The Color Purple Review

The Color Purple – A review

"The Color Purple" is a movie directed by Steven Spielberg, based on a literary classic by Alice Walker with the same title. The movie was released 1985 and was nominated for eleven Oscars.

The Color Purple follows the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) as she struggles through life in the early 1900s. The film opens with Celie and her sister playing in a field of purple flowers, an idyllic haven which is promptly shattered by the appearance of their stepfather. This motif – innocence interrupted by men – permeates the entire film. The film spans several years and focuses mainly on Celie's relationships with the women around her. Her husband Albert (Danny Glover) abuses her repeatedly, and is the bad guy of the story. The story is told from a decidedly female perspective, but that doesn't mean it's a typical "chick-flick", even though I had problem relating to it from time to time. As with many Steven Spielberg films, this is a beautiful-looking movie, scene-after-scene almost looking like paintings. To me, that was the main attraction of the movie because the story - although powerful - to me, wasn't as appealing as the rich visuals. This would probably be a much more involving story if you are a woman or black person, because you can relate more to the characters in the film. Most of the men in this movie are portrayed as bad and a little bit dumb, while the women are portrayed as innocent and good-natured. As a male watching the movie, this bias in the story can be very annoying.

However, what really bothered me in this movie was the over-the-top sentimentality. When in real life do two people ever begin to read out loud in synchronicity, as Celie and Shug Avery do when sitting on the bed going over the letters from Nettie they have found? There are examples of this type of faux behavior throughout the film: all the men crowding around