The Color Purple (12A)

Teenager Celie suffers horribly at the hands of her abusive father Alfonso until she is married off against her will to local farmer Mister, who expects her to take care of his three children. Celie's spirited sister Nettie refuses to submit to Mister and she leaves Georgia but promises to write every day. Years pass and Celie is worn down to quiet subservience until Mister's mistress, sultry jazz singer Shug Avery, sashays into town and lights a fire in the broken wife.

LondonNet Film Review

The Color Purple (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

Structured as a series of letters, Alice Walker’s 1982 novel The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was subsequently adapted into an Oscar-nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg. Twenty years later, a musical stage play of The Color Purple with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics courtesy of Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray enchanted Broadway. I was extremely fortunate to see the Tony Award-winning 2015 revival featuring earth-shattering performances from Cynthia Erivo as Celie and Danielle Brooks as strong-willed Sofia…

Brooks reprises her role in director Blitz Bazawule’s handsome big screen adaptation and almost steals the film with a commanding rendition of the fiery self-empowerment anthem Hell No. She captures lightning in a bottle for a second time in collaboration with choreographer Fatima Robinson and costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck. Co-star Taraji P Henson also seizes her moment in the spotlight with a juke joint performance of Push Da Button wearing an alluring red beaded dress and feather headpiece.

American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino tugs heartstrings as Celie, a survivor of domestic and sexual abuse in early 20th-century rural Georgia determined to find her place in a cruel world. Her heroine’s standout solo, the defiant I’m Here, feels oddly underpowered on screen. She winds up for a mighty emotional wallop but only lands a glancing blow. Thankfully, a poignant finale packs the missing punch.

Teenager Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) suffers horribly at the hands of her abusive father Alfonso (Deon Cole) until she is married off against her will to local farmer Mister (Colman Domingo), who expects her to take care of his three children. Celie’s spirited sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) refuses to submit to Mister and she leaves Georgia but promises to write every day. Years pass and Celie (now played by Barrino) has been worn down to quiet subservience until Mister’s mistress, sultry jazz singer Shug Avery (Henson), sashays into town and lights a fire in the broken wife. Mister’s son Harpo (Corey Hawkins) also meets his match in Sofia (Brooks), who walks out on him when he raises a hand to her. Surrounded by powerful women, Celie marshals the confidence to challenge Mister in front of his father (Louis Gossett Jr) and seize control of her destiny.

The Color Purple honours themes of resilience, regret and defiance in Walker’s book, punctuated by large-scale musical numbers that benefit from the pacing created by editor Jon Poll, who previously worked on The Greatest Showman. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen, who has repeatedly collaborated with Guillermo del Toro, intensifies the colour palette and camera movements to differentiate these showstoppers from spoken sections lit by natural light. The sun must eventually rise on Celie and her sisterhood.

– Sarah Lee