Rating: 
Summary: PROOF THAT OSCAR IS A SCAM
Review: I don't know what else to say. I lined up for this movie during a November rain storm. People were literally herded into the theatre so they could cram in as many showings a day as possible.
I was on a blind date with an absolute mess of a man - it all seemed hopeless.
What unfolded before me was a roller coaster ride of emotions unlike anything I have ever witnessed - one of the greatest movies of all time.
It was nominated for 11 oscars and won none. There have been other scandals - Like Cher not being nominated for Mask, or Judy Garland not winning for A Star Is Born. But this Oscar shutout was racist and mean spirited above anything else we've ever witnessed. The primary competition was Out Of Africa, I saw that movie and literally fell asleep twice it was so boring.
Back to the movie, I just don't know where to begin, it deals with every taboo subject in the book, but deals with them honestly thru the eyes of the amazing cast.
What I like most about this movie is that you are rarely able to really tell where it is headed, just as in life itself.
I can tell you that it is a rare day indeed when a movie makes me cry, well this one did. But it also made me jump for joy at times also.
It may not have won the oscar, but it did win the hearts of the world, something which Out Of Africa will never do !
Rating: 
Summary: Fate can take a twisted path
Review: "The Color Purple" has so many messages, moral and otherwise, that they blur together into what can only be described as wisdom. As an Australian I can't claim to know a lot about the black experience in the south, in the early 20th century. Despite that, I get a strong sense of realism from this film, in the same way we are forced to believe someone when they admit a degrading fact about themselves.The heart of this movie is a woman named Celie. Woopie Goldberg was cast in the role and it represents her first cinematic outing. She was nominated for an Academy Award and, in my opinion, should have won it. Celie doesn't get to talk much, is subservient to many of the larger powers in her life and yet still manages to communicate depths of emotion few of us ever see in our own lives. Our sympathies go out to Celie from the start, when we see her as a child playing in a meadow with her sister, Nettie. Hidden at first, her pregnancy is soon revealed, as the result of an incestuous rape. Celie, still a child, is soon separated from her own offspring, for the second time and then torn apart from her sister, as Celie is consigned to her new husband. Married life becomes another form of servitude, including the same chores, sexual abuse and mental anguish but without her sister's love. Nettie somehow gets shipped of to Africa, as a nanny to some missionaries. We only see enough of her life to know that it is a rich and fulfilling one, in stark contrast to Celie's. Celie has a strange and extended family. Her husband, Albert, called only "Mister" by Celie, is a petty and deliberately cruel man. He seems to sense that there is more value in Celie than he will ever possess and thus never stints in holding his power over her. Albert's mistress, Shug Avery, is a degraded yet stylish club singer who eventually loves Celie more than Albert. He was never more than a passing convenience to Shug. Albert has a son from a previous marriage, Harpo. For some reason, the strongest character in the film, Sofia, played very convincingly by Oprah Winfrey, decides she is going to marry Harpo and does just that. In many ways, Sofia's rude awakening to the realities of her world, at the hands of the local mayor, his wife and the police, is sadder than Celie's plight. After all, Celie never had hopes or expectations to lose. As the story progresses, Celie starts to emerge from her cocoon. Helped in part by her husband's mistress. She becomes aware of her own inner beauty and her own power. This transformation is so gradual that we almost believe nothing is changing but by the end of the film, Celie is a woman in control of her own destiny and a force for good in her community. We are not asked to believe that patience is all that is required to overcome evil. Celie has her fair share of confrontations and setbacks. Instead we learn that even the palest plant, deprived of sunlight all its life, may eventually blossom into something special. All it may need is a little encouragement. I don't watch The Color Purple as regularly as some of the other films in my collection. It is hard going in spots. But, if you ever start feeling a little sorry for yourself, I recommend this movie. Not only will it put your troubles into proper perspective but it will also lift up your heart as few films can.
