The Color Purple (1985)
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The film follows the arduous journey of a young African-American woman navigating a life of hardship and abuse in the early 20th-century South.
The story
Set in early 20th-century rural Georgia, the film follows Celie Harris, a young African-American woman enduring a life of hardship. After being forced into a marriage with a man who subjects her to abuse, Celie finds herself isolated and struggling to survive. Her life takes a turn when her sister, Nettie, flees their father and seeks refuge with her. As the two sisters navigate their shared trauma and the harsh realities of their environment, Celie must find the inner strength to endure and eventually forge her own path in a world that seeks to silence her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Celie, a young woman in rural Georgia, is subjected to abuse by her father and later by her husband, Mister. Her sister Nettie flees their father and finds refuge with Celie. Years later, Celie meets Shug Avery, a showgirl who becomes a source of inspiration and a confidante. Shug eventually moves to Memphis, and Celie follows her, only to be caught by Mister. Meanwhile, Mister's son Harpo marries Sofia, a woman who stands up to his abuse. Shug eventually returns to Celie with her new husband, and the two women discover that Mister has been hiding dozens of letters from Nettie, who has been living in Africa. After a confrontation with Mister, Celie finds her voice and eventually leaves him. Years later, after her father's death, Celie inherits property and opens a tailor shop. She eventually reunites with Nettie and her children, who have returned from Africa, and the two sisters finally bond together.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 154
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Menno Meyjes · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Whoopi Goldberg · Celie Harris; Danny Glover · Adolph Caesar; Oprah Winfrey · Ms. Millie; Margaret Avery · Shug Avery
- Genres
- epic period drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age; domestic violence; resilience; sisterhood; racial and gender oppression
- Tone and mood
- serious; poignant
- Premise and plot tags
- historical drama; biographical; period piece
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 1982 novel by Alice Walker
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its acting, direction, and score, while some critics found it over-sentimental.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 73% · scale: percentage · review count: 125; Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Actress in a Drama · Win; Directors Guild of America Award · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures · Win
- Production trivia
- It holds the record for most Oscar nominations without one for Best Director.; The film was ranked 51st on the American Film Institute's list of the most inspiring movies in 2006.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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