The Color Purple (1985)

Spielberg’s craft has always blended human emotion with technical brilliance. That is what sets him apart from his contemporaries, who have mastered one but have fallen short in the other. While his fame can be owed to the Summer Blockbuster series that he has directed, starting with Jaws, ‘The Color Purple’ is arguably his most heartfelt product, a period piece that shows the tragic existence of an African-American girl in the early 20^th century in the American South.

The film traces the life of Celie, a girl who is put through suffering right from a young age, when she gets pregnant twice through her abusive step-father while still in her early teens. The two infants are put up for adoption. She is married to an equally abusive widower, Albert and father of three, who uses her as a doormat and a glorified maid. His original choice was Nettie, her younger sister. But Celie’s father had his eye on her as well. Finally, Nettie escapes her father’s clutches and comes to live with Celie. When Albert tries to rape Nettie, she resists and gets thrown out of their house. She promises to write to Celie, but Albert conspires to never let Nettie’s correspondences get to Celie.

As time goes by, Albert’s children grow up, Celie becomes a mother-in-law and a grandmother. But nothing in her life changes. She even has to put up with Albert’s mistress, who moves in with them. However, she strikes a couple of strangely supportive friendships with her husband’s mistress and her daughter-in-law that help her find herself, albeit at a much later stage in life. Her karmic cycle completes.

Cinema is a visual medium. The hallmark of Menno Meyjes screenplay, brought to life by Spielberg’s brilliance is the powerful usage of visual symbols to convey situations. The role of the narrator is smartly introduced in the form of Celie conversing with God. A similar technique was used later in ‘Forrest Gump’, with Forrest narrating his life to strangers on a bus stop and the sequences playing out. The opening scene starts with the shot of 2 young girls, who are shown torso up playing in a field of purple flowers. You could mistake them for any 2 young girls, but when the camera moves with them as they step out, the swollen tummy of Celie is shown. A young girl with a playful manner, with a baby on the way. A lot is conveyed. The film received an amazing 11 Academy Awards nominations without winning any.

For a debut role, Whoopi Goldberg as Celie is mind blowing. Her transformation from a shy and retiring girl to a woman who finds her feet shows her amazing dramatic range. No wonder she is one of those few artists who has won an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. Danny Glover as Albert portrays a chauvinist to the hilt and makes you hate the character, which is an achievement for an actor. Oprah Winfrey as the fiery daughter-in-law Sophie does a splendid job that makes you wonder, why she did not act more. Another important role is of Margaret Avery, who plays Albert’s mistress and Celie’s mentor.

‘The Color Purple’ is a heart rending film that begs the question, ‘Why do some people have to go through so much?’ and answers it by showing that things work out eventually.