(Warning-this blog includes movie spoilers.)
Happy New Year 2024!
The Color Purple by Alice Walker was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. The book is very popular, as well as controversial, and is the foundation for a dramatic film and musicals. I saw the 1985 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Menno Meyjes, as a teenager. Recently, I saw the new 2023 musical film starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino. After watching the new film, I was inspired to take another look at the 1985 film, which is now a classic. Paraphrasing philosopher Heraclitus, No man, or woman, ever steps in the same river twice, for its not the same river and he, or she, is not the same person. As an adult, I have a different take of the story. I understand the critics who feel that the film has a negative portrayal of an African-American man, which is true. On the contrary, advocates believe that the film is not a reflection of all African-American men and is mainly a film about redemption and reconciliation, which is also true. Just like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, the meaning of a story is in the eyes of the viewer. The themes of The Color Purple (1985) include the consequences of economic deprivation on society and illustrates the hero's journey of the meek female archetype. Let's discuss....