The Color Purple has had a fascinating journey through popular culture over the past four decades. Ever since Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was published in 1982, the story of a young Black woman struggling to find her voice in the Deep South during the early 20th century has been like a magnet for talented creatives looking to put their own spin on the tale.
Steven Spielberg was the first to adapt the novel into a film, just three years after its publication, earning widespread acclaim and 11 Academy Award nominations (though it didn’t win any). In 2005, The Color Purple was turned into a Broadway musical, which received 10 Tony Award nominations in its initial run and picked up a few more after a successful revival in 2015. Now, a new movie based on that musical is set to be released on Christmas Day. Unsurprisingly, given the source material, it’s already inspiring enthusiastic reactions in preview screenings and building momentum as awards season gets fully under way.
With each iteration, The Color Purple has gained more fans and found renewed cultural relevance as each generation brings a fresh perspective to the story. What will the upcoming film add to the conversation? Who’s involved? How is it connected to the earlier versions? And what can audiences expect from the theatrical experience this time around? We’ve done our best to track down the answers to those questions, and more.
What’s it about?
Set in rural Georgia in the early 1900s, the story centers on a young Black woman named Celie (originally played by Whoopi Goldberg in her breakout film role), who grows up under the control of a physically and sexually abusive father but takes comfort in her close relationship with her sister, Nettie. Celie is forced to leave home, though, after an arranged marriage to another abusive man called Mister, who has grown children of his own. Despite the hardships of her new life, she eventually forms a connection with his headstrong daughter-in-law Sofia, and his mistress, a glamorous nightclub performer named Shug Avery. With the help and support of these women, Celie begins to find her own identity and learns how to stand up for herself.
Who’s in the cast?
American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino makes her feature-film debut in the lead role of Celie. She’s no stranger to the part, having played Celie on stage during the show’s original Broadway run. But Broadway fans are most hyped for Danielle Brooks, who received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sofia (she lost to Hamilton’s Renée Elise Goldsberry). Brooks found out she’d be cast in the role from none other than Oprah Winfrey herself, who played Sofia in the 1985 film. Winfrey is a producer on the new film, along with Spielberg, Quincy Jones, and Broadway producer Scott Sanders. You can watch Winfrey surprise Brooks with the exciting news in this clip.
The strong supporting cast includes Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson as Shug, Tony nominee and Emmy Winner Colman Domingo as Mister, The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey as Nettie, Corey Hawkins as Harpo, and recording artist H.E.R. as Squeak. David Alan Grier, Jon Batiste, Elizabeth Marvel, Louis Gossett Jr., and Ciara also appear in featured roles.
Who directed it?
The film is directed by Blitz Bazawule, a 41-year-old filmmaker, musician, novelist and artist from Ghana. Bazawule wasn’t originally on the producers’ short list, but after he pitched his vision to Spielberg, Winfrey and the rest of the team in a virtual meeting he became the frontrunner. What really got them excited, Bazawule told The Wall Street Journal in an interview, was his concept of making Shug’s performances feel like the 1920s equivalent of a Beyoncé concert. And Bazawule should know, having co-directed Queen Bey herself in the feature-length visual album Black Is King. Spielberg called the pitch “visual magic” and said, “It made the choice to engage him on this the easiest choice we made when the project got under way.”
Bazawule, sometimes known as Blitz the Ambassador, made his feature debut with the critically acclaimed Afrofuturist film The Burial of Kojo. He’s also recorded four albums and written a book, The Scent of Burnt Flowers, which is set to be adapted into a six-episode TV miniseries for FX.
How closely does this film follow other versions of The Color Purple?
As Winfrey put it, in the most Oprah way possible, this is “not your mama’s Color Purple, but your mama’s gonna love it, too.” The screenplay, written by Marcus Gardley, weaves in elements from the book, the original film, and the stage version in a synthesis of all previous versions of the story. The new film brings back the Oscar-nominated song “Miss Celie’s Blues,” sung by Shug in the 1985 film but not used in the Broadway adaptation, and eliminates other numbers and reprises from the stage show. The new film also includes original numbers by Bazawule, cast member Halle Bailey, songwriting duo Nova Wav, and Alicia Keys.
Who else is involved?
Joining director Bazawule behind the camera is a deep roster of acclaimed below-the-line talent, including Oscar-nominated director of photography Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley, The Shape Of Water), Oscar-winning production designer Paul Denham Austerberry (The Shape Of Water), editor Jon Poll (Meet The Parents), costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (Glory, One Night In Miami...) and choreographer Fatima Robinson (Dreamgirls). Oscar-nominated composer Kris Bowers (King Richard, Green Book) also worked on the musical score.
What are the early reactions to The Color Purple?
Those who have already seen the film have been effusive about its success as a musical and optimistic about its potential to score more than a few Oscar nominations. The A.V. Club contributor Courtney Howard called it a “rapturous musical” buoyed by “powerhouses” Barrino and Brooks, while film critic Scott Menzel said, “This bold and fresh new take on the Alice Walker novel pays homage to the original film as well as the broadway musical while still standing out on its own.” Scott Mendelson, box office analyst at Puck News, also praised it as, “a showstopper of a high order.”
Meanwhile, film critic Valerie Complex hinted that this version may be the first adaptation not to downplay the queer aspects of Celie and Shug’s relationship as depicted in Walker’s novel. “Add it to the queer movies of 2023 list,” she wrote on social media. “Three performances bout to shake up your Oscar Ballots. This movie about to make a lot of $.”