The Color Purple

I am a huge fan of movie musicals that let them be musicals. I think mixing song and dance with the tools of film can be some of the most captivating filmmaking there is. While this didn't quite reach the heights of something like Chicago or Little Shop of Horrors or even Dreamgirls, it gets close. I must admit, and I'll catch some slack for this, I've never loved the 1985 version. I like it and I've rewatched choice scenes from it a lot, but I never really rewatch the whole film. I've read the book and I love the book. It's pretty bleak at times too but in the big it's presented as a series of letters and the highs and lows of Celie's life are presented right next to one another. The horrors of Mister's abuse and the simple joys she finds in life are present and she states them very matter of factly. The 80's version leaned so far into the melodrama and the abuse that the joys of her life aren't presented very often and really we only get them towards the end.

This film by being a musical I feel really does get across what it's like to a Black woman: absolute unimaginable horror juxtaposed with some of the sweetest days of your life and there's not much transition between the two. The film does struggle at times with how to end it's musical numbers but in regard to the more horrific scenes sharing the film with the big glossy musical numbers, I didn't find that to be a problem. If anything, and maybe this is because I know the story, the music helps make the movie feel less hopeless. They also toned down the violence a lot which some people have a problem with. But to that I say, I didn't want to see Beat My Ass: The Musical. The incest, rape, racism and domestic violence are all in the movie. But it's much more subtle in that regard. Mister isn't as physical and as a result his presence is much more intimidating because you don't know exactly what's gonna make him reach that point. But the film treats us like adults, we know what Celie is going through we don't need it best over our heads.

I watched this film with two white guys who have never seen the 80's version or read the book or seen the musical. They liked that the violence wasn't too overdone because as is they were having a hard time buying his redemption by the end. To be fair, the first film had this problem too and the musical solves this by giving him more songs and moments to not be an asshole. This version I will say doesn't quite nail it but I do buy him actually trying to change more than I do in the first film. I do think we needed one or two more scenes with Mister trying to do right by Celie and them having some words but the way it's done here didn't ruin it for me. Also notice I keep saying 'the first film' and not 'the original film' because while this does have some carry overs from the film, it's more of a blend of the book and musical. There are some scenes that do harken back to the 80's version but this feels more like it's own thing. I am appreciative that for once we can get a project based on a popular IP that isn't constantly trying to get you to remember the first movie.

A big change that I like is that this is Celie's movie and the perspective stays with her for most of it. There are scenes where she isn't around but honestly that doesn't take up too much time. The first film felt more from a male perspective by focusing so much on the horrors of her life. This version fleshes out her relationship with Shug, gives her more of a personality and shows it developing and overall she feels more like a central character even when she's still being meek and subdued. We get a lot of songs from her perspective and we get more insight into how she feels and sees the world. Her character feels a bit more believable than Whoopi's take on it and I think the physicality has a lot to do with it. Fantasia, at least in this film, is a woman with some weight on her who can make her presence felt even when she's not speaking. Whoopi back then was a tiny little thing and while that made the abuse she suffered feel more extreme she often got overshadowed by the more flashier performances she was surrounded by. This Celie feels like a woman who has been beaten her entire life but when she feels breaks free and is about to attack Mister, it feels more believable because I could realistically see Fantasia beating Colman Domingo's ass. Also Fantasia does a lot with her speaking voice in this to portray the age and pain in Celie's voice as time goes on and that's a choice Whoopi really didn't make. I like that Celie gets several songs expressing how she feels about Shug. I like that Celie is transported to Africa visually in her imagination and we're seeing what she visualizes. I like that this is her movie.

That being said, another big change is that the male characters aren't uniformly horrible in this. In the first film, nearly every male character is portrayed as evil, abusive, stupid, ineffectual and mean. They definitely let Mister be a bad guy but he gets more scenes with his dad that do show just exactly how he got this way. It's not explicit but you can see the line they're drawing. Harpo is vastly improved and doesn't come off as weak not as stupid as he did in the first film. I like that the reverend clearly does want to reconcile with his daughter but it's implied his wife stands in the way. I like that he gets to intimately reconcile with Shug. They feel more like people and not like broad etchings of an idea of a Black man. That has a lot to do with the creative team this time around being largely Black. I do wish a Black woman was involved in the script because there are a few moments I feel could've been drawn out more and explored, but overall I feel like this team not only understood the source material but also the assignment at hand.

That is where we get back to this film not being afraid to be a musical and holy shit is it unafraid to be a musical. So many modern musicals are afraid of leaning full tilt into it but this film goes the full dozen with it. At times, it feels like a music video and even the parts where they aren't singing but there's music underscoring them doing things on beat were fun additions. This felt like a modern version of the musicals from the 40's and 50's that were also largely unafraid to be musicals. There are some songs omitted, truncated or tossed into the background as in-universe music but the songs largely worked for me except for two. The first is the one Celie sings when she sees her daughter. I liked that she got a long sequence expressing her joy about this. I do not understand why this sequence started off with a chain gang and then it ending at the waterfall, while visually striking, didn't make sense either. I'm guessing it had something to do with the story Nettie and Celie were reciting earlier, I heard something about an overseer, but I didn't quite get it. The second one is Harpo's little working song which I think could've been cut. It's actually a new song and I guess they wanted to show off Corey Hawkins voice more, and he's got a great one, but it added nothing and felt pointless. Outside of that, I thought all of the music was great.

The presentation of said musical numbers has become controversial because of the large amount of close ups. Many feel that the musical portions came off as too tailored for the stage and I'd disagree. They get creative a lot with how they present many of these songs. Celie doing a reprise of 'Shug Avery's Coming to Town' while being in the record player itself was a nice touch. Celie and Shug's duet in the imagine spot was really well done and while big and over the top matched thematically what Celie was feeling. 'Push Da Button' being the show stopping big ass number it's supposed to be was so much fun to see on the big screen. That part where they cut the power reminded me of a similar scene in Smooth Criminal. The choreography in almost every musical scene felt like it naturally weaved from purposeful rhythmic motion to full on dancing. Yes there are a lot of mid shots and close ups but they all let the film be a musical. Right when they start to get a little too hung up on the close ups, they remind you of the production design and the costume design or they'll do some fun cinematography trick or they throw something else at you. The point is that this isn't Tom Hooper's Les Mis where he seemed very uncomfortable even shooting a musical. Blitz Bazawule directed this like it was a music video and for like 90 percent of it I'd say it worked. One drawback is that the emotional scenes do feel somewhat rushed because they are either crammed into a musical sequence or leading into one. Some of the scenes with Young Celie and Nettie feel like they're moving a bit fast and so does their reunion at the end. It still got me crying but I did feel like maybe we should take a step back and sit in the moment for just a couple more beats. But then we get to the ending song that ends on such a triumphant note that you almost don't mind. The passage of time also gets lost in the shuffle a bit.

Also with a cast this talented I'd want as many close ups on them slaying these songs too. Fantasia Barrino reminds you why she's one of the greatest vocalists of our generation. There is not one sour note that comes out of her mouth in this film. Every single song she's in she imbues with so much soul and character. Taraji P Henson is not a professional singer but manages to hold her own next to the likes of Fantasia and Danielle Brooks. My controversial take is that Brooks does a better job in the singing portions than in the speaking portions. She's not bad but it's a little too one note and flat. I will say this is one thing the first film nails down better. Oprah managed to make Sophia feel like a force of nature. Brooks never really reached that same level and in a film like this I feel like it was needed. When she's singing she's fantastic and she's singing a lot in this. Colman Domingo finds ways to make Mister terrifying and also pitiful in ways Danny Glover couldn't. H. E. R is in the movie. Corey Hawkins makes Harpo feel like a believable character in ways the actor from the first didn't. I'm also kinda shocked at some of the people they got for this. Tamela Mann is in this. David Alan Grier is in this. Ciara is in this. Louis Gossett Jr is in this. These are such deep cut references to Black American culture that it really enriched the viewing experience for me. Also these aren't cameos, they all pop in and out of the film. I liked that.

The casting in general is mostly pitch perfect. Everyone knows what kind of film this is. They're all giving a performance that's a little over the top but perfectly suited to this type of story. This isn't your Mama's Color Purple. It's a much more light hearted take on the story while still keeping much of the drama while visually telling the story in ways the first film didn't. The way they transition from Young Celie to Older Celie was very well done. The way they show Celie imagining what Shug might be like was cute. The film doesn't go to Africa much but again whenever it does it takes Celie there. It's dramatic in a different way that still works for me. I would say that the first film had more iconic lines and this film does pay lip service to them from time to time. The writing here is solid and works more to make the characters believable on an emotional level. The first film kinda felt like a blockbuster with how characters would be quipping during some serious scenes, I'm specifically referring to the dinner scene near the end. This film lets the serious moments be serious and while understanding that this is still musical it also knows when to pull back. I vastly prefer this version of Shug reuniting with her dad. Yes the first film has that big jubilant scene that makes you wanna dance and cry. But I liked how this version was much more intimate and it worked better for me on an emotional level. The original film often felt way too saccharine when it needed to pull the heart strings. This film doesn't really do much of that. The emotional moments outside of a few are largely within the songs. They're extremely effective but they don't feel overwrought.

Overall, I had so much fun with this movie and this version of the story. It's not perfect but man it's really nice to finally get a musical that wants to be a musical. I feel like theater kids are gonna be returning to this one a lot because there's a lot in here for us. There's some flaws with the pacing and some transitions and a few songs could get cut. But man I do like this one much better than the first try at this story. It feels complete in a way that one didn't. The first one felt more experimental in a way since a film like that really had never been made before. This film feels more polished and slick and I'm the type of person who enjoys that. 8.5/10. It's closer to a 9 than an 8.