The Color Purple

Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Willard E. Pugh, Akosua Busia, Laurence Fishburne
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
1985

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Whoopi Goldberg) in the South suffers from her abusive husband (Danny Glover) and the hard life she lives while dreaming of a better one.

Review:

Tim: I think a lot of things about The Color Purple. First and foremost, it's a really good movie. Steven Spielberg is an unbelievably talented director, and he crafts a film here that was nominated for a stunning 11 Academy Awards! That's amazing. On the other hand, it didn't win a single one. To go 0/11 at the Academy Awards might sum up best how I feel about this movie- it's really, really good- but it doesn't quite do anything great. I'm glad I watched the movie, but it's not one I have any intention of revisiting.

Spielberg's film is a combination of being brutal to watch and also being overly long, at 2 hours, 34 minutes. This isn't a great combination. The main characters suffer greatly in this film and it takes the film forever to get to a place where you feel okay about what's happening. I'm all for watching suffering in films (it teaches you so much about life, tenacity, etc.) However, everyone has their limits and this movie comes up against mine. It's not an especially enjoyable movie to watch. I understand it wasn't meant to be, but it ends up being a bit of a slog to get through.

On the positive side of this, Spielberg directs the movie exceptionally well. You really understand these characters and you see the details of their lives. It's interesting to watch this movie in 2019 because times have changed. Having a white man direct an all-black cast focused on this topic would probably elicit quite a lot of criticism in today's world. That wasn't the case in the mid-1980s. In some ways, it feels uncomfortable knowing Spielberg directed this, but there's no doubt the movie benefits greatly from his genius.

The cast is exceptional. I've been most familiar with Whoopi Goldberg in the latter part of her career (mostly as a co-host of a talk show), so it was fascinating to watch her in her second acting role. Here's the thing I wasn't prepare for at all- she gives an absolutely stunning performance. I've seen her in a dozen films, but I've never seen her like this. I give her so much credit for delivering this powerful, emotional, unforgettable performance. I don't know how she delivered such a raw performance, but I didn't expect this based on the other roles I've seen her in. She deserved her nomination as Best Actress. She's really one of the highlights of the film.

The acting is so good in this. Oprah Winfrey is also far better than I would have ever expected. This was her acting debut and she's incredibly memorable. She has a few absolutely stunning scenes. As a whole, I didn't think she was as good as Goldberg, but it was shocking to see a performance this good from a novice actress. She was also nominated for an Academy Award, hers for Best Supporting Actress. I was less convinced that Margaret Avery deserved her Best Supporting Actress nomination. I thought she was decent, but I don't think I loved anything that she did. Her performance doesn't compare to Goldberg or Winfrey. Avery is certainly important to the film and is solid, but I'm not sure I would have given her a nomination. Still, for three women in one film to all be nominated for acting Oscars- that is a real achievement. I might get criticized for this, but I do wonder what impact Spielberg had on this. It's not common to see an actress in her acting debut and another in her second film both get Academy Award nominations (Avery had much more experience coming in). I'm not trying to take anything away from them because Goldberg and Winfrey are excellent, but I suspect the director was helpful in this process.

I'm a little surprised that Danny Glover didn't get a nomination. His role is so unlikable, but he makes you feel so many emotions for his character (mostly rage, but it's interesting towards the end of the film). Glover was essential to this film being a success. I don't believe this movie would have been nearly as effective without him. I also enjoyed seeing Laurence Fishburne here. Truly, the cast of this movie is quite impressive.

I wish this movie had won at least one Academy Award. It's not quite a great movie, but it's a thoroughly entertaining, thought-provoking, memorable one. It features great acting (as highlighted in its 3 acting nominations), but is technically excellent as well (6 nominations in technical categories), as well as nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture (but interestingly, no Best Director). However you look at it, though, The Color Purple is a success and movie that absolutely deserves to be seen. It holds up 30+ years later.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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