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The Color Purple (1985)

 -  Drama  -  18 December 1985 (USA)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 43,183 users  
Reviews: 168 user | 54 critic

The life and trials of a young African American woman.

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(novel), (screenplay)
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Title: The Color Purple (1985)

The Color Purple (1985) on IMDb 7.6/10

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Nominated for 11 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 9 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Harpo Johnson (as Willard Pugh)
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Leonard Jackson ...
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John Patton Jr. ...
Carl Anderson ...
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Storyline

This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life... Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize Winning Story. See more »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El color púrpura  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$94,175,854 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Oprah Winfrey's first movie. See more »

Goofs

During the church scenes with the "God's Trying To Tell You Something" track, a Hammond organ is audible being played through a Leslie rotary speaker in the left channel. However, the Leslie (then known as Vibratone) rotary speaker wasn't introduced until the mid to late forties and it certainly was not marketed alongside a Hammond organ. The Hammond Organ Company and Electro Music, the company which manufactured Leslie speakers, were involved in a bitter dispute over the popularity of the Leslie versus Hammond's own line of stationary tone cabinets. See more »

Quotes

Celie: [to herself, after Shug shouts Albert's first name when she throws the burned food out of the bedroom] Albert?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.66 (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"Hot Lips"
Written by Henry Busse, Henry Lange and Lou Davis
Performed by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Courtesy of RCA Records
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Simply beautiful
26 March 2002 | by (United States of America) – See all my reviews

Simply beautiful really is the only way to describe such a wondrous film, one which warms the heart, nourishes the soul, and brings a tear to the eye. This statement is neither hyperbolic nor exaggerated, one of many reasons I suggest you see this film.

The film opens in 1909 when Celie (Whoopi Goldberg in her feature film debut) as a young girl, as well as a victim of incest, impregnated by her father. Unattractive and unloved, separated from her beloved sister and children, Celie has no other option than to be wedded to an abusive, impoverished, and philandering husband named Albert (Danny Glover), a man who treats her no better than a slave. However, Celie's life forever changes when Albert returns home in accompaniment with his mistress Shug (Margaret Avery), a beautiful Blues singer.

In spite of the seemingly hopeless situation the film's plot provides Celie with, the Color Purple is not a tale of her despair, but rather her triumph, one which is immensely inspiring. Stellar in every aspect this film is, including Stephen Spielberg's highly credible direction, the acting, especially of the four most prominent stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey (both quite impressive in their debuts), Danny Glover, and Margaret Avery, the plot, etc. As one of my most revered novels and films, I definitely recommend the Color Purple.

Grade: A+


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Did Oprah sort of ruin this film for you? mischiefvin
A really bad movie meisterjaan
Why couldnt Celees children speak English? zyggums
THE COLOR PURPLE GOT THE BIGGEST OSCAR SNUB aahobson
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