Steven Spielberg is not only good at making gripping popcorn movies. The American filmmaker is also good at serious, sensitive material, as he has proven several times in the course of his career. A classic in this genre is The Color Purple, released in 1985, based on the novel of the same name by Alice Walker.
Since last year (this year, if we go by German cinema releases), there is a new cinematic version of the story that impresses with great images. The new edition of The Color Purple differs in one respect, however. seriously from Spielberg’s adaptation. This time it is a musical.
Elaborate remake of The Color Purple: No Spielberg, but plenty of rousing songs
The Color Purple tells the story of Celie (Fantasia Barrino) and how she experiences the early 20th century in the USA as a black woman, starting with her childhood under an abusive father. She is barely rescued by her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) when the next man threatens to kill her. to make life hellThe domineering Albert (Colman Domingo) demands that Celie always call him “Mister”.
You can watch the trailer for The Color Purple here:
The Color Purple – Trailer (German) HD
As dark as the tones are that are struck in the course of the story, The Color Purple also contains lots of hope. Like when Celie meets Sofia (Danielle Brooks) and Shug (Taraji P. Henson), who are like two sisters in spirit to her. Together they find light that breaks through the oppressive darkness of their lives, not to mention a lot of music that flows through the film.
Just like Spielberg’s version, the remake directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King) is based on the literary original written by Walker in 1982. But there is a second important source: The Color Purple in 2023 also goes back to the Broadway play of the same name, which was first performed from 2005 to 2008 and received eleven Tonys and a successful revival.
Although critics and audiences were convinced: Despite a mega start, The Color Purple flopped in the cinema
The Color Purple had an eventful run in the cinema. Although the film exceeded all expectations on its first weekend and was second most successful Christmas launch in the USA (behind Sherlock Holmes), it ultimately turned out to be a flop. The film’s budget of around 100 million US dollars brought in only 67 million US dollars worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
However, it cannot have been the quality. The color purple has predominantly positive reviews Film critic Katie Walsh, for example, was impressed by the extremely good-humoured stars in the Los Angeles Times: “The craftsmanship is great, but The Color Purple would be nothing without its stars, and Bazawule’s cast is stunning.” Meanwhile, Shirley Li summed up in the Atlantic:
This latest adaptation may not hit every note of Walker’s text and Spielberg’s drama, but it tells Celie’s story sensitively. In other words, it understands that she is a uniquely imperfect, profound rhythm has.
If you are curious about the update of The Color Purple, you can now watch it on Sky and its streaming service WOW.
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