Customer Reviews
The color of life... 
2008-10-01
One of those movies that touches a person differently with each viewing, `The Color Purple' may be a perfect film. It's hard to take, sometimes overly dramatic (this may be uplifting and inspiring in the end, but getting there is a rough journey) but Steven Spielberg almost takes a Ron Howard approach to his filmmaking and creates a film that is dramatic yet heartwarming, with enough elements of purity that make the heavy-handed delivery seem as smooth as butter. Now I have not read Alice Walker's novel, but I really want to now, so I can't say if the film is as faithful as it should have been; but judging the film on its own merit there is no fault I can find, no fault at all.
The film tells the tragic story of Celie Johnson, a young woman abused by her father (birthing him two children) and sold to an older man who wants a woman to help him around the house (he has a slew of children and no wife). Celie takes the place of her younger sister, whom her father is not done abusing, Celie is sold into a life of torment and abuse at the hands of the unhappy Albert (or Mister). The film spans over forty years as Celie grows up reclusive and bitter only to have her spirits and her eyes opened when the boisterous and soulful Shug Avery comes into her life. Shug, one time lover to Albert, has some troubles of her own, but her way of dealing with them far outshine the way Celie has dealt with hers, and she helps Celie to come into her own and take back the life she should have had to begin with.
This is such a beautifully constructed story of oppression, not just by the hands of white men as is so often depicted, but `The Color Purple' paints a disturbing portrait of abuse and oppression within one's own family. Celie is oppressed by her father and then Albert. Albert is oppressed by his own father and his feelings for Shug. Shug is oppressed by the disapproval of her parents and her feelings for Albert and even Celie. The young and defiant Sofia is oppressed by her own actions, which result in her oppression at the hands of those around her, from her husband to her eventual masters. There is a tragic circle of abuse and control that is only broken when these individuals start to think and act for themselves, segregating themselves from the hands of their oppressors and becoming their own person.
This film is aiding by some of the most moving and effective performances I've seen committed to film. Danny Glover is emotionally scaring as Albert, a man confused and embittered by his own conflictions. Adolph Caesar is menacing as Albert's domineering father, and his character helps us to understand Albert, a man who is very hard to understand on his own. Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey (both of whom were Oscar nominated) give amazing performances. Oprah is at one moment in-you-face with her abrasive attitude, the next minute concealed and broken. These two variations of character help her build this woman from the ground up. Margaret Avery is beyond fantastic as Shug. The way she effortlessly wraps herself around Celie and dominates her thinking and actions is heart-reaching.
This movie belongs to Whoopi Goldberg though. Yes, Whoopi delivers what may be one of the greatest female performances of all time. She never breaks her characters emotional state, delivering to us a woman who has been conditioned by her surroundings. She is reclusive and unsteady, feeble and alone. She walks hunched and fearful; she speaks soft and unsure. She is afraid to smile. She is afraid to converse. She is afraid to be herself, but when her fire is ignited and her inner person is unleashed she is finally freed from her cage and given the chance to break away from those holding her down. Her final confrontation scene at the dinner table is one of the most earth shattering scenes in my movie watching history. To think that this was her debut performance (as it was Oprah Winfrey's). It pains me when I think of the fact that she LOST the Oscar (I can't believe this went 0/11 at the Oscars).
In the end I highly recommend this movie to any and everyone. This is a truly emotional film that connects with the audience on a deep and personal level. This is not a film about racism. This is a film about oppression, and each and every one of us has been oppressed at one point in our lives. We have not all been oppressed to this extent, but we can all gain strength from Celie's story and can all appreciate her struggle and eventual triumph.
As promised 2008-09-21
My movie was delivered in a timely fashion and packaged as promised. I appreciate the care and would use this provider again.
The Color Purple 2008-09-08
I have always enjoyed this movie from the first time I saw it to this very day. I have wanted to buy this movie for years and either could not locate a retailer in my area that had it in stock or they wanted just entirely too much for it. The price was most definetly right for a penny pinching mother like myself. I would recomend to anyone to use amazon.com for thier next movie purchase.
wonderful 2008-08-26
i could not believe that i was able to get the collectors edition for such a steal. i've always wanted a copy of the color purple but i have yet to find it in stores. thanks amazon!
Superb 2008-08-18
Five FULL STARS!
Whenever I'm asked about my favorite movie, it's always a toss-up between Malcolm X and The Color Purple, depending on my mood. I suppose TCP is the best movie tending to be on the girly side while MX is the best on the masculine.
HUGE thanks to all of the actors, directors and producers for making movies that celebrate people of color without the need of the GW Hollywood hero.
We need more movies of substance like these!
Swine Husband 
2008-06-18
Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, D.W. Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisiacal purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed. In a way it's a shame that Whoopi Goldberg, a stage monologist who made her screen debut in this movie, went on to become so famous, because it was, in part, her unfamiliarity that made her understated performance as Celie so effective. (This may be the first and last time that the adjective
understated can be applied to Goldberg.) Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and actress (supporting players Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery were also nominated), it was quite a scandal--and a crushing blow to Spielberg--when it won none.
--Jim Emerson
Not for the faint of heart. 2008-06-16
I read some of the other reviews that gave the movie one star.
Hmmmm....having never read the source material I can't make further comment.
I however, loved this movie.
Brilliantly directed, Brilliant performances.
I loved Oprah's character. Strong, tough, BAD!!!
I wish that was the Oprah we would have seen when Tom Cruise was jumping on her couch.
WHAM!!!
A brilliant movie and a must see.
A must see 2008-02-13
My mom let me see this movie when I was very young. I consider it a classic, necessity to the black movie experience. I've read people's reviews and heard a lot of negative comments about this movie that never crossed my mind while watching it countless times over approx. 15 years. I never got the message that all the black men were evil or that all the women were victims. I took it as ONE woman's experience, ONE woman's story. We cannot sit here and say that this story is unrealistic. No, we don't like to see this because it may "makes us( african americans) look bad",especially the men, but we cannot scoff at what may be MANY women's truths. If anything what happened in this movie should be encouragement for us to never let those things happen in our lives or the lives of those we love. I will always love the color purple for its music, scenery, characters, laughs, tears, and lessons.
My Favorite Movie Ever 2008-01-11
I watch this over and over. The 2nd disc is very interesting in the making of the movie. Whoopie Goldberg is great in this.
The Color Purple 2008-01-02
Absolutely loved it! Received it in plenty of time B4 our Galz Nite Out event.
