The resilience and significance of female independence and supporting the sisterhood bond have always been filled with tales that have withstood the test of time. These stories could range from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Nella Larson’s Passing or Quicksand, to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple managed to be a culmination of not only the broadened empowerment of women across America but also shedding light on the struggles of Black women in America across the 20th century. It has continued to captivate audiences to the present time because the ongoing strife lingers to this day.
This iteration of The Color Purple brought glamour, rambunctiousness and heart. Having recently watched the original film adaptation (which was not a musical), I found this version to be less torturous. It still captured the essence of the brutalities inflicted upon the women in the narrative, especially to Fantasia Barinno’s Celie. I have not been able to catch the Broadway musical for this adaptation, but I could see how this movie contained those elements.
I found the symbolism and imagination of Celie’s and Taraji P. Henson’s Shug Anderson minds elevated further in this adaptation. The set decoration and shooting locations were stunning—being filmed at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA. The craggily, bone-dry tree branches were quite iconic. I was not sure if it was a throwback to the eerily-looking mailbox of Danny Glover’s Albert “Mister” Johnson, but it worked for me—adding to the concept that the land was like a graveyard of broken dreams.
The one set piece that I could tell was practical and amazing was when Celie was thinking about Shug in her mind, and they were standing and hearing Shug’s music on a ginormous vinyl. It was a very cool, effective use of imagery of what Celie imagines Shug to be in her hopeful head. The scene with Corey Hawkins’ Harpo Johnson building his juke joint on the swamp was a really well-planned set as well.
“This iteration of The Color Purple brought glamour, rambunctiousness and heart.”
From the beginning musical number to the last, I was enthralled in this world of black excellence and history. I thought the music composition from Kris Bowers was phenomenal, to say the least. Bowers recently scored great films like Chevalier and Green Book, along with the music for the Netflix series Bridgerton. The culmination of the musicians who have worked on the different mediums of The Color Purple, Quincy Jones, Brenda Russel, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray and Bowers, all rung true in this depiction of The Color Purple.
While Barrino’s acting debut in this movie was so emotionally moving, I found Henson, Danielle Brooks and Colman Domingo displaying why they have become Hollywood staples. With this iteration of The Color Purple‘s coming-of-age plot, Henson fell into the Shug role pretty well. I thought she had major shoes to fill with Margaret Avery’s performance, but she managed to strut it fairly comfortably.
“This 140-minute adaptation of The Color Purple will grip you in an entertaining and thrilling way…”
Brooks also had a major role to fill, as Oprah Winfrey played Sofia in the 1985 film. However, Brooks already played the same character in her Broadway debut, so it genuinely felt like she was perfectly cast to reprise the role on the silver screen. I was not into Orange Is the New Black, but I have seen her role on HBO’s Peacemaker series (The Suicide Squad spin-off series) and really enjoyed her there.
I have not seen Domingo from a musical standpoint, but it was interesting to see how he blended his charm and ruthlessness on-screen. His performance was definitely a toned-down version of Glover’s performance, but it still made me want to rip out his throat! Domingo continued to show why he was a talented actor, especially after I recently saw his work on Netflix’s Rustin. Hawkins also had another moment to shine and show off his musical talents. I really enjoyed his character as Benny in the musical film In the Heights, and he always brings fun yet serious minutiae to his performances.
When the end credits hit and the tears were still flowing down my eyes, I understood exactly why this film will always have a strong cultural impact for generations to come. The social commentary was enough to remain relevant to this day despite Walker’s novel being written in 1982. The message still holds true for the struggle of the sisterhood who fight for equality, power and acceptance. This 140-minute adaptation of The Color Purple will grip you in an entertaining and thrilling way. Be sure to bring a box of tissues and maybe throw on a mindless rom-com afterwards.
