“The Color Purple” Movie, Then and Now

Why the timeless original should have been expanded rather than reimagined.

When there’s nothing more to say, do something new

That’s how I feel about the first movie, released in December of 1985. I think all of the bases were covered back then.

However, because of the heavily talented, new cast and my love for the original film, I was eager to see what they would do with such a great work.

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her novel of the same name, back in 1983. The novel, turned screen play, was released as a motion picture, in 1985.

I was ten years old when the movie opened in theaters, and I was permitted to watch it with my older cousin. I wouldn’t recommend every ten year old watch a movie like The Color Purple, but I was a bit different, and my mother thought it would land well with me. She was right!

The avid fan of the novel and/or original film understands how timeless the original film is and that the overarching lesson was this: once you find the courage to give space to your voice, however you get that courage, you will find your place in the world. This is a timeless message, no matter who you are.

Managing Expectations

Celie, the lead character, allowed us to hear her voice back in the 1980s, so I wondered what exactly the new, dynamic ensemble would say or do to leave an indelible mark with both old and new audiences.

Perhaps my expectation — for the new experience to leave an indelible mark on me — was too much.

I’d watched several interviews with the film’s producers and director. I understood how the director felt vexed by the notion of saying something which hadn’t already been said, until he had an epiphany.

The director, Blitz Bazawule, said he decided to allow Celie, the lead character, to display more imagination in the movie. That imagination was confetti sprayed out to the audience in the form of lots of song and dance numbers, and that’s where they lost me.

While I appreciated Blitz’s perspective and attempt at providing a new lens for audiences to see something beautiful, even more beautifully, I think he failed to consider how much audiences already do that when indulging in the arts. We fill in the blanks.

We create our own what-ifs, and we have a personal appreciation for what we digest, separate from what writers, directors and actors offer to us. It’s our contribution to the arts!

Had I never seen any film version of The Color Purple, perhaps I would have received the new movie a bit more easily, but I had, and I found myself pretty bored with the showmanship.

I wanted to be enlightened by Celie’s journey and invited to her feast of life like I never had before, but I felt as though I was given an invite but left outside to watch through a side window.

The performances didn’t include me. They directed me. They told me to feel something different than Celie’s reality and it was always optimistic, strong and powerful.

I think to provoke those emotions and reactions are important, but in real life, they aren’t always prioritized and you simply have to go through the mud before getting to the greener side.

Blitz had a great idea and it could have worked, however, I felt like Celie’s imagination, if that was the vantage point I was supposed to have during this latest rendition of the story, was streamlined into a perpetual joy, which never came down, short-circuited a few times, and detracted from the rhythm of the story telling.

That’s how I received it, anyway.

Don’t get it twisted

The new release stuck pretty close to the original film, as far as overall storyline, and many of the performances were iconic, deeply relatable, and I must say they conveyed the heart of their characters beautifully.

I am looking forward to more work coming from Fantasia Barrino, who played Celie both on stage and in the new movie, Taraji P. Henson, who played Shug Avery, and Danielle Brooks, who stupendously played Sophia.

Colman Domingo, a versatile artist of high caliber, was great in his role as Mister, and it was a sweet surprise to see the 87 year old Louis Gossett Jr. (Filmography: An Officer and A Gentlemen, Roots, Watchmen TV Series, etc.), reprise the role of Ole Mister, in this new rendition.

I can say all of that, with 100% sincerity and admiration, and still tell you that the new movie, or my expectations of it, was a letdown for me. Like I said, the original movie already drove home the message— Celie’s voice had been found, and she will no longer be accepting anyone’s suppression. Thank you, and next!

What I have also discovered, which is a wonderful thing, is that the movie appears to be killin’ it at the box office. I am not mad one bit! Considering the struggle it was, I’m sure, to get funded, to build the right team and to create the new work of art, I want them all to have nothing but success and limelight, because they are worthy.

The movie was beautifully shot, with strong character presentations and I truly felt each actor’s voice.

Don’t get me started on the pleasure I felt seeing jazz contemporary, Jon Batiste show up on the screen, with all of his enigmatic charisma, as Shug’s husband, Grady.

I also loved gospel artist and actress Tamela Mann’s opening scene in the film too. She’s a brilliant songstress, but still — it was all a bit too much for me.

Maybe, if…

While Blitz made it very clear how he planned to refresh the movie classic via Celie’s imagination, an idea I thought novel and bright, I didn’t come away from the ending scene feeling like that really happened.

It seemed as though, at best, the new movie reimagined the original movie. It was vibrant, colorful and included enough of the original cadence to hold my interest, most of the time, but it fell short.

I couldn’t help but wonder if rather than reimagine the original film, they could have expanded on the film’s overall message, taking Celie’s lessons and experiences a step further. Then, maybe there would have been more meat on the bone for me to chew.

I wonder if instead of breaking out into song and dance when Celie and Shug discovered their love connection, we got a little more dialogue from Celie and Shug on what that connection meant to them, and why it was so critical for each of them at that time.

It wasn’t just sexual for them, as shown in each movie. They both needed each other.

Sure, the original and new movies both touched on it, but I think some insight could have been gleaned from the novel to add a layer that was just out of reach in the original movie.

The song and dance added flair, but very little depth to the value of their relationship, in my opinion.

Hey, but what do I know, I’m neither a screenwriter, nor a movie director.

To go or not go?

I don’t want to leave the impression that it’s a waste of time to see the new film or that I didn’t like it at all. I want to convey that the new movie had some chops. However, if you saw the original film, you may set yourself up to expect more of the same impact, and that could lead to some disappointment.

I think for both old and new audiences, if you keep your expectations fresh, measured and open to lots of energy, color and flair, then your experience may be more pleasurable.

Perhaps I’ll watch the reimagined version of The Color Purple in a year or so, with fresh eyes. My opinion may shift.

Until that time, I’ll continue to enjoy the original film, finding nuggets of newness each time I view it, and remembering how precious it is to discover, embrace and use our beautiful voices. It’s how we create our own space in this world.

There’s room for us all, even when it takes a while for others to see our value. Hold on!

I love you already.

-Bloom