The second cinematic adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel is arriving in theaters. The first time we noticed Celie, Shug, and Sofia on the large display screen was in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film. Now, we’ve The Color Purple, adapting the Broadway musical right into a cinematic occasion not like every other. This film combines highly effective harmonies and breathtaking dance numbers to create the very best musical of the 12 months. It serves as a showcase for the musical abilities of each performer on display screen whereas telling a wealthy, emotional story you gained’t discover anyplace else.
This film is directed by Blitz Bazawule, who beforehand helmed critically acclaimed movies like The Burial of Kojo and Black Is King. His third film is probably going his largest challenge but, and he reveals all of the promise of cementing himself as a family title within the Hollywood sphere. To put it merely, he nailed it. He understood find out how to convey a musical to life, translating it from the stage to the display screen with grace. Bazawule manages to seize the right power with these performers, utilizing their vocals and the water in a scene to create one thing great.
The Color Purple begins with a younger Celie getting separated from her sister, Nettie. Celie is compelled to marry Albert “Mister” Johnson (Colman Domingo) in a troubled, abusive relationship. It’s a tragic movie with heavy material surrounding bodily and sexual abuse, together with the racism that black folks went by way of throughout the early 1900s. Screenwriter Marcus Gardley expertly weaves by way of all of those darkish moments that may be genuinely arduous to look at with out making the tonal shifts to the musical numbers really feel jarring. It’s not the primary story that you’d count on to be tailored right into a musical, however very similar to the Broadway present, it repeatedly proves its significant, invaluable existence as an empowering murals.
How superb is it to see a superbly feminist story on the large display screen? It’s a tear-jerking celebration of black girls and the struggles they’ve confronted for years. Bazawule captures a large scope with each energetic sequences of music and darkish, scarier moments of abuse, prejudice, and ache. It’s the right mixture of Bazawule’s course, implausible songwriting and screenwriting, Dan Lausten’s breathtaking-as-usual cinematography with colours that pop off of the display screen, and a sound design that brings the story to life completely.
The performances listed here are excellent throughout the board. The large ticket right here is Fantasia Barrino, who makes her characteristic movie debut on this movie. Having seen her efficiency right here, I by no means would have guessed that this was her first time. She portrays Celia completely at many phases in her life, showcasing her energy and ferocity that exists alongside her vulnerability. She is layered, tragic, and charming to look at. Taraji P. Henson has been giving great performances in movies and TV for years, and he or she handles all her scenes as Shug Avery. She’s a kind of characters who you wait to return to the display screen, as she not solely makes the film higher, however she additionally means rather a lot to our protagonist, Celia.
But the individual on this forged who persistently blew me away was Danielle Brooks as Sofia. Sofia is bound to be a fan-favorite character amongst audiences. She brings a magnetic vibrance to the movie, and there are scenes the place each single line she has is absolute gold. Above all of the unhappiness on this movie, there’s a humorousness all through, and we are able to thank Brooks for supplying lots of that. But she’s not simply the comedian aid character there to inform jokes—she will get her phenomenal musical quantity in “Hell No!” and there are various scenes which might be extraordinarily difficult for an actor to tug off on the web page. Brooks does all the pieces proper on this movie, and he or she deserves a Best Supporting Actress nod for this one.
Another standout on this forged is Colman Domingo, who has been having fun with the highlight as of late, selling each this film and Rustin throughout the awards season. It wasn’t till his latest function in Euphoria that I found what a wonderful actor this man is and what number of motion pictures I’ve seen him in and never observed. He deserves each little bit of recognition he has been getting, enjoying the villainous Mister splendidly. His character is a monster who you hate, however Domingo by no means portrays him with that intention. He approaches the character like a flawed human being, which is the proper manner so as to add nuance to a personality that everybody who watches the movie must be rooting towards.
The Color Purple cements itself because the spellbinding musical occasion of the 12 months. The supporting forged consists of extra fashionable film musical alums like Corey Hawkins (In the Heights) and Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid). There is not any weak hyperlink in a movie that hits each beat it ought to. The solely problem is that just a few of the songs are much less memorable and might simply be overshadowed by others, resembling “I’m Here,” a showstopping spotlight within the movie. The movie balances the tone between humor and heartbreak whereas offering a really particular expertise that can have you ever applauding, laughing, and wincing.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s evaluation coverage explains, a rating of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this stage is on the prime of its sort. The gold customary that each creator goals to succeed in.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our The Color Purple evaluation.
Discussion about this post