The Color Purple main backdrop
The Color Purple main poster

The Color Purple

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7.8/10 • 1.8K

1985-12-182h 34m

DramaHistory

It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.

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.

Directors
Steven Spielberg
Editors
Michael Kahn

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Danny Glover

    Danny Glover

    Albert

  2. Whoopi Goldberg

    Whoopi Goldberg

    Celie

  3. Margaret Avery

    Margaret Avery

    Shug Avery

  4. Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Winfrey

    Sofia

  5. Willard E. Pugh

    Willard E. Pugh

    Harpo

  6. Akosua Busia

    Akosua Busia

    Nettie

  7. Desreta Jackson

    Desreta Jackson

    Young Celie

  8. Adolph Caesar

    Adolph Caesar

    Old Mr.

  9. Rae Dawn Chong

    Rae Dawn Chong

    Squeak

Reviews1

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GenerationofSwine Avatar

GenerationofSwine

Jan 12, 2023

10/10

Well, this is one of those movies that hinges on a singular performance. In this case it's Danny Glover who is absolutely amazing in his role, probably the best performance of his career, and one of the best that came out of the 80s. But Goldberg and Oprah really stink. I don't know what was going on there but they were all over the place. However, despite them, Glover does carry the role, and Spielberg realized that this was a film adapted from a play. He kind of took that and ran with it, so the performances (minus two notable ones) were as earnest as you would get in live theater, the set designs, the camera movements, it all felt less like a movie and a lot more like, well, like you were seeing it live on Broadway. And, honestly, I think that worked. It was a unique approach and it made it wonderful to watch.

Media

  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster
  • The Color Purple poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$15,000,000.00
Revenue
$146,300,000.00
Keywords
prisonrapesibling relationshipjazzsouthern usaafricaempowermentadoptionabusive fatherviolent husbandjazz singer or musicianlettercynicalincestangryaggressivedesperatecomplexanxiouscautionarysentimentalantagonisticauthoritariancallouscelebratorycondescendingdefiantharshominous