The Color Purple

Rating:
Summary: The Color Purple is monumental
Review: The Color Purple is a roller coaster of emotion. Opression, degradation, and racism are present throughout the film. Celie and Nettie are just two young girls playing joyfully in a field of purple as the movie begins. You then realize that Celie is pregnant. Celie is pregnant by the incestuous act of her father who then takes the baby girl away moments after birth. Celie is then bartered off to `Mister'(Danny Glover) by the father who kept Nettie because she was too young to be married. Later in the story Nettie goes to Celie's household trying to escape the father and gets put in the scope of `Mister'. Celie begs `Mister' to allow Nettie to stay with them and the wish is granted. The sinister ways of `Mister' come about as he tries to swirl `Nettie' into the bushes. The rape is thwarted as Nettie takes care of his `business' and `Mister' comes crawling out the bushes.

Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) shows the determination of the human spirit. Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) says `Hell No' when asked to be the maid for Miss Millie. The Mayor (Husband of Miss Millie) slaps Sofia down and the rebuttal gets Sofia eight years in jail. The Mayor follows eight years of jail with a release and Sofia is put into the service of Miss Millie. Miss Millie shows some white sympathy for the coloreds as she tells Sofia she's going to take her home on Christmas day and let her stay all day with her children. Miss Millie can't get the car out of reverse and nearly suffers a nervous breakdown trying to make her exit. Sofia tries to overcome the circumstances and stay with her children a bit longer but Miss Millie cuts the visit short.

Shug (Margaret Avery) singing in melody to the church choir as she walked from the jook joint to church was very powerful. Shugs' reconciliation with her father was monumental.

Good overcomes evil as Celie escapes her bonds from `Mister' with Shug. Alberts' (Danny Glover) love for Shug has always meant pain for Celie. Shug singing "Miss Celie's Blues" is great...and the acts of compassion that follow between Shug and Celie are awesome. The `Lesbian' acts are not conceived as being lesbian at all but as a means to show Celie that a person can be loved and not just used as a toilet for sex.

`Mister'(Danny Glover) shows that he's not completely ice cold at the end of this masterpiece but I don't want to be a spoiler.

This is a great movie and I'd give it a 4 star rating out of 5.





Rating:
Summary: Spielberg triumphs
Review:
After becoming the King of popcorn movies, Spielberg switched his focus, realizing that he could use the world's most powerful medium to make important statements.

This movie tells a story too great to sum up in words. You must watch its splendor to appreciate it's magic.

A cinematic triumph worthy of much praise.



Rating:
Summary: This film is truly in a class by itself.....
Review: To this day, I am shocked that "The Color Purple" was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won NONE! This is truly a blow to such a beautiful, heartbreaking, shiningly beautiful film that depicts horrendous examples of human brutality and abuse (child rape, domestic violence and everyday racism) and also shows in the example of the main character, Celie (a beautiful and understated Whoopi Goldberg), how the human spirit has the strength to overcome unthinkable odds.

This story was masterfully translated from Alice Walker's novel to the screen by director Steven Speilberg. Though, this was a controversial move in the eyes of many in the African-American community (that is, when some weren't protesting the novel's depiction of abusive, unfaithful and animalistic African-American men). Was it possible that a white man could really capture the essence of this amazing novel written by a young African American woman? Yes, it was more than possible! In fact, in my eyes, human suffering knows no color line. I believe Steven Speilberg tapped into his close knowledge of hardship that is rooted in his identity as a Jewish American man.

The whole cast was just marvelous! This was Whoopi Goldberg's film debut as Celie, a young African-American girl growing up in unthinkable circumstances in the South. Oprah Winfrey also lends her talents as Sofia, a fearless, dignified woman who teaches Celie the importance of self respect at all costs. Those of you who haven't seen Danny Glover in anything except Leathal Weapon will perhaps be shocked at his turn as the abusive "Mister" who marries Celie and then proceeds to beat her, cheat on her and treat her with less respect than the dirt under his shoe.

It is important that EVERYONE see this film. Though, I don't reccomend under the age of fourteen seeing it because of graphic depictions of domestic violence, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse and thematic intensity. I thank Alice Walker for having the courage and the strength to write this novel. I also thank Steven Speilberg, all of the actors and actresses and Quincy Jones for adding his masterful soundtrack to this film. This is truly incomparable to ANY other film. I guarantee you, you won't be able to keep yourself from crying toward the end (which I won't ruin for you).

Rating:
Summary: My absolute FAVORITE Movie
Review: I have always been interested about what happened to African-Americans in the early 20th century. My grandmother and great-grandmothers have stories, and they all are almost similar to things that happened in this movie. This is the first movie that i could actually connect to being an African-American. Our identity was stolen from us and we had to, generation after generation, try to create and identity while dealing with corruption amongst our own people and families.

Anyhow, this movie is funny and for a race where most of us barely know where our great-great (let alone great) grands have come from, I'm sure that I can speak for many of us (African-Americans) to say that it gave me a sense of family and home

Besides all of that, the acting, directing, and everything was EXCELLENT and that was some racist stuff that this movie did not win an academy award.

Rating:
Summary: Best Film Ever Made
Review: The Color Purple is my favorite film. Some parts are shockingly honest and can be difficult to watch, but these moments are followed by hilarious and uplifting scenes. Spielberg makes the viewer experience the full spectrum of emotions. Although our society has tried to stratify everything into good and evil, left and right, etc., this film reminds us that nothing is black or white, all good or all evil. This film, its actors, and Steven Spielbeg were all robbed at the Oscars. Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and even Oprah Winfrey were all fantastic. Although the ending with Celie is touching, I found Shug Avery's reconciliation to be much more powerful. That scene is one of the great classic in cinema.

Rating:
Summary: CELIE"S ADVENTURE
Review: The Color Purple has to be one of the most emotional movies I have ever seen. Specially the end, when Celie runs to encounter her sister and sons. This pure film art. Mr. Spielberg understand the human intimate emotions, and this movie really reaches to your evey sense. The whole plot of woman being under a man dominated society, and how different character of woman react to that, are the main goal here. Whoopi and Oprah give an outstanding performance, as well as the other actors, specially Glover who you end up kind of hating, but that by all means, meant that his part was really believable...now that's acting....Excellent Movie, Excellent Direction, acting...well everything...a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Good!
Review: This movie was good and sad I had to see it 3 times.

This is on my top 10 movies.

Rating:
Summary: "It's about time we had some stability around here."
Review: This film received 11 Oscar Nominations back in 1985, won none of them(Shame on you, Academy voters!), and really should have won Best Picture over "Out of Africa." Whoopi Goldberg never got another role like this one, showing her incredible and untapped acting talent by way of Steven Spielberg's inspired and altogether ambitious direction. Mr. Spielberg was not even nominated for Best Director(Shame on you, Academy voters!). It was great to hear that he did win the Director's Guild Award(handed out by his peers), but this horrible oversight still needles me to this day. Back to the acting. Oprah Winfrey was given an Oscar nomination, as was Margaret Avery, but there are so many stunning performances here from the entire cast that pointing out any standout performances is nearly impossible. There is also some clever film editing(certainly the most under-rated facet of filmmaking), that keeps the film constantly fresh and the story moving forward with some fantastic cinematography. The only thing that breaks the continuity is that the character "Celie" is played by two different actresses, while her sister "Nettie" is played by a single actress both at a young age and when she is older. It is really a small discrepancy given that both actresses that play "Celie" are excellent(in particular, Whoopi Goldberg). For those who know only Whoopi's fairly lame films like "Burglar," I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised by her amazing work here. There are many moments in the film that are so genuinely touching and heartfelt that by the end of the final scene I suddenly realized that it never felt so good to cry. This is easily one of my favorite "Spielberg" films. Everything about this movie is gorgeous! Thank you.