7 thoughts on “Revisiting The Color Purple (1985)

  1. I love this movie. I watched it with my sister, who was surprised I had never seen it. I even bought the book. Sure, there are differences, but this movie is wonderful at showcasing how terrible women are treated (even today). Why is so horrible to pick on the men in this movie? Mister is a terrible man who forced Celie from her sister because he wanted to have sex with her, Harpo can’t think for himself, and Celie’s “father” is just terrible in a whole bunch of ways.

  2. This movie is so powerful. I agree with the professor who said that much of the movie’s legacy lies with the impact it’s had on audiences over the years more so than the film itself. And I agree with you about the lesbian kiss in 1985–that was sensational. The movie is atmospheric and deeply moving and it still holds up all these years later.

  3. The movie holds up amazingly. Alice Walker hasn’t…her blatant anti-semitism is incredibly saddening.

    1. I had to google this, and yeah. Yikes. That’s awful that such a great mind has succumbed to something like that. We live in a very confusing time where a lot of people seem to have decided that facts are optional and just subscribe to the most insane conspiracy theories, many of which involve hate against various groups.

  4. TCP is a superb film. I’m sorry if dudes feel they’re given short shrift here, but it’s not their story, and they can console themselves with most of the rest of filmdom that is dude-centric. This is about women surviving and getting through despite the difficulties of playing the hands they were dealt in life. Whoopi deserved the Oscar, though I think the elderly lady who won instead was superb in her own film. Whoopi was riveting and the journey of her characterization is astonishing and inspiring. The costumes were gorgeous. It’s baffling to consider this outstanding film and the fact that it was widely celebrated and yet was frozen out from winning Academy awards. Still, 11 nominations says a lot in itself. As for staying true to the book, it can be difficult to condense the essence of a novel into the narrow confines of a 2 or 3 hour film. I think Spielberg et al did a fantastic job of bringing Celie’s world to life, and I feel it should be watched by everyone.

  5. Aggie Guerard Rodgers stated in an interview that she referenced Sears and Roebuck catalogues in her research as many people at that time would order their clothes.

  6. The picture above that is captioned “Sophia is a bold character and it shows” does not depict Sophia. Just a heads up.

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