The Color Purple
I must admit that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in the new film The Color Purple. The subject matter seemed tough for a musical. And the director, Blitz Bazawule, really didn’t have much under his belt to prepare myself for this film. I assumed the singing would be spot on as we all know Fantasia Barrino can belt out a tune. All of the music was fantastic and had the entire theatre buzzing. You couldn’t help but feel energized after most of the performances. While the middle of the film might have dragged on just a bit, the overall performances were fantastic.
For those of you who don’t know the story, this film follows the life of Celie. She is put through the ringer as she tries to navigate her way through life. She ends up befriending a successful singer named Shug Avery, played by Taraji P. Henson. Shug was my favorite character of the film. She was a constant ray of shining light. The film needed a character like this to keep the audience from falling into a state of depression. Henson also showed that she can be quite the singer and performer.
There are many scenes that are memorable. However, the dinner scene towards the back half of the film is the scene that makes this movie. All of the best characters are thrown on the screen at the same time. It’s truly a dynamite scene. It sure feels like a scene like this is going to lead to some Oscar nominations for the film. While it might not be quite powerful enough to pull out too many awards, don’t be surprised to see a handful of nominations for this film.
The Color Purple is a film that is well worth watching. Don’t let the subject matter or the fact that it’s a musical scare you away. There is so much redeeming from this film.
8/10
Lead Image screenshot/courtesy of Warner Bros.
