I’ve gotta admit - while I’m definitely heard of Steven Spielberg's 1985 dramatic epic of the same name, I’ve never gotten around to see it (don’t worry - it’s very firmly on my watch list). At its most resounding in its musical numbers with an award worthy performance from Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple is a film reverberating with immense power.

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie marries "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

 

While this version of The Color Purple has its harrowing, wince worthy, and raging indignation at the injustice of it all moments, you can’t help but shake the feeling that as the audience we’re shielding a bit from the sting of it all. Perhaps it's in the musical numbers, in all their colour and power, where we find our shelter. 

 

And it is in those musical numbers that The Color Purple is at its very best. Through each song moments of tremendous joy, suffering, and sorrow are expressed with a depth of emotion that will take your breath away. It helps to invest and immerse you completely into the narrative, stitching you to the very heart and soul of Celie and her plight. 

 

Fantasia Barrino - where the heck did she come from?! This is a hello-world-I’ve-arrived kinda performance. It’s power rests completely in its restrained subtly, bringing us a character that while meek to begin with starts to grow in strength and power. Brooks as Sofia is an undaunted force of nature while Henson brings a seductive charisma to the ever flamboyant Shug Avery. 

 

At its most resounding in its musical numbers with an award worthy performance from Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple is a film reverberating with immense power.