There's a lot to like about this “Color Purple,” which is more inspired by the musical than a straight adaptation of it. Some songs from the show have disappeared; others have been added, and “Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)” from the 1985 film even appears. Marcus Gardley's script comes closer to the book in some ways – particularly in the romance between Shug and Celie, which is far from explicit but clearly intimate. This is an important level in Celie's life. If The Color Purple is a story about an abused black woman realizing her worth in the company of other women, then Celie's relationship with Shug, who shows her what it means to feel joy and safety, is a key element in hers Development.
Even better, it's riveting in its first two hours: big song and dance numbers and emotional set pieces, dynamic performances from everyone involved, and a sense of awe for the story and what it has meant for 40 years give it seriousness and heart . I wished (as I often do with contemporary film musicals) that the editing would slow down and I could actually watch the dancers. But overall I was hooked.
But in the end it is clear that the story remains sensitive for potential adapters. This iteration runs into the same problem as Spielberg's version: to truly tell Celie's story, one must leave room for some unspeakable atrocities that underline her later development into a woman of determination and courage. And with an average film running time, characters tend to be reduced to caricatures; While this adaptation gives the men at least a little more humanity than previous versions, they still essentially seem like soulless monsters. Hollywood films are not suited to this type of material, and the whole thing inevitably suffers as a result.
I'm assuming this happened in the last half hour when Celie's story suddenly comes to an end. It's a happy ending, but one that rhythmically doesn't fit with the rest of the film. Sudden changes of sense seem unmotivated, which robs the final scene of its power.
It's a shame, and I hope a future adaptation of Walker's novel does justice to Celie's expansive humanity. There is still so much fertile ground to explore. It is a story of horror but also of heroism – a black woman who finds her freedom in the company of other black women and then expands on that freedom with incredible courage.
The colour purple
Rated PG-13 for incest, rape, racism and abuse. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes. In cinemas from December 25th.