Music plays in the background as Sug Avery lays in the tub. Her body is submerged in a mixture of warm water and bubbles. Her eyes are closed as she listens to the melody of the song playing. Little does she know, Celie sings about her. She sings about her touch and smell. She serenades her beauty, and she thanks the lord for Sug’s arrival.
As Celie sings, she walks around Sug’s bathtub. Sug’s tub has been transported on top of a record. Celie’s pace is increased with the movement of the record on its player. Her movement is graceful and loving just like the way she caresses Sug’s skin. That’s when the record skips, bringing both Celie and Sug back to reality.
The Color Purple starring Fantasia, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Colman Domingo was released December 25, 2023 in theaters worldwide and January 16, 2024 on streaming services. The film has a PG 13 rating and runs for a total of two hours and 21 minutes. As of publication, the movie has made $64.1 million in the box office. The movie has been relatively successful. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the audience has rated the movie at 95% freshness.
The movie lacked the emotional aspects of the original film.
The Color Purple takes place throughout a series of years, starting in the late 1910s and progressing to the late 1940s. I believe the location of the movie is stated, but it was presented at the beginning of the film, so it was easy to forget. It is clear that the film takes place in the south on the east coast. The land is mostly swampy and is in close proximity to Memphis, Tennessee.
The film has an old-timey look to it without lowering the clarity of the picture. Instead of lowering the resolution on the cameras, the filmmakers utilized dark, unsaturated colors. These dark, unsaturated colors aren’t just reflected in the lighting. These colors make their way into character’s outfits, cars, homes, and surroundings. The colors start to change though. As Celie begins to find her independence and experience true joy, the colors around her begin to brighten.
The aspect I was most nervous and excited for was the music. Usually, movie-musicals never go well. Actors who cannot sing are cast to play characters that are expected to be played by professional singers. This movie was different though. The singing was phenomenal. Instead of relying on actors, the casting directors relied on actual singers like Fantasia, Halle Bailey, H.E.R., and Tamela Mann. Luckily enough for us, these singers happen to have some acting experience as well.
On the topic of acting, the acting in the movie was okay. The actors could act, but it was basic. It resembled the acting in a theater production where one is connected to their character, but not fully. For example, I hated when the characters couldn’t hear/see an extravagant, ten minute musical number. Although it’s a staple in musicals, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t cringey. Additionally, the acting lacked emotion. The movie is supposed to be this epic documenting a Black woman’s success, but the acting doesn’t do that. The acting makes it hard to feel for the characters because they lack three-dimensionality.
I wanted to talk more about the lack of emotion. Although I liked the movie, it was hard to make emotional connections to the characters. I wanted to feel for the characters, but I couldn’t. I don’t know if there was something about the acting or the storyline that made it hard to connect to the characters. In the original movie, connecting to the characters was easy. There was something about the struggle that Celie faced that seemed natural. In this movie, Celie’s sadness seemed forced like much of the emotions in this film. Everything just looked forced.
Regardless of my negative comments, I enjoyed the movie. I thought it was a nice way of introducing people to The Color Purple. With a musical element, the film caters itself to a whiter audience. This allows a diverse audience to experience the struggle of Black people, particularly Black women.