Rating:
Summary: My #2 movie of all time
Review: This is my #2 movie of all time and I think Steven Spielberg did a great job with this one. I've got a little story to tell before I get into my review (warning: there are spoilers in the review!), here it is: I have to tell you that the first time I saw The Color Purple I didn't even know that this movie existed, I've never heard anything about it before and I didn't know that it was directed by Spielberg. I missed the first 10 minutes of the movie so I couldn't realize till the very end that what I saw was a Spielberg movie. I can still recall the day I saw it: it was a dark November day, I was in a depressed mood and didn't want to do anything. I sat at home watching TV and at about 11 P.M I switched to HBO and from then on I couldn't stand up for one single minute, I was captivated by this movie. There aren't many movies that make me cry like a 5-year-old but The Color Purple made me cry and makes me cry every time I watch it again. The movie is based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Price winning novel and I think it gets the feeling of it and moves it onto the movie/TV screen. The movie is the story of four women. The main character is Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African American woman who is mistreated by her father (raped twice - with 2 children from the incest, none of them living with her), separated from her family (if we can call it that) and married to a brutal man she calls Mr. (Danny Glover). Her only friend in the world is her sister, Nettie (Akosua Busia) who runs to Celie and Mr. when their father tries to rape her as well and after an accident the sisters are separated. Celie lives with Mr. who has a mistress called Shug Avery (Margaret Avery). Shug is a blues singer who stops by many times and is the only person whom is loved by Mr. Mr.'s son, Harpo marries a woman called Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) who has very bad tempers that bring her all sorts of trouble throughout the movie. The story is about the seemingly hopeless life of Celie (spanning almost 40 years of her life) and her longing for love, her sister and her children. Her only companions in this sad life are Shug (yes, Shug the mistress!) and Sofia though both have their own problems. In the end, everyone gets what she has to get. There are winners and there are losers. What makes this movie one of the best movies of all time? First of all, the fantastic actors and actresses. Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey give the best performances of their career (though both debutants here). Danny Glover is frightening as the evil Mr. though you can understand him as well and I must admit that he won my sympathy in the end. Margaret Avery simply shines. These are only the main characters but all the other actors are great. Then there is the direction. Spielberg uses special settings and signs to make you understand every movement and every emotion (there are lots of emotions in the movie). Many people think that Schindler's list was the best movie directed by Spielberg. I think this is his moment where everything has its meaning and there isn't a lost second in the 154-minute movie. The director of photography does a great job, too. Back to the emotions. This movie makes you cry out loud at the things that happen to Celie and the other characters while at the same time you understand them and their reasons to act the way they act. In the last 30-something minutes the movie gives you such a turbulence of emotions that you can only sob and sob and sob. And it gives you something more: a catharsis. Few movies give a catharsis nowadays. The movie has some important messages, too. These are old truths but they are true: never give up and when there's little hope you have to hold on and go on with your life. There is sadness, joy, and there is forgiving, too. My favorite line is: "See, Daddy, sinners have a soul, too." Why did the movie fail at the Oscars then? I think it is the theme. It is about African American people and the way they were mistreated (by white people and by themselves as well). It is about incest, it is about men beating their wives and it is about many themes that are considered as taboo themes even today. But these things had to be told, this movie had to be made because we were poorer if it didn't exist. The Color Purple should have won all the 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for but it got none. This is a shame but it should not discourage anybody from watching it. I highly recommend it to anyone. Once you've seen it you'll never forget it. Believe me.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Drama
Review: I absolutely love this movie, every time I tried to record it my tape would run out. I have looked all over for this movie for almost three years and have not found it until now. I am glad to see it is still available to buy. Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover were at there bests I think in this film. Oprah Winfrey was exquisite. I give this movie thumbs up, whomever see's it will definetly enjoy it as much as I did, I still cry at the ending when the sisters finally find eachother after being separted for so many years and celie finally gets the chance to meet her children. It is a wonderful movie filled with hapiness and sadness.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Movie!
