'The Color Purple' Has Enough Spirit To Soar
The Color Purple 2023 brings an entirely new element of Alice Walker's novel to life. It was first adapted in 1985 by Steven Spielberg, then in 2005 for Broadway, and now the hit play is made for the big screen in 2023. This new Color Purple is a spectacle meant to be seen on a large canvas with loudspeakers. The musical numbers range from decent to mesmerizing. Sometimes, the musical numbers felt like they were dragging on the film's length for the sake of having a song.
The film dazzles at certain moments and is somber at others. It's an appropriate mix of joy and sorrow to make for dynamic cinema. The cast is a delight who doesn't miss a beat. This rendition of The Color Purple is more celebratory than it is depressing. Both films center on the antagonist, Mister (Colman Domingo), or as he's known in the original 1985 film, Albert, played by Danny Glover. Mister makes Celie's (Fantasia Barrino) life a living hell. He adopted her through a forced marriage arranged by her sexually abusive father. Because of her dad's rapes, Celie has children that are snatched away from her before she can even hold them.
Mister is equally abhorrent to Celie. He strikes her on many occasions and demands she only be a housemaiden. She's never to talk back to her man or raise any concerns. The material is extremely heavy. It's so heavy I was wondering how it could be adapted into a musical. Furthermore, Celie is snatched from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) at a young age because she wouldn't accept Mister's sexual advances. How do rape and abandonment adapt into an appropriate musical film?
If the Sound of Music can make Nazis a sing-along extravaganza, then the creative team behind this film can make a tasteful musical centered around such dense material. Some of the best pieces are the ones highlighting a new character. Shug Avery's (Taraji P. Henson) introduction is a grand opening that lets us know right away who this character is. Ms. Avery is a no-nonsense entertainer who can light up a room with her presence alone. When we're introduced to her in Spielberg's original film, she calls Celie ugly. Later she apologizes, even becoming a mentor to Celie.
In the 2023 version of TCP, we get no such cruel introduction to her character, and appropriately so. Shug Avery is not a cruel character. She's welcoming in every way. That is except for her attraction to Mister. How Ms. Avery can be attracted to such a despicable human being is beyond comprehension. When alerted to what she does to Celie, Ms. Avery reassures Celie that she's beautiful—helping her find her voice. If not for Mister, Celie could truly flourish.
Mister in this film is played the same way Danny Glover portrayed him, but with a less intimidating aspect. The way Danny Glover played Albert (as he's called in the original film) is by behaving like a cowardly man. He's always running around like a dimwit, unable to keep track of where his socks are. Yet the sheer height of Danny Glover made Albert an intimidating presence. Colman Domingo, as Mister, isn't as towering in stature. He's more of a conniving little dirtbag we'd love to see get whooped. Had Mister raised his hand to any man the way he does to young women, he'd get the tar beat out of him.
There's a song in the film about domestic abuse that's an empowering piece about women struggling through a cruel world to come out on top. Many pieces translate from Broadway to the screen beautifully. Not all of the visuals are great. The film opens with a crane shot of Celie and Nettie playing in the tree as young girls. The camera tilts up from them to the sky with a corny text that spells the movie's title. Aside from that cringy moment, the movie generates energy with musical setpieces that don't take away from the impact of such a heavy story.
So which film is better? The 1985 or the 2023 film? They're both good. By helming a black director, the film creates a modern, vastly different version than the original. The 1985 film, like this one, is about sisterhood overcoming impossible odds to find joy. Where much of that time is spent in sorrow, this film bristles with lively action.
This rendition of TCP makes Celie more than a shy girl who learns to stand up against her husband. Don't get me wrong, Whoopi Goldberg was good in the original. But boy, can this new Celie sing. Fantasia Barrino is fantastic. The notes she belts are high enough to reach the heavens. It would make sense she's so good, as Ms. Barrino comes from a musical background. She's undoubtedly a star in a film filled to the brim with talent. Taraji P. Henson sings some incredible melodies as well, including a grand musical performance from Danielle Brooks as Sofia. Sofia's story, in particular, is heartbreaking yet not as effective as the visual impact of Oprah's whithered and beaten face in the original.
What surpasses the original is a sense of spirit. The music adds the feeling of what it must be like to be a black church sermon. It's filled with songs to get you dancing on your feet and feel the spirit of God in you. There's a parallel to God that is drawn in the film. Where there's faith, there's hope. Hope for Celine to have a better life, and find her sister. Although 1985's The Color Purple ends with hope, it doesn't do it with as much vibrance as this film. This Color Purple is filled with enough visceral impact to keep it resting in the same place as the original.
