The Colour Purple (1985)
Time: 2h 34mins
Director: Steven Spielberg
Quick Summary: A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.
Brb just sobbing my eyes out
Such a touching and emotional story that I'm sure quite a few people will be able to relate to. This can be hard to watch, especially with some of the abuse scenes even if they're not graphic at all, but there's a lot you can piece together. It's gentle with the information it presents, and honestly, I like that, though it does come across as really overdramatic at times, especially with the bizarre score at times.
Something I struggled with sometimes is the time jumps as it is a bit erratic with the timeline, and it only shows year stamps in big jumps of time. I was getting a little lost in how far ahead in time it had jumped to occasionally, as I have read the book so I also found myself realising it missed some key moments or just completely glossed over them. This brings me to another issue: some would really drag on much longer than they needed especially some that were overly dramatic. It is hard to watch without cringing at times.
I was so glad when the actress for Celie finally swapped from the younger girl (who I found to be very dull and not very good) to what was actually Whoopi Goldbergs debut. I fell in love with her during this and made me so invested in the story of Celie. She doesn't have the same quirks as she does in some of her more iconic films, but she's so subtly funny in this which goes hand in hand with how comical the writing is. Another person I did not realise immediately was Ophra Winfrey. Her portrayal as Sofia was amazing and any scene that she was in she stole.
There is something about how well this manages to balance the really upsetting moments with the more comical ones. I never felt like it distracted or got in the way of the real story, but actually helped it because life is usually never all downs. It has its ups, and good days, and small little glimmers of hope to help you through. How this shows this is through people and their kindness. People are such a big part of this story, and how their lives tangle through Celie's. Be warned, it gets really sad at times though because of this.
Though this film definitely has its flaws, I still found it very enjoyable and rewatchable. The adult cast are brilliant actors, and I feel as if this is the superior adaptation.
7/10
"Sophia: All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house!"
"Celie: Most time I pretend I ain't even there. He don't know the difference."
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