The Color Purple
The movie tells a touching tale of Whoopi Goldberg as Celie living with a abusive husband played masterfully by Danny Glover. The way Goldberg plays her character gives you the sense that she's been beat down her whole life, yet has a spark of independence that makes her enduring. I also enjoyed the narration that Goldberg says throughout the film, and it gave me insight into the character.
Given her news background, I was surprised how well Oprah Winfrey plays the part of Sofia. Sofia at first is an outspoken strong black woman that can take a punch and throw a few. She's so proud that in one scene the Mayor's wife comes up to her, asking Sofia to be her maid. Sofia tells her, “Like hell.” The Mayor comes over and confronts Sofia, and she knocks him out! This of course pisses off the white people and a police officer runs over and knocks Sofia out, cause her nerve damage. The sad part is the fact the Sofia spends a few years in jail and ends up working for the Mayor's wife anyway. Winfrey then plays the character as broken down woman, and a mere shadow of her former self.
Seeing Spielberg use wide shots and cool imaginary, shows you just how skilled Spielberg is as storyteller. This was Spielberg's prime. Hell, I laughed when I read that Spielberg banned John Peters from the set, because Peters was such an asshole. There was some controversy over Goldberg's character telling Sofia's husband to beat his wife, but that was the sign of the times, and the fact that Spielberg, a white director, filmed this movie. However, none of that matters because he was the right person for the job.
If you get a chance, watch this movie.
Grade A-
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