The Color Purple

1985

Action / Drama

55
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 94% · 126 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 94% · 100K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.7/10 10 103151 103.2K

prison rape sibling relationship jazz southern usa africa

Plot summary

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

Director

Steven Spielberg Photo
Steven Spielberg

Top cast

Susan Beaubian Photo
Susan Beaubian as Corrine
Margaret Avery Photo
Margaret Avery as Shug Avery
Laurence Fishburne Photo
Laurence Fishburne as Swain
Dana Ivey Photo
Dana Ivey as Miss Millie
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.28 GB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 34 min
Seeds 24
2.46 GB
1920*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 34 min
Seeds 71

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by classicsoncall 8 / 10

"Yes indeed Lord. I know something's coming."

Reviewed by Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson 7 / 10

Well done Mr. Spielberg!

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 paradisaical 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.
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