The long-awaited release of the musical “The Color Purple” will be in theaters on Christmas Day. With all the tremendous media coverage and private screenings, it feels like this movie has already been released in its full glory.
Truly, this film is “all that” and more.
Executive-produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones, this reimagined musical version should not be compared to the original movie or the Broadway musical of Alice Walker’s novel. Walker has said this current movie musical is closer to her book, which received a 1983 Pulitzer Prize.
Director Blitz Bazawule and Winfrey were clear in their casting desires for this film. Bazawule, from Ghana, made his feature directorial debut with “The Burial Of Kojo,” which premiered on Netflix in 2019. He also co-directed Beyoncé’s “Black Is King,” which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2020.
Bazawule admitted to being hesitant to direct “The Color Purple.” His goal was to expand the imagination of the character Celie, portrayed by Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, to show her dreams come forth.
“‘The Color Purple’ is sacred ground. You just don’t show up with nothing to offer, nothing to contribute,” said Bazawule in an interview on “The View.” “It was going back to Alice’s brilliant words, and for me, it was that opening line, ‘Dear God, I am 14 years old’. . . Anyone who can write letters to God has an imagination.”
Most of the focus for “The Color Purple” is on the women. They transform to reveal and face their truth. Key actresses are Barrino-Taylor, Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson, a D.C. area native and Howard University alumna. With Oscar and Golden Globe nominations among her accomplishments, Henson was considered the veteran among her sister actresses. Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, portrays young Celie. She is another DC area native having grown up in Montgomery County, Maryland, graduating from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.
The key male characters were also transformed.
Currently receiving great reviews as Bayard Rustin, in the movie “Rustin,” Colman Domingo plays Mister. His harsh actions scar Celie more than the trying times she had before she was given to him.
As Mister’s son Harpo, Corey Hawkins desires to be a good mate to the strong-minded, self-respecting Sofia, played by Brooks. Coincidentally, Hawkins and Brooks were classmates at Julliard. Hawkins is also a D.C. native, who graduated from the Duke Ellington School for the Arts.
Both characters, played by Hawkins and Domingo, have “Come to Jesus” moments in the film that show a soul can be saved.
“He is the one that gets to make a choice to change,” said Hawkins about his character Harpo during an interview on CBS Mornings. “If he can do it back then, it is a beacon for this generation in terms of Black love and the many different facets of it. Through all our abuse, through all the trauma, there is joy and possibility. Harpo’s and Sofia’s love represents that.”
Inspired revelations in the film are shown through various forms of imagery. The production used weather, songs, and dance sequences to illustrate something profound was happening. Frolicking through a field of flowers showed the joy of what could be. Drought correlated to destructive behavior. Songs were indications of self-awareness. Dancing gave the characters the energy to move forward.
I immediately knew that Fatima Robinson was the choreographer for “The Color Purple.” She is best known for choreographing Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” video. Her dance direction for “The Color Purple” communicated joy and hope.
Award nominations have already been announced. The Golden Globe Awards, airing on Jan. 7, has nominated Barrino-Taylor for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, and Brooks as Best Supporting Actress. The Critics Choice Awards, airing on Jan. 14, has given the film five nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Brooks, Best Picture, and Best Ensemble Cast. The Black Reel Awards, airing on Jan. 16 has given the film 15 nominations. Those nominations include Outstanding film, director, actress, supporting actors, soundtrack and many more.
Much has been said about surprise actor appearances in the movie, which is another reason to see “The Color Purple.”
This is an emotional film, but my feelings ran high while viewing the credits. When I saw a single frame of Winfrey’s name along with Spielberg’s, where both names were followed by “p.g.a.,” the credentials given by the Producers Guild of America, that did it for me.
“The Color Purple” is for all of us.
Very well said.