Sunday, 22 September 2024

The Color Purple (1985 Steven Spielberg)

Menno Mayjes adapted Alice Walker's novel (she was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize), a novel which has frequently been the subject of censorship. Walker herself sounds like a bit of a divisive character. The film tones down the lesbian angle.

It's quite a downbeat story in many ways but things pick up towards the end. Danny Glover is the horrendous husband of Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey is a dear friend, Margaret Avery the singer, Willard Pugh is 'Harpo'. What's shocking here is that most of the violence and brutality portrayed here is black-on-black, unusually.

Allen Daviau photographed it, Quincy Jones wrote the music, Michael Khan is the editor.

It doesn't really quite come to life for me until the Africa stuff.




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