1985
Directed by Steven Spielberg
It seems a bit strange to me that a white privileged white male directed this film. Talk about mansplaining. Apparently I am not the only one that thought this was weird, as Spielberg didn't receive a Best Director nomination for the movie.
This is the extremely depressing story of Celie, a young African American woman living in the south towards the beginning of the twentieth century. Celie is raped by her father and becomes pregnant twice, but is forced to give up her children. Her father then makes her marry the abusive Albert. Albert refuses to let Celie correspond with her sister Nettie after Nettie rejects his advances. Celie finds strength in the indomitable Sofia and in a lesbian relationship with Shug Avery, a jazz singer. Well, this is just kind of implied; I think the filmmakers were a little too nervous to really portray the story like it was in the book.
I actually read the book beforehand and I hate to be that guy, but the novel was a lot better. The ending was nowhere near as cheesy. I felt like Spielberg was determined to make this film pretty, when in reality it is an incredibly dark story that maybe shouldn't have been as polished.
Still, I guess there is no denying that this is a brilliantly acted film that tells a story mainstream audiences don't usually hear. I only mildly recommend this, although I strongly recommend the novel.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Received 11 Oscar nominations but failed to win any awards.
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