David Farnor | On 16, Jul 2022

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Margaret Avery, Akosua Busia, Danny Glover, Whoopy Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey
Certificate: 15

“Me and you, us never part.” That’s the song sung by Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) and Nettie (Akosua Busia), in a joyful burst of sisterly affection and solidarity. And it’s that moving, uplifting spirit that gives Steve Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel such a timeless, lingering quality.

Walker’s novel might seem like an unusual choice for Spielberg, but his filmmaking career has always had a vein of probing humanity to it, from the dark explorations of Munich and Schindler’s List to the sentimentality of AI and The Terminal. The director initially turned down the project because he was unsuitable and, certainly in hindsight, he was right – there are countless talented Black filmmakers who would do wonders sinking their teeth into this material. But Spielberg’s ability to lean into schmaltz and, more often than not, avoid descending into sugary cliche, does mean that The Color Purple at least remains a powerful watch, and a notable milestone in Black representation in front of the camera.

The film follows Celie, a young woman whose life in the Deep South has been far from happy. Separated from her sister, her coming-of-age tale is a tour of discrimination, as she endures racism, sexism and harrowing sexual abuse from her father. But, as she recounts these events in letters to God, there’s also a gradual and resilient journey towards independence, and Spielberg captures those experiences without falling into the misery traps that might waylay another director.

Goldberg is wonderful and winning throughout, supported by Danny Glover as her cruel husband, Mister, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia, the strong and determined woman who attracts the attention of Harpo, one of Mister’s sons, and helps Celie see life in a different way. Meanwhile, Margaret Avery is excellent as singer Shug Avery, who passionately expresses her sensuality and sadness and with whom Celie has a loving (albeit toned down for the screen) relationship. That toning down, not to mention the film’s reinforcement of stereotypes surrounding Black men, both caused backlash when the film was released and yet there’s a complexity to the characters on display, as the script weaves a nuanced tapestry of transformation, growth and change.

The title, which comes from the observation that God gets annoyed if you see the colour purple when walking through a field and don’t notice, reinforces the central theme that the world needs more love, acceptance and recognition of the people who get overlooked by society. It’s perhaps fitting then that, the more time passes, the more it seems there is to appreciate in The Color Purple, a flawed but full-hearted celebration of hope and strength.

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