The Color Purple, 35 years later

i cry EVERY time i watch this movie at about 3-4 places in the film

I love this film. I once did a report on it for a theratre arts class in jr high.

Very well written and acted. One of my favorite movies.

I'd like to star in a film The Parlor Couple.

Tina Turner - Why I Turned Down "The Color Purple" & The Role Of Shug Avery

Love this movie. The only time I actually like Oprah in a movie. Probably because she hadn't exploded at the time.

[quote] I'd like to star in a film The Parlor Couple.

Are you on Parler, R4?

I think the girl who played young Celie was so wonderfully ugly, but she chewed the scenery apart in the childbirth scene.

Funny how it was so reveiled for years by white critics for racism but embraced by a black audience. A good movie stands the test of time. I'm a cold hearted bitch but that ending will make me cry.

and that movie gave us the legendary DL meme courtesy of ‘Shug’ Avery

“You sho’ is ugleeeeeee! ha HAAAA!!!”

I cry so much. Such a good movie. Beautifully shot.

Whoopi was amazing in this film.

Wonderful film. Cried so hard. Is just neat.

Sistaaaah you’ve been on my mind...

I thought Rae Dawn Chong cheapened the film.

Really good movie which I never seem to tire seeing. Elizabeth Taylor called it "The Colored People."

Yes, I like it, despite its flaws. Meaning Oprah, Spielberg's gauzy rendition of racism and treating all men like roaches.

R8 That's actress Akosua Busia. She married John Singleton, but the marriage lasted less than a year. She also co-wrote the screenplay for Beloved

No r9 black critics hated it at the time too. The NAACP even came out against the film as being racist for its depiction of black men.

That is why Whoopi and the film lost the Oscars. The Academy thought they were doing the right thing by not rewarding it.

The NAACP later reversed their opinion.

It really only became beloved by the repeated TV viewings and by Oprah constantly talking about it for so many years.

(and yes Rae Dawn Chong falling head first thru that trap door was way too slapstick for a movie like this.)

I think it's a beautiful film. The book is fantastic too, although the tone is different is from the film.

The cast really is exceptional. I don't think Whoopi has ever been better. I love Geraldine Page but I would have been happy if Whoopi had won, and she was equally as deserving. Oprah is great in it, too. The "Hell, no" scene with Dana Ivey is so good.

The ending is so powerful and so moving.

The score is also terrific.

My ex and his fag hag had Sofia's (Oprah's) speech in the video memorized and would often jointly recite it. They did quite a good job but almost always started laughing before they finished.

[quote] All my life I had to fight...I loves Harpo, God knows I do. But I'll kill him dead before I let him beat me!

R1 yes, yes, yes.

I've watched it probably 30+ times in my life, and I'm usually fine until Shug and the juke joint patrons go into her father's church, ahd she hugs him. And then I am DONE. I'm tearing up right now thinking about it.

Every time. EVERY time.

[quote] i cry EVERY time i watch this movie at about 3-4 places in the film

Same, R1.

The problem with the movie is it really DID give somewhat short shrift to black men. Certainly, Mister and others were abusive, and Celie's stepfather raped her, etc.

But in the movie, all you see is Mister being an asshole and dumb Harpo.

In the book, Mister and Celie actually come to a reconciliation point. This is only hinted at a bit with the way the movie ends, since the reunion of Celie and Nettie is the ending. It's not like they become besties or anything, but there is a more nuanced depiction in the book.

But I agree, the debate/dispute about that killed any chances it had for an Oscar. Otherwise, that dreadfully dull Out of Africa certainly would have lost to Color Purple.

It suffers from the usual Spielberg schmaltziness (see Schindler's List), but the scene at R22 is an awesome culmination of the sin/sinner pretty/ugly duality arc of the film. Shug's voice is heavenly in a sinner's body and rolls like a crescendo into that little church. When I first watched it I was surprised the preacher was Shug's father. I've never read the book, so I don't know whether he was a more fleshed-out character and whether that was known throughout the book.

I had to come back and say, still love it. A beautiful film. First viewing, I started crying with the Sophia goes to prison scene, and did not stop. Just endless snotty sobby crying. My friends who went with me were very put out.

[QUOTE] Just endless snotty sobby crying. My friends who went with me were very put out

MARY! was your porn ‘stache moist? did you have to use one of your color coded hankeys to wipe it? did you go to the baths after?