Review: This movie is just the right movie for about everyone to watch again and agin. It seem's like your loving it from the very begainning.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning performances makes film worth effort
Review: Director Steven Spielberg has the very nasty habit of undertaking deep subjects and then trivializing them with a simpering sentimentality more appropriate to a second-rate Walt Disney film than the actual subject at hand. To make matters worse, with THE COLOR PURPLE he also dumbs-down Alice Walker's brilliantly story of a depression-era black lesbian's slow and painful spiritual journey toward self-knowledge, removing as much as he dare from the story lest it offend the middle-class audience at which this film is very clearly aimed. Fortunately, THE COLOR PURPLE is remarkably blessed in its cast. Whoopi Goldberg's performance is a revelation of unexpected artistic depth, touching, funny, tough, and entirely honesty. Ophra Winfrey and Margaret Avrey are equally fine in complex supporting roles, and Hollywood's failure to make successful use of these actresses following their appearance in this film says quite a lot about the down-side of corporate film making. The power of Goldberg, Winfrey, and Avery--as well as every one in the entire cast--is such that the performers largely transcend Spielberg's ham-heavy touch to make the film memorable. The art direction is merely so-so, and I'd be willing to bet that neither Spielberg nor any of his designers actually bothered to visit the rural deep south before designing the show; the resulting look of the film is very hit and miss where autheticity is concerned. On the other hand, the cinematography is exceptionally fine and deserves a great deal of credit for making the film as enjoyable as it is. The script, as noted, is essentially a very weak adaptation of the novel, touching on but inevitably ducking the issues which made the novel so interesting. The Quincy Jones score, however, is stunning and deserves every one of the accolades heaped upon it. Watch this movie for the deeply moving performances, cinematography, and score. Then go out and buy the book. And if you've neither read the book nor seen the film, for heaven's sake DON'T read the book until you've seen the film: seeing the movie won't spoil book, but reading the book will certainly make you even more acutely aware of the film's already obvious failings.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: I watched this film when it first came out and from the very first scene onwards, it has been and still is the best movie ever. The actors and their characters in the movie, the story, the music - you name it - it's all fabulous. Sure, the language is sometimes explicit - but it's real. I don't like artificial conversations, avoiding certain words and expressions - the real world out there is a tough place. People - especially minorities - have dealt with and - let's face it - are still dealing with biiiiig obstacles trying to make their way through a half-way decent life. This movie is about a story taking place in "the older days", but in a lot of aspects, it's still very up-to-date. One reviewer states, the scene where Celie and Shug are kissing is gross and should have been edited. What an outrage. Fact is, that there are a lot of homosexual tendencies around which one simply has to accept. But - that's not the case here. Someone who gets his or her mind stuck on that scene has missed out on truly understanding this movie and its message. Celie has been raped and mistreated by her nasty husband - how about criticising this for a change. I found the first scene rather explicit, where Mister is raping Celie. But: It's part of the movie, it belongs there! And Celie is by no means a lesbian. Shug is just the first person, that shows here real affection, including its physical aspect. Good for Celie! The rape-scene and Shug singing "Sister..." will be on my mind forever. This has been the only movie I have watched so far, where the whole - I mean women, men, children, just everybody - audience left the theater crying. It is so very, very touching. A true gem in a world full of the works of a highly commercialised movie industry.
Rating:
Summary: ...hands down, what movies should be about...
Review: ...this is like goin to see my people down the way... i know these [people]!very insightful, because i can identify with the reasons and methods behind every character here. very seldom does EVERY character in a movie have a story to tell, but they do here; this movie could have centered around any character and still been an excellent story!!! alice walker and steven spielberg did great jobs with this, as well as the cast of actors. one of the top five of all american movies.
Rating:
Summary: Goldberg was born to play Celie.
Review: In her first film role, Whoopie proves her diversity as a comedian and actor. Whoopie IS Celie and vice versa. The contrast between the women's lives, their relationships with the men around them is fabulous. But if you look closer, they all have some things in common - their struggle to be validated as human beings, to be accepted for who they are, to FIND who they are and to be loved. These same hurdles exist for modern women of all races. This is an extremely effective film for men and women alike as well as children. It shows ugly human emotions as well as wonderful ones. Much can be learned from Celie and all that are around her. Celie's loss of her sister (oh boy, that's where I lose it every time I watch this movie), her triumphs, Mister's abuse of Celie, Sophia's strength, Shug's honesty, talent and tenderness, the fall of Sophia. The absolute horror of Mister's father. The prejudice shown by the upper class whites isn't dwelled upon but it is a powerful force in this movie. From a small scrap of paper that says SKY on it to Mister booby-trapping the mail box so Celie won't get into the mail to get her sisters letters, this movie is riveting, much too short and I give it 2 boxes of tissues.
Rating:
Summary: OPRAH, WHOOPIE, ET AL SUPERB PERFORMANCES
Review: Whenever I see The Color Purple it makes me wish that Oprah Winfrey had acted more. This was the first of very few film roles for Oprah and she is a natural. Whoopie Goldberg is such a gifted actress and always delivers a quality performance. Overall good film, but they could have edited out the kissing scene between Celie and Shug. After all, they weren't even married!
|
