Actors - The Color Purple

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	Actors - The Color Purple

The Color Purple is a 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The film tells the story of a young African-American girl named Celie and shows the problems faced by African-American women during the early 1900's; including poverty, racial and sex discrimination. The character Celie is transformed as she finds her self-worth through the help of two strong female companions.

Plot/Summary

Taking place in the south during the early 1900’s, the film follows the life of a poor African American girl, Celie (Goldberg), whose abuse begins when she is young. By the time she is fourteen she has already had two children by her father, who she later finds out is her step-father. Celie is forced to marry a man in town who she calls "Mr. _____" (Glover). "Mr._____" makes Celie feel she is unworthy of love and happiness. He continuously beats her, has un-consented sex with her, and makes her take care of his children and the chores around the house from the beginning of their relationship. She becomes very close to Mr._____’s ex-lover Shug (Avery) and forms a close relationship with her. In the book this was clearly a lesbian love relationship, but the film does not make that clear. Celie also finds companionship in Sofia (Winfrey) who is a strong woman who once was also abused by the men in her life. Through the strength of her two friends, Celie develops into a confident woman who realizes she is worthy of love.

Main cast

"Mr. _______": Danny Glover
Celie: Whoopi Goldberg
Shug Avery: Margaret Avery
Sofia: Oprah Winfrey
Harpo: Willard E.Pugh
Nettie: Akosua Busia

Academy Awards

The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey) but saw none of them awarded. The big Oscar winner that year was instead the colonial drama Out of Africa
, a twist which some considered proof of racial bias in Hollywood. There was also controversy in Hollywood when Spielberg himself failed to be nominated as Best Director, although he was awarded the prestigious Directors Guild of America Award.

Other critics pointed to the controversy that occurred during the production of the film as the reason for it getting snubbed by the Academy. Some African American civil rights leaders were upset that the film was being directed by Spielberg, who had no personal or professional experience to draw on while producing a film based on a book that digs very deeply into being a disadvantaged, and abused, black woman that finds empowerment and love through her relationship with another woman. Many feminist and gay critics were upset that Spielberg felt the need to interject humor into the film (reducing Celie's abuse to an 'aw shucks' battle of the sexes) and turning the lesbian love into platonic female bonding.

Although critics and the public had some skepticism, the film produced $141.7 million in the box offices worldwide.

Awards/Nominations

Academy Award nominations

Best Picture
Best Actress
- Whoopi Goldberg
Best Supporting Actress
- Margaret Avery
Best Supporting Actress
- Oprah Winfrey
Best Adapted Screenplay - Menno Meyjes
Best Song - "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)"

Golden Globes Wins

Best Actress (Drama) - Whoopi Goldberg

Golden Globes Nominations

Best Picture (Drama)
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Supporting Actress - Oprah Winfrey

Trivia

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Color Purple (film) ]

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