The Color Purple (12A)

Dir: Blitz Bazawule

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, Jon Batiste, Fantasia Barrino

This musical adaptation of the classic novel is much softer than Spielberg’s 1985 version but still manages to deliver a powerful message thanks to fantastic production values, catchy songs and an excellent ensemble cast.

Ever since its publication in 1983, Alice Walker‘s novel ‘The Color Purple‘ has garnered acclaim and controversy in equal measures. The book would go on to land Walker a Pulitzer Prize, making her the first black woman to receive the coveted literature award. Despite the critical acclaim, the novel has had a troubled time with censorship in the United States, where it has been listed as one of the banned and challenged books between the years 1990 and 2010.

The book would only receive greater scrutiny following the release of Steven Spielberg‘s film adaptation in 1985. Despite their impact on African-American culture, both the novel and the film were challenged regarding their ‘stereotypically violent depiction of black men’. This criticism was aimed at Spielberg in particular, who being a white man, was considered out of touch with the novel. Regardless of what are generally considered unfair criticisms today, the novel remains one of the most influential to ever be released and the film adaptation itself is regarded as a huge turning point in Spielberg’s directorial career.

Twenty years on from the original film’s release, ‘The Color Purple‘ found a new audience on Broadway, where it became a musical hit. It is this template from the musical that Ghanian filmmaker and musician Blitz Bazawule has adopted for the latest film adaptation of Alice Walker’s celebrated novel. Bazawule’s musical background and African heritage makes him a well suited candidate to direct this most recent adaptation and he does not disappoint in his first major Hollywood feature, following on from his success directing Beyonce‘s Black is King (2020).

Despite its musical set up, the film remains true to both Walker’s novel and Spielberg’s original film, exploring the central story of Celie (Fantasia Barrino), who is physically and sexually abused by her father during her childhood. Celie’s only respite comes when she is in isolation with her beloved sister Nettie (Halle Bailey), where the two sing and frolic along the picturesque Georgian coastline. Celie’s hopes of escaping her abusive life are shattered however, when she is auctioned off to local farmer Mister (Colman Domingo), whose hostile nature results in a threatened Nettie running away, leaving the despairing Celie on her own.

Despite his years of marriage to Celie, the abusive Mister openly discusses with her his longing for another woman, blues singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson). It is not until Shug comes to town years later, that an emotionally beaten Celie finally feels loved, and with further support from her fiery daughter-in-law Sofia (Danielle Brooks), she begins to take solace in the distant hope that her sister is safe from harm and one day they will reunite.

Much like the original film adaptation four decades ago, ‘The Color Purple’ benefits from stellar performances by its super talented cast. Fantasia Barrino, in her big screen debut, perfectly embodies her character, portraying her over a number of decades, she manages to showcase Celie’s initial reluctance and eventual resilience seamlessly as both her character and the film’s runtime progress.

There are strong supporting roles across the board from Henson, Domingo, Bailey and Corey Hawkins, but the stand out is Danielle Brooks as the strong-willed and plucky Sofia. It is a performance that has seen Brooks rightly secure an Oscar nomination to go with her Tony nomination for portraying the character on stage. It is hard to look past Oprah Winfrey’s iconic portrayal of the character in the 1985 adaptation, but Brooks’ charismatic performance delivers across the full emotional spectrum, with her largely comedic character being focal to the film’s most tear-jerking scene.

I was somewhat familiar with the central story having seen Spielberg’s adaptation albeit many years ago, but I was not familiar at all with the Broadway production. Once it was announced this latest revival of ‘The Color Purple‘ would be an adaptation of the stage musical, my intrigue peaked. Being fully aware of the horrifically bleak tone of the source material, I was curious as to how this would translate as a musical and whilst I do think Bazawule does an exceptional job of bringing the musical to life with plenty of toe-tapping vigour, the rough edges of this incredibly dark story are softened as a result. There are moments throughout the film that will undoubtedly leave viewers feeling uncomfortable but the up-beat music and feel-good outlook slightly detracts from the emotional impact of the undeniably heavy themes on show.

I cannot judge the stage show having never seen it but I found a musical take on the ‘The Color Purple’ peculiar, as I found myself enjoying it but not for the reasons I would have expected. The intricate production design and costume choices fully immerse you in the time period and this world is beautifully swept up in a series of raucous musical numbers. From a musical standpoint, the film absolutely delivers and this is probably the best mindset to have going in. Having seen the most recent adaptation, I may look at going back to Spielberg’s 1985 classic to assess the contrast in tone.

Reservations surrounding the tone aside, there is no question that ‘The Color Purple’ is an emotional rollercoaster, filled with laughs, songs and tears. It may pull its punches when it comes to highlighting its themes of female and racial adversity but thanks to a talented cast and Bazawule’s direction still serves as a fitting adaptation of one of the most beloved and powerful novels of all time.

The Color Purple is now showing in UK Cinemas