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Movies / On DVD / The Color Purple
The Color Purple

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The Color Purple (1985)

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88 %
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Reviews Counted:25

Fresh:22

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Steven Spielberg's masterful adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel stars Whoopi Goldberg, in her impressive screen debut, as Celie, a sharecropper's daughter living in rural... Steven Spielberg's masterful adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel stars Whoopi Goldberg, in her impressive screen debut, as Celie, a sharecropper's daughter living in rural Georgia. The film opens in 1909 when Celie is a young girl, a victim of incest, pregnant with her father's child. Ugly and unloved, separated from her children and her sister, Celie's only option is marriage to an abusive, philandering husband (Danny Glover) who treats her little better than a slave. Her life changes forever when her husband brings his mistress, a beautiful blues singer named Shug (Margaret Avery), into the house. THE COLOR PURPLE was also the film debut for Oprah Winfrey, who beautifully plays Celie's sister-in-law, Sofia. THE COLOR PURPLE was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including one each for Goldberg, Avery, and Winfrey) but surprisingly won no Oscars, and although the film was nominated for a Best Picture award, Spielberg was snubbed by the academy and was not nominated for Best Director. [More]

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Akosua Busia, Willard Pugh

Director: Steven Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Menno Meyjes
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Quincy Jones
Composer: Quincy Jones

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Color Purple

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 03:19 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Rich Cline

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 15 2003 03:33 AM

Shadows on the Wall

tomato
4/5

Angie Errigo

Unashamedly emotional, it either totally grabs you or leaves you cold.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
C+

Emanuel Levy

Spielberg may not have been the best choice to direct this feminist text, making a clean, neat movie that lacks authenticity, but the movie has many touching moments and the entire female ensemble is good, particularly Whoopi Goldberg in the second half

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 05 2009 03:08 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

N/R

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 30 2008 03:15 AM

Combustible Celluloid

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 27 2008 03:15 AM

Variety

splat
2/5

Philip Martin

No review available.

comment 1 Comment | Aug., 19 2005 02:31 PM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

tomato
3/5

Alex Sandell

Overrated, but still a good film.

comment 4 Comments | Jul., 14 2005 01:56 PM

Juicy Cerebellum

tomato
4/5

Joe Williams

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 07 2005 04:28 PM

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

tomato
5/5

Steve Crum

Brilliant, disturbing storytelling by Spielberg with standout performances.

comment Comment | May., 28 2005 05:53 AM

Kansas City Kansan

tomato
3/5

Clint Morris

No review available.

comment Comment | May., 06 2005 02:52 AM

Film Threat

tomato
4/5

Larry Ratliff

No review available.

comment Comment | Apr., 04 2005 08:49 AM

San Antonio Express-News

tomato
3/5

Andy Klein

No review available.

comment Comment | Mar., 05 2005 10:03 AM

Los Angeles CityBeat

splat
2/5

Thomas Delapa

No review available.

comment 1 Comment | Sep., 23 2004 05:13 PM

Boulder Weekly

tomato
3/5

Daniel M. Kimmel

No review available.

comment Comment | Apr., 21 2004 07:10 AM

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

splat
2/5

Carol Cling

No review available.

comment 1 Comment | Apr., 16 2004 02:11 PM

Las Vegas Review-Journal

tomato
3/5

Rob Thomas

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 13 2003 12:25 PM

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

tomato
4/5

Ken Hanke

A far better film than is usually thought.

comment Comment | Jun., 23 2003 05:47 PM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

N/R

Janet Maslin

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:04 PM

New York Times

tomato
3/5

Dan Lybarger

Spielberg's first big drama is often hokey in places but ultimately succeeds.

comment Comment | Feb., 23 2003 09:01 PM

Nitrate Online

 
 
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Latest News for The Color Purple

May 16, 2008: Steven Spielberg's Ten Best-Directed Films
RT counts down the ten best-reviewed films directed by Indiana Jones helmer and modern moviemaking legend, Steven Spielberg. More...

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