FILM REVIEW
THE COLOR PURPLE
Rated PG-13
140 Minutes
Released December 25th
Like the historical novel it’s based on, The Color Purple follows a close-knit group of people from a Southern town through history from 1907 to 1957. That’s a lot of history, family secrets, heartbreak, and triumphs to cover in 2 hours and 20 minutes. This is a compilation of realizations of a dramatic and impactful story based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, then made into a 1985 feature film by Steven Spielberg, the screenplay for which was penned by Menmo Meyjes. Then, it became a Broadway musical in 2005 that was revived in 2015. This new version was written by playwright Marcus Gardley and does not veer from the paths of the previous iterations about the intermingling of the lives of strong, courageous and colorful black women living in the American South of the early 20th century, some 50 years after the end of the Civil War.
Director Blitz Bazawule was born in Ghana and is a gifted multimedia artist, filmmaker, artist, musician, and writer based in New York City. It’s not easy to follow the thread of the story, but the people, their actions, and reactions to their environment, how they are shaped by their culture and society, come through. The flow of the narrative does not quite match the awe of the performances by the talented cast. The transitions from the action to the musical numbers are slightly abrupt, and the songs tend to overpower and break from the storyline, but they are colorful and exuberant.
Fantasia Barrino, who is mesmerizing as “Celie,” was the winner of the 3rd season of American Idol. Her debut album, “Free Yourself,” sold a million copies and went platinum in 2 months. This is her film debut, and she brings a first-hand connection with her character’s suffering as she was verbally, mentally, and physically abused by her first husband at a young age. Fantasia played the role of Celie on Broadway in 2007 in the second year of the show’s original run. Halle Baile, who gained fame recently as “The Little Mermaid,” plays “Young Nettie,” and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi is “Young Celie.” I wish we could have seen more of them here as they tug at your heartstrings with their beautiful voices. Danielle Brooks, as “Sofia,” steals her scenes with her strength, intensity, and energy. She was in the Broadway revival of the show in 2015. Colman Domingo is superb, as always, in the role of “Mister.”
Taraji P. Henson had turned down the chance to play “Shug Avery” on stage because she felt she was not a strong enough singer. Watching her in this movie, you would never guess that. When she was offered the role this time, she called Margaret Avery, the original “Shug Avery” from Spielberg’s movie, who told her, “I have all the faith in you.” Henson truly understood her character and the story. As a child, she spent her summers in the South with her grandparents. She says, “It’s the South. All you have is time.” The dancing and drinking scene with Shug and Mister had very little direction in the script and was mostly improvised. Henson notes that Domingo told her, “Listen, I don’t want to know what you’re going to do. Just do it. I know you got me.”
The Color Purple is a classic story of our time, of huge importance, and needs to be seen. Bazawule has created a lavish production, and the cast brings their all to recreate these characters with huge emotional arcs. Each scene is beautifully mounted, and the choreography is jubilant.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
