The Colour Purple
GRAVILLIS | Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
The colour purple is a decades- spanning tale of a woman’s journey to independence and self-acceptance based on the novel and Broadway musical, produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones in the year 2023. Upon its release, it received positive reviews from critics and grossed $66 million.
“The colour purple” is a cinematic masterpiece that explores storytelling in a pure and vulnerable way. The film takes us hand-in-hand on an immersive journey- that is Celie’s life. The movie explores symbols of sisterhood, resilience, endurance, empowerment, pursuit for Freedom and most importantly, search for identity. Since it had been released for viewing, it has beautifully captured the hearts and minds of its viewers, most especially the female population and “the black folk”.
The 1985 original is arguably unfiltered to the pain, heartbreak and the daily abuse and struggles of Miss Celie- an ordinary black young woman. The original had Celie as the narrator, drawing the audience in with every rise, fall, dip, and tremble of her voice, hence, providing the viewers with a more intimate perspective of her story. Seeing the “norms” in which the female child is conditioned to first hand through the tear-stained lens of Celie’s eyes is one of those unfiltered moments in the story. One thing that made me appreciate Celie narrating was the subtle and well worded hints at the passing of time (i.e. weeks, months, years) which the 2023 version seemed to lack. After watching both adaptations of the film, the plot holes in the 2023 version of the story became apparent. Nothing too drastic, but it missed the little things.
Did making the 2023 rendition a musical soften the impact of the protagonist’s story? I think not. The 2023 movie seemed to portray more solemn joy than the original. This version definitely had some qualities of an award-winning musical. The songs performed perfectly conveyed the severity of the important issues posed by the plot. Yes, the musical lightened the mood a bit more than the solemn original, but it did not fail to tackle the important issues like the African- American women’s rights, toxic stereotypical norms affecting both genders, domestic violence, rape, verbal and physical abuse, and dehumanization.
The Original seemed to hold stronger and more intense emotions. An example is the scene where Mister drags Nettie out of Celie’s embrace after his failed attempt at having his way with her.
“Why? Why? Why?” Nettie screams with tears streaming down her face.
Although this scene in particular has little to no words, but the physical struggle between Mister, Celie and Nettie, it strongly conveys the sisters’ pain of separation. And that emotion is so thick that it may move you to tears. That scene and many more had the power to grip the hearts of the viewers. Both the original and the 2023 version seemed to be missing something- a decent male figure- and according to reviews online made by a few men, paraphrasing it they all said “this makes us look bad, we were not correctly represented in the movie”. Some viewers have failed to realize that the film-both versions, were meant to give a voice to those black woman who were constantly silenced by the oppression of not only men, but the society at large and the colonizers. The film brought to light her struggles, the daily oppression she endured, her pain of being separated by from her children and so on.
Comparing the casts of the past and now is a near impossible feat. Each and every character was done justice in the cast’s own unique way. Fantasia Barrino did an incredible job bringing Celie’s story to life making it relatable to the average black woman. The talent of Whoopi Goldberg cannot be ignored when making reference to the original masterpiece. She somehow embodied Celie’s character as her own. The casts of both versions did an amazing job, but one character that was better in the recent version than the original was Harpo, played by Corey Hawkins. Harpo had more of a personality; he was calm, sweet, goodhearted, and sensitive man, but the misogynistic views he inherited from his father, Mister, poisoned his marriage. Watching his father while growing up, he thought that women were beings meant to be dominated and lorded over, but Sofia was not a submissive wife. Sofia believed more in the equality of both genders and love which caused a clash in their ideologies, and eventually led to the end of their marriage and love story.
“The Colour Purple” is a beautiful rendition of the novel and Broadway musical. This decades- spanning tale of a woman’s journey to independence and self-acceptance is a must watch. It is a thought- provoking and heart wrenching film that brings the characters to life through cinematic interpretation.
Sources
》Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_Purple
》Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_color_purple
