The Color Purple

Alice Walker's literary magnum-opus, The Color Purple, already made its cinematic way in the form of Steven Spielberg's 1985 film. That film saw both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in their first film roles and ultimately tied with the 1977 ballet drama The Turning Point for the biggest Oscar shutout of all time: no wins out of 11 nominations. 

Hopefully, this new adaptation, which is primarily based on the 2005 musical by Marsha Norman, with songs by Brenda Russell, Alle Willis and Stephen Bray, will fare better in the upcoming Oscar race. It certainly deserves an award or two.

The story follows roughly forty-years in the life of Celie Harris (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi), who, at the turn of the 20th-century, lives in Georgia with her sister, Nettie (Halle Bailey) and their abusive father, Alfonso (Deon Cole). Celie is already twice pregnant by her "Pa," who gives away both kids to be adopted, and her away to be married to a farmer, Albert "Mister" Johnson (Colman Domingo). Albert is no better than Pa; when Nettie runs away to live with them, Albert tosses her out, but not before she promises to write to Celie. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen then inventively shows the years and seasons progress in a single shot around Albert's house, which ends with Fantasia Barrino taking the stage as the older Celie.

Celie's unhappily married life gets a bit better when Albert's mistress, blues singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), comes to town. Shug shows Celie the first bit of friendship she's had in years, which eventually grows romantic. Celie also befriends Sofia (Danielle Brooks), her stepdaughter-in-law, who refuses to let anyone push her down. Her new friends help Celie stand up to Albert and to reconnect with her past. 

Director Blitz Bazawule (Black is King) and his screenwriter, Marcus Gardley, don't directly transplant the original stage play into film form. That much is obvious considering quite a bit of the songs have been cut, allowing a new score by Kris Bowers and a few additional songs to come in. The songs that survived, from Sofia's rousing I Am Song Hell No to the emotional titular finale, are dynamite. The fantasy numbers accompanying a few of the numbers are spectacularly visualized, which is no surprise considering The Shape of Water's production designer, Paul Denham Austerberry, is this film's PD, too. Miss Celie's Blues, the first film's Oscar-nominated song, gets an appealing reprise, while this film's Oscar-shortlisted Keep It Movin', gives Celie and Nettie one last needed bit of levity.

Mpasi and Bailey have such great sisterly chemistry from their first song onwards. We definitely feel for them when they're put through the ringer in the first half-hour or so before their separation. Bailey makes for a strong presence even when that is limited to her voice-over narration. Barrino, as the older Celie, is dynamic as she finds her courage, whether she seriously contemplates murdering Albert or actually standing up to him at a Thanksgiving dinner. Her romantic chemistry with Henson's Shug may satisfy those unsatisfied with the first film's bowdlerized relationship.

Shug, by herself, maybe a diva, but it's her kindness to Celie that puts her on top. She even provides the title drop, her way of telling Cellie that there's beauty in the world. It's just as moving as it was when Margaret Avery played the part in the first film. But little compares to Brooks's screen presence, who, as Sofia, fights to maintain her dignity in a cruel world. That makes it harrowing when she's arrested for slugging a racist mayor and her dignity disintegrates after a ridiculously long prison sentence. You'll still cheer inside when Celie's aforementioned Thanksgiving fight restores Sofia's sense of humor. 

Now for a few other characters. It doesn't take long before we despise Pa, and it takes a bit less before we also despise Albert. Albert, however, eventually realizes how cruel he's been and makes legitimate amends. Him showing his son, Harpo (Corey Hawkins), his approval at the end, is sincerely moving. His final gesture to Celie helps give the film its happy ending. A bit less sympathetic is his father, "Old Mister" (Louis Gossett Jr), who's just a rude old man. Harpo, meanwhile, is fine, while his mistress, "Squeak" (Gabriella "H.E.R." Wilson), is another great member in Celie's social circle. Goldberg even pops in as Celie's midwife at the start, which makes for quite an early surprise.

I've only seen bits of the first The Color Purple, but I think this musical adaptation does right by the original story. Its moving story, phenomenal cast and stellar production values make this a memorable movie musical experience. It's worth seeing it in theaters just to hear your fellow audience members react. Indeed, their reactions made for a lot of joyful noise. See it soon and you might agree with me.