What flaws?

I like it, but there’s no way in hell Woke Hollywood would allow Spielberg to direct this film in 2021. It would have to be someone who checks all of the permitted/required demographic boxes for the subject matter.

As many have said - cried my eyes out when Suge sings "Godsm's trying to tell you something." Also, this is one of the few films that is superior to the book.

Actually Celie and Albert reconcile and become an actual couple in the book. And there is a sequel. Dear, God, do not read it.

I was 13 when I went to see it with my much older siblings. I sobbed throughout the film and could not stop crying at the end. They were all horrified.

Well, it's Sunday so here's a listen for "Maybe God is TRYNA Tell You Sumthin"

[quote] What flaws?

Mainly that they don't show the reconciliation/peace between Celie and Mister, which is what black men were angry at when the film came out.

And Spielberg made the whole thing a bit more pastoral and pretty then I think Alice Walker conceived it to be. She was not entirely pleased with the result. Then again, I don't think she's ever been entirely pleased in her life.

[QUOTE] I don't think she's ever been entirely pleased in her life.

she was pleased when I was eating her sweet black pussy

Waiting for the Netflix remake with Meryl, Corden, Clooney and Angelina!

R35 Oh, no, She had notes, gurl.

She's compiling a book as we speak. It's called "Slow Car."

One if my favorite films of all time. It's definitely apart of my top 1000 favorite films to watch.

I've always been surprised white people liked this film. I didn't think they'd watch an all black cast film. I guess I was wrong.

[quote] It's definitely apart of my top 1000 favorite films

So it's separate from those films?

It's actually in my too 100 favorite films, along with Forrest Gump.

Even my white trash family LOVE this movie. I dont know anyone who doesnt,or hasnt seen it . Men of all colors were bastards in the early 20th century ,Mister was no worse or better than many white men of that time. Women were chattel . They couldnt even vote yet . A man of any color could beat his wife with impunity , could take her money or property , and if he decided he was tired of her could kill her or lock her up in a loony bin . Black men may have been uncomfortable with the depiction of the time,but it was entirely accurate . That scene where Mister throws Celie out just guts me every time .

They don't make Movies like this anymore. It's like film making completely changed over the last 20 years. What happened?

R41 White men will always be worse. They were the ones controlling everything and they still do in 2020. Everyone has to suck their dicks if you want anything it seems.

Black men just like women, were victims of white male supremacy. So I wouldn't put everything on black men. And not all black men were assholes to their wives or children.

It's a horrible thing when one human being seeks to exert control and dominance over another human being. Horrible, indeed - and evil. Look at your simple yard birds - Robins, Jays, Cardinals - all the common Sparrows. The one thing about them which enhances their beauty all around is their freedom. It's evil to break someone of their rightful freedom as granted by God. For all the Celie's out there - a spirit, a soul, and a consciousness reside within your bodies, and those aspects of the self demand freedom of expression - OF BEING. May they receive unto themselves a far greater measure of the misery they so callously and carelessly heaped upon the innocent only yearning to live in peace. Many of whom will consistently cite the supposed teachings of the One, true, living God as their inspiration AND justification for such an evil - they only expose themselves as being the lying, thieving, hypocritical ANTI CHRISTS that they are. Amen.

R41 Do you mean when he kicks out Celie's sister? That's a heartbreaker

LOVE this movie. Also very popular here in Europe despite the regional differences.

Getting ready to watch it again tonight! It was the first movie that my eyes landed on in our vast DVD collection.. Thanks OP!

R45 Yes I meant when he kicked out Nettie . I cant believe I made such a lame mistake !

[quote] I've always been surprised white people liked this film. I didn't think they'd watch an all black cast film. I guess I was wrong.

The themes and story are universal. I'll watch any movie no matter the "race" of the cast if it's a good and compelling story.

It's it true Chaos Khan was first supposed to play Shug Avery? I'm not sure of her acting but I wonder what she would've done with the music.

Tina Turner was the first choice for Shug. Spielberg desperately wanted her, but she turned him down. She wanted him to write her a role in an Indiana Jones movie instead.

After that, he approached Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle and other famous R and B divas of that period. Chaka didn't want to do movies, I don't know what happened with Patti.

Phyllis Hyman was very close to getting the part but sabotaged the final audition herself by trying to pull rank over Spielberg.

Diana Ross expressed interest at one point, but Alice Walker thought it would then become the Shug Avery story, so she told Spielberg no.

[quote] After that, he approached Chaka Khan

Guh. Guh. Guh. God is trying to tell you something.

Shug was perfectly cast as a slinky type, Chaka and Patti and freaking Phyllis Hyman were all big girls. Mister seemed like the kind who’d go for a more Hollywood glam type, he had a homely wife.

So Sophia was brought up in a house of incest too? was that a common black thing at the time? she said she had to fight off her father and her brothers. Did Harpo fuck any of his sisters?

A fairy tale essentially- but it’s fun an Oprah is terrific.

My favorite scene was when Miss Celie was frying the ham and eggs.

Didn't Alice Walker say she got the story from her spirit guides?

Dear God,

Our Evangelical Mary is back at R44.

I put some Shug Avery pee in her drink and see how she like that.

It's Miss SOFIA you fat whores!

I love the old father at the end, chain smoking, hunched over, and useless, sitting at the table, a complete ruin and no one paying him any serious attention anymore.

Adolph Caesar, great actor.

I didn’t realize how much Danny Glover looks like OJ Simpson. I wonder if their ancestors were from the same family. They looks mighty similiar!

I remember reading the novel in Junior high. It's basically all written letters.

I remember the line "he grab hold my titties" [sic..]

The screenplay was also adapted by Menno Meyjes, a Dutch born screenwriter who's only previous credit was an episode of amazing stories, which was a Spielberg production.

Weren't there any black screen writers available at the time?

Why the fuck would a white Dutch screen writer no anything at all about black southern culture in America.

Wouldn't that be foriegn to them? American white is one thing, but European white is completely different. And I didn't know this.

[QUOTE] And I didn't know this.

and if you don’t know, now you know.

I WAS AVAILABLE!

I was available!

Large number of the African American "community" felt that far too much dirty linen about black men in particular was being aired in pubic by Color Purple. They weren't thrilled with the book and went apeshit over film

Thing is both for the time period since and even now certain MOC have problems keeping their hands to themselves, keeping away from fresh young girls, and rest of things embodied by "Mister", "Harpo", the "Step Dad" etc....

For those who haven't strongly suggest reading the book; it is much better than film IMHO. For one thing characters are fleshed out more so many things that seem a bit off in film make sense.

Oprah's performance was overrated. The costumes, cinematography and scenic designs were great.

I agree OP, it's a wonderful movie. I've seen it so many times I can do every bit of the dialog. Unfortunately I wore it out. I just don't think I could bear watching it again.

My favorite line:

[quote] Old Mister - "Celie, you has my sympathy. Ain't many womens 'low they husband's ho to lay up in they house".

On a positive note, Albert wanted to be married and to take care of his children. Relatively speaking, that was a good message.

Also, being critical of women who acted like harlots or got they legs open for every Tom, Dick and Harpo was morally upright.

Shame on that Celie Johnson for allowing her husband's "HO" to "lay up in her house!"

The scene when Sofia gets out of jail, goes shopping for Miss Millie and Celie helps her while The First Noel plays always gets me. Epecially when Sofia mouths “thank you” from the car and Celie gestures for her to chin up. Oh man, here I go...weeping already.

the film also perpetuates the trope of the magical/superstitious black man, with Harpo admonishing Squeak “it bad luck to laugh at a man” and with Mister reacting so strongly to Celie’s curse.

[quote]I've always been surprised white people liked this film. I didn't think they'd watch an all black cast film. I guess I was wrong.

Yes, you were definitely wrong, hon.

R67, yeah apart from Bill Cosby, the me too movement had the majority of the accused being white but for some reason you think MOC have a problem. How about men in general have a problem?

[quote]R53: So Sophia was brought up in a house of incest too? was that a common black thing at the time? she said she had to fight off her father and her brothers. Did Harpo fuck any of his sisters?

[quote]R67: Thing is both for the time period since and even now certain MOC have problems keeping their hands to themselves, keeping away from fresh young girls, and rest of things embodied by "Mister", "Harpo", the "Step Dad" etc....

[as crisply as possible] There is nothing about any of that which is particular to blacks. Sofia's statement that "a girl child ain't safe in a family of men" is a truism that transcends race/color/ethnicity.

For some reason, I've never watched this. But after reading these posts, I'll give it a try.

[quote] I've seen it so many times I can do every bit of the dialog.

One of my favorite small bits:

"I's getting REAL tired of this cat."

Oprah was fine in this movie. She really played Sofia well. It was before she became "Oprah."

She's wildly inconsistent as an actress but she does have talent and when she's on, she's great. She made me forget who she was in the Henrietta Lacks movie - she really captured Deborah Lacks.

R76 has stated her boundaries (swathed in patchouli)

R80 but she IS right

She is telling us NOW so she does not have to tell us THEN

Old mister disgusted at how Albert has let the house go to hell after Celie fled with Shug and her husband Grady...

[quote] "git these chickens outta here fo' they lays eggs all over the damn place".

Old Mister talking trash about Shug Avery to Albert...

[quote] "What is it with this Shug Avery? She nappy headed, got legs like baseball bats, she nothin' but a juke joint jezebel. Her own daddy won't even have anything to do with her. Why she ain't even clean, and I hear she got that nasty womens disease"

Alber and Grady drunkenly reminiscing about their time with Shug...

[quote] "Yeah, you had her yo' way and I had her mine"

My favorite lines: Sophia returns and we first see her again entering Harpo's Juke Joint

"Nah, I know you won't belee dis, but dis heah use to be my very own home! Dis heah use to be ma livin room, n ovah yondah was weah my kitchen wuz! Laaaaaawd, looka who heah - it Miss Celie! Miss Celie! Sho is good ta see ya! ***SMOOCH***

You ain't nothing but a big ole heifer!

What woman illness did Shug have? VD?

One of my top 10 favorites of all time. Watched it again the other day. The final scene when Celie sees the colorful robes of her children blowing in the wind across the fields. 😱 It's an ugly cry for sure.

[quote]Oprah was fine in this movie. She really played Sofia well. It was before she became "Oprah."

She could in no manner whatsoever play this role today. The "Oprah" has been too far removed and insulated from the masses for far too long to relate in away to Sofia's struggles.

The film is very good, I always enjoyed it and I'm white. I heard a lot of flack from other white people about how Spielberg "prettified" the Jim Crow era and that meant the film was bad and white people who liked the film were probably racist themselves, blah blah blah. Turns out most black people don't share that opinion, go figure.

....

I'm poor, black. I may even be ugly. But, dear God, I'm here. I'm here.

R90, it’s “po”.

Wow, this thread was more favorable than the one for its 25th Anniversary many years ago. I'm kind of pleasantly surprised.

One of the best things about the movie besides the acting is how Spielberg managed to make it a drama, screwball comedy, and musical without it ever feeling incongruent. That will remain his unique gift as a filmmaker: he is a master of emulating classical Hollywood filmmaking aesthetics. The only films at that point by a white director that gave a mostly black cast this type of sheen was King Vidor's "Hallelujah," Vincente Minnelli's "Cabin in the Sky" and Otto Preminger's "Carmen Jones."

The film remains very quotable and memorable, and 35 years later, people still talk about it with fondness. "Out of Africa" is practically forgotten.

I love it too.

As a white, privileged, Australian male, I have no idea why I connect with it and sob like a son of a bitch the whole way through.

It's because you've got a good heart R93.

Whoopi went straight NY accent during that confrontation with m.i.s.t.e.aruh at the dinner table, though.

Looking up at the missing chunk of roof, the child says to Harpo:

"It's gon' rain on your head."

Whoopi on being cast

I have to say, as someone who read the book right before the movie roles were announced, I can think of few movies where a character was SO perfectly cast as Whoopi was with Celie. Truly perfect.

I don't know if it's because we didn't know her from much else, but she WAS Celie.

I fully believe Whoopi’s Ghost win was to make up for not being nominated for TCP.

She was nominated for The Color Purple; it was Spielberg who was snubbed.

I know there was some criticism of Spielberg minimizing the lesbian content in the film. But this was 1985 and I don't think anybody expected there to be the graphic sex scenes from the book. To his credit, I thought he handled the Celie/Shug kiss tastefully. The camera pans away but, again, it was 1985 and the moment works so well because it's really the first time Celie is shown affection.

Interesting how over 30 years later Luca Guadagnino used the same technique with Call Me By Your Name. But what was acceptable in 1985 wasn't in 2017.

I don’t remember how the sex scenes played out, did Shug eat Celie’s pussy?

^^^ in the novel, that is