OSCARS 2024: The Color Purple (2023)

Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of “The Color Purple” is generally considered a respectable but somewhat incomplete adaptation of Alice Walker's landmark novel. Especially the queer element of the book was downplayed in the film. This is likely why other adaptations were considered a valid enterprise. In 2004, a stage musical based on the novel would debut to critical acclaim. Considering the role music played in the original, this adaptation made a bit more sense than your usual attempts to bring a well-known movie to Broadway. Since we live in a time where recognizable I.P.s drive every studio decision, “The Color Purple” making the leap back to the screen was only a matter of time. Last year, it happened, “The Color Purple: The Musical: The Movie” releasing around Christmas. The reviews were okay, the box office wasn't great, but the movie still scooped up a single Oscar nomination. 

Director Blitz Bazawule sticks closely to Spielberg's film and Walker's novel. “The Color Purple” is still the story of Celie, a black woman living in Georgia in the early 1900s. She's separated from her beloved sister, Netty, when their abusive father essentially sells her to a man in town as his wife. “Mister,” as he insists she calls him, is a monstrous man who beats Celie and terrorizes her into raising his kids. The shy, reserved Celie soon meets other women. Such as the outspoken Sophia and Shug Avery, a blues singer Mister harbors feelings for. Celie slowly comes out of her shell and stands up to the hateful men in her life. All the while, she never forgets her long lost sister.

Usually when a story makes a leap across mediums, I don't consider it a true remake. 2023's “The Color Purple” is, ostensibly, not an adaptation of the 1985 film. It's an adaptation of the stage musical, right? Yet I couldn't stop thinking about Spielberg's version while watching this one. Every moment of emotion that lingers with me about this story is from that film. When Celie finally rebels against Mister, nearly slashing his throat with a razor before exploding at him around the dinner table, it's a moment of almost frightening catharsis. That same scene in the remake, meanwhile, feels like a pale imitation. The same can be said of the horrible string of events that leads to Sophia being imprisoned and her spirit broken. The violence is unsettling in the original, while here it feels much less shocking. I guess it goes without saying that not every filmmaker can engineer a scene with the power and impact that Steven Spielberg can. 

This isn't to say there isn't talent involved with this “Color Purple.” Cinematographer Dan Lausten creates a good looking movie. The lighting is bright but with depth. The colors are rich. The camera movements are dynamic without being too distractingly showy. The cast is fairly talented. The nominated Danielle Brooks, as Sophia, is a stand-out. She brings a massive amount of power to her declarations of independence. Colman Domingo is utterly despicable as Mister, the exact kind of entitled scumbag you'd expect from this character. Taraji P. Henson is also very good as Shug, with an attitude and verve that draws the eyes. However, I'll admit that Fantasia Barrino seems miscast to me as Celie. Whoopi Goldberg was so perfectly meek in the part, playing a girl so frightened she fades into the woodwork. Barrino is just waiting to break loose and announce herself.

Musicals, of course, live and die based on how strong their songs are. I haven't seen “The Color Purple” on-stage and maybe it plays better there. However, I'll admit I did find this one to be a bit of a slog musically. Most of the songs blend together in my memory, many of them using similar construction. There's a lot of numbers here where back-up singers join in to emphasize the intended power of a lyric or melody. The truth is musical depend on a very careful tonal balance. Sometimes, people randomly breaking into song and dance will just look silly. That's the case here, when men building a house start using boards and hammers in their dances moves. Or during the especially silly number “Miss Celie's Pants.” It says a lot about the quality of the music here that the best numbers are the ones taken from the original movie. 

Spielberg's “Color Purple” was too long and too sentimental at times, while also having the edge and ugliness necessary to sell this story. The eventual triumph doesn't mean much unless it's earned. The remake lacks that grittiness, its victories feeling much more contrived. The performances aren't bad and it's a good looking film. However, when a musical doesn't hook me, I find myself becoming bored quickly. That was sadly the case with this “Color Purple.” Walker's novel remains the definitive version of the story while this take can't even stand up to the compromised strengths of Spielberg's adaptation. [5/10]