The Color Purple 2023 Remake
The Color Purple has made it back on the big screen. The original Color Purple was debuted in 1985. I remembered being in highschool and watching the original Color Purple. At the time I didn’t fully understand about the struggles African American women and men endured. This film was depicted in the 1920s and I was born in the 80's. When I first watched the show it was entertainment for me. As a teenager I understood some of the scenes i.e. funerals, women shopping at the supermarkets and boutiques, Shug Avery singing at the Juke Joint, Celie cleaning the house and cooking, and people going to church, because those were some of the things that I witnessed as a child growing up.
These were the cast from the original Color Purple. This was Whoopie Goldberg break out role as Celie, Oprah Winfrey debuted playing the character of Sophia.
The Color Purple movie was based on a novel written by Alice Walker. The book was written in 1982. The book was based on uneducated African American women's struggle for empowerment. The book was banned from public schools in 1984 for religious objectives, homosexuality, violence, rape, incest, drugs, abuse and explicit language.
Where did the name Color Purple Come From? In the movie as Shug and Celie were walking in the field, Sophie explained to Celie about her interpretation of God and life. Shug quoted, “ It pisses God off if you walk by the color of purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it”
Let me get into my review of the 2023 Color Purple Remake. The movie took place in Jekyll Island, Georgia. The cast includes Corrie Hawkins as Harpo, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Fantasia Barrino as Adult Celie, Danielle Brooks as Sophia, Colman Domingo as Mr./Albert and Halle Bailey as Young Nettie. Other star guest were Louis Gossett Jr.,David Allen Grier, Tamela Mann, Ciara, Aunjaue Ellis Taylor, amd Whoopi Goldberg.The producers of Color Purple Remake are Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, and Scott Sanders.
The producers did an Amazing job with the remake. The clothes, plot, wigs, replica buildings, home interior, cars, and furniture were really close to the original movie Some of the set were different than the original. In my humble opinion a little difference gives the movie a buzz and leave viewers talking.
As I was watching the movie , in my mind I was comparing the 1985 and the 2023 version of the Color of Purple. In the remake,
Nettie was shot at and asked to leave Mr.’s property instead of a rock being thrown at her.
Suge Avery and Celie kissed at the movies instead of the house,
In the remake Celie visits Sophia in jail.
Mr. goes to Celiie's store to make things right
Shug Avery went into her dad's church alone and singed instead of her fans accompanying her. Shug Avery and her dad singed together and made up.
I loved the woman Celie became towards the end of the movie. She became liberated, she no longer was oppressed, she was surrounded by positivity, friends and love, she began to work in her passion, the biggest of them all she reconnected with her sister and children with the help of her oppressor. Also she forgave Mr/ Abbott for how he treated her.
These women did an amazing job with embodying the role. By watching the movie I can tell they took their role seriously. I watched behind the scenes and the making of the Color of Purple Remake, the cast worked long hours to make this movie epic. Danielle Brooks that played Sophie was mentored by Oprah to bring this character to life. She mentioned in an interview that her dad took her to a Color Purple musical when she was 15 and since then she always wanted to be in the Color Purple Play. She stated, when she got the call from Oprah that she got the part she was elated. In conclusion, I was very pleased. Color Purple was one of my favorite movies growing up. I still remember the iconic lines from the original movie. If you haven't I recommend that you watch the original and remake version.
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