die for...! The whole cast gives the best performance in a film I've seen in years and Spielberg has really outdone himself! Whoppi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey(oh lord!), Danny Glover, and the others, all give us their best and you can feel it - almost touch it! Goldberg IS Celie, she gives her that insecurity and feeling of inferiority that is needed for the character, and we grow with her, we grow strong together with her, throughout the movie, and we triumph with her. Margaret Avery is wonderful as Shug Avery, even when she's at her most arrogant, and shows us that "sinners", indeed, "have souls too". The always sympathetic, charming Danny Glover makes a marvellous job at making people hate him and the magnificent music of(I'd say sir)Quincy Jones adds even more beauty to this splendid film! The photography, the music, the director and the music makes this beautiful, soulful movie into an experience of life. You don't want to miss it! "Sista'...remember my name..."

The Color Purple, to me, is one of those rare movies that is better than the book. All of the performances were excellent and I think none were better than Danny Glover as Mister aka Albert. He was so good at being such a horrible human being.

Some of the broader themes from the book were a bit muted in the movie. It was still about Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) and her plight and that couldn't be missed. What was toned down was the lesbianism on the part of Celie as well as the misandry. The book is filled with both overt and subtle misandry to the point that you get the clear impression that the author herself hates men. There's hardly a man in the book that is free of being some type of oppressor of women.

The movie never conveyed that as much as it conveyed Celie's horrible experiences with her father and her husband. Kudos for whoever adapted it for the big screen because it became a better production.

It's rare for a film adaptation to really capture the core materials essence. In 1985, Steven Spielberg accomplished that with this absolute masterpiece. In my opinion this is his best film and I'm a big fan of his work. 11 Oscar nominations and 0 awards. It's a travesty. Out of Africa is a good movie but I've never had the urge to ever see it since I first watched it. On the other hand, The Color Purple is a film that demands attention! The entire cast give their heart and soul to their performances and it shows. Full of all the emotions you didn't know you had and amazing quotable moments, it's one of the most human stories ever committed to film and one of the most soul-feeding. The cinematography is one of the best I've ever seen to date. I'm really tired of reviews from people that don't have a spirit or even know about the novel. It's a work of fiction. Some elements aren't going to be super-realistic based on that factor alone. Get a grip. It's a beautiful film with a beautiful message of hope over adverse circumstances. It's not that strange. Truth has often proven to be stranger and more unbelievable than fiction.

As with many Steven Spielberg films, this is a beautiful-looking movie, scene-after-scene almost looking like paintings. To me, that was the main attraction of the movie because the story - although powerful - to me, wasn't as appealing as the rich visuals. It's also one of those films almost guaranteed to bring a tear or two to ones eyes at the end.

This is much more involving story if you are a woman or black person, because you can relate more to the characters in the film. As with typical Hollywood, political correctness rules: most of the men (white or black) are bad while the women (mostly black) are all good. If you are a male watching the movie, this bias in the story can be very annoying.

Individually, I remember first watching this (I've seen it a couple of times) and being surprised what a good actress Oprah Winfrey was, and how appealing was Whoopi Goldberg's character "Celie." Goldberg became a star after this film (also for her comedy appearances on TV) but I always thought this role was, by far, her best or, at the least, her most appealing.

Rae Dawn Chong never looked prettier and Margaret Avery played a real charmer. Danny Glover was effectively nasty. You wanted to punch his lights out!

Overall, expect for what I mentioned above, this was good storytelling and certainly an involving, emotional story.

I don't mind a film which uses tragedy to pull at heart strings, but it has to be intelligent and tasteful. The Color Purple is no such film. Spielberg lays the tragedy on with a thickness which makes it seem ludicrous. It seems the vast majority of the film does little more than try to insist upon its viewers that this woman's life is sad and unfair using methods which are so exaggerated and transparent that it distracts the viewer from getting lost in the story and simply keeps reminding them that they're watching a film which is trying far too hard to make them feel something.

Some examples of this over-reaching can be seen in Whoopi Golberg's portrayal of Celia; the ridiculous state Celia first finds her new home in; the way Celia and Shug read in turn; and the irritating mood music played on cue each time Spielberg tries to saturate us in whatever emotion he's trying to evoke in us. The concept of subtlety has been completely lost on Spielberg in this film.

The film does have its saving graces however. Apart from Goldberg's overdone portrayal of Celia, the acting is good, particularly from Oprah. The story itself (which I have not read) would quite probably be very emotional and interesting if it hadn't been told with such awkwardness. Margaret Avery's singing was divine, truly the only thing in the film that made me authentically feel something other than the urge to stop watching. For these things I give the film a 4. Had Spielberg not corrupted it so badly it quite possibly might even be worth the 7.6 stars it currently sits at on IMDb.

Simply beautiful really is the only way to describe such a wondrous film, one which warms the heart, nourishes the soul, and brings a tear to the eye. This statement is neither hyperbolic nor exaggerated, one of many reasons I suggest you see this film.

The film opens in 1909 when Celie (Whoopi Goldberg in her feature film debut) as a young girl, as well as a victim of incest, impregnated by her father. Unattractive and unloved, separated from her beloved sister and children, Celie has no other option than to be wedded to an abusive, impoverished, and philandering husband named Albert (Danny Glover), a man who treats her no better than a slave. However, Celie's life forever changes when Albert returns home in accompaniment with his mistress Shug (Margaret Avery), a beautiful Blues singer.

In spite of the seemingly hopeless situation the film's plot provides Celie with, the Color Purple is not a tale of her despair, but rather her triumph, one which is immensely inspiring. Stellar in every aspect this film is, including Stephen Spielberg's highly credible direction, the acting, especially of the four most prominent stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey (both quite impressive in their debuts), Danny Glover, and Margaret Avery, the plot, etc. As one of my most revered novels and films, I definitely recommend the Color Purple.

Grade: A+

Alice Walker's book is truly riveting, being hard-hitting, powerful and incredibly poignant. Anybody who hasn't yet read it, it is very highly recommended.

In 1985, a film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg was released garnering several well-deserved Oscar nominations but sadly winning none. While the book is more detailed and has more depth, and the film is not quite as hard-hitting (though hardly sugar-coated and definitely not Disneyfied), this is in no way denouncing a wonderful early effort from Spielberg.

Not quite one of his best films (not among his worst either), but, despite the worry as to whether his style would mesh with the tone of the story told, 'The Color Purple' is a strong sign of Spielberg taking on a very mature subject early on in his career (being before 'Schindler's List') and making a film, that regardless of how it compares to the source material, that's still powerful and moving. For me its only fault is that for my tastes everything felt too neatly wrapped up at the end.

Spielberg directs impeccably however, under him the powerful drama never gets heavy-handed despite that it easily could have done and it is also genuinely poignant without falling into over-sentimentality that Spielberg has often been criticised for. 'The Color Purple' looks wonderful, being exquisitely shot and with evocative production design.

Quincy Jones' score works remarkably well too, one that sears and soars with ease without being jarring or intrusive. The script provokes a lot of thought and has a lot of honesty and emotion. The hard-hitting story is as hoped told powerfully and movingly, not trivialising the horrors of its themes and the consequences of what happens to the characters.

Whoopi Goldberg was rarely better than she is in 'The Color Purple', a wonderful performance with her face and eyes telling so much and one can really see how much damage what she went through has done. Danny Glover is sublimely nasty in one of his best performances worthy of an award nomination but overlooked. Pre-TV career Oprah Winfrey is in a different role, and does remarkably well, while Margaret Avery is affecting.

Overall, a powerful and moving film, a worthy adaptation of an even better book. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Whoopi Goldberg & Oprah Winfrey oh you know it's going to be stellar! I love love love this film! You can tell the chemistry, script and spirits were in sync by how well the film came out!!!

"The Color Purple is really something that you will never expected to be directed by Steven Spielberg, yes, the guy who directed Jaws, ET, and Indiana Jones, the result? Incredible, with Whoopi Goldberg amazing perfomance, Oprah Winfrey outstanding debut perfomance, The Color Purple really mixed my feeling with all the sadness and happiness that really work for me, The Color Purple is really a big new game by Steven Spielberg, i highly recommended"

Steven Spielberg's too-bright, overlong, slickly-designed adaptation of Alice Walker's book about a repressed black woman in the old South living at the mercy of her brutish husband, mourning her separation from her beloved sister, and having a flirtatious friendship with a sexy female singer who passes through town. Spielberg guides the viewer through the crowded script quickly and with ease, and the introductions to the characters are jazzy and direct; but, whereas the director is terrifically at home with his cast, he doesn't seem to know how to stage this story. It's mounted like "Gone With the Wind", with a sweeping grandeur that treats the material with cartoonish reverence. Results are both moving and sticky, with finely-wrought sequences quickly followed by banal whimsy and heartache. Whoopi Goldberg is terrific in the lead, and some of the dialogue has a haunting, evocative feel, but we're never aware of this as anything but a movie, staged and mechanically set-up to wring tears. **1/2 from ****

I think The color Purple was a very beautiful and sensitive movie, i think i was so interested in it was because of where it was filmed in NC. It reminded me of where my own mother was from. I think the idea that Shug and Celie had an affair was portrayed very nicely. Being a straight person, i don't think i'd really want to see the explicit moves there,I think that Nettie as just so sweet and so cute, and it was wonderful that she ended up with her niece and nephew, taking care of them. It showed how back in the day, men did marry much younger women, and also the prejudice that the white people had for blacks to keep them in their place.. My favorite line is until you do right by me everything you do gonna crumble and fall.

Celie Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) grows up in the south during the early 20th century. By the time she's 14 years old, she's already given birth twice by her abusive father. She is married off to "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover) who abuses her and uses her more like a slave to take care of his bratty kids. Her younger sister Nettie (Akosua Busia) comes to stay but she rejects Mister once too many times. He kicks her out. Then the outspoken Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) who marries Albert's son Harpo (Willard E. Pugh) comes into Celie's life. Mister's lover Shug Avery (Margaret Avery) stays with them and befriends Celie. It also turns out that Nettie has been living with missionaries in Africa and sending letters to Celie but Mister has been keeping them from her.

I feel worn out by the overwhelming oppression that befalls Celie. Steven Spielberg does it with a light touch that keeps it from being dark and sullen. Nevertheless I feel for Celie and suffer along side her. It's a big melodramatic farce period piece. I won't go as far as saying that this is one big stereotype. It does lack a certain realism. It feels like a folk tale. It says something about women empowerment. For that good intention and the expert production, it's a movie worth watching.

I gave this film 10 not because it is a superbly consistent movie, but for it's pure ability to evoke emotions in its audience. The story of one-woman's-struggle-against-all-odds is an old cliché by now, but very few films have carried it off with so much warmth and sincerity as The Color Purple.

It also showed a different side to the African-American experience - showing that after slaves were granted freedom many fell into the ways of the hated 'white man' and were abusive of their own people. I find this an important point as it goes against the portray-white-on-black-violence-and-win-an-Oscar trend.

Also the acting performances are superb - especially Oprah who I now have a new found respect for.

Well worth watching - but keep some tissue handy